Art Goes Outdoors

‘Tis the season for outdoor art fests and events!  I do enjoy doing them but man, the set up and break down can be killer!  By the end of a long, hot day under the tent, behind the table, you’re tempted to run a huge sale just to get rid of things so you don’t have to deal with packing it all up again..almost tempted that is…

I’ve been doing outdoor (& indoor) art events for many a moon now and you never know what will happen..sometimes sales are awesome other times not so much.  Sometimes my work wins awards, others not.  The weather is a very unpredictable factor that can make or break an event and even when it turns out to be nice,  if it was predicted not to be, many people still won’t venture out.  But such is the nature of the outdoor art show beast!

This past Saturday I participated in the 11th Annual Juried East Brunswick (NJ) outdoor art fest in a pretty setting encircling a pond in a local park area.  It’s about the 5th or 6th year I’ve done it…the past 2 years I won awards.  This year one of my photos did make it into the finals for the winner’s circle but it just got a certificate this time…still something to be proud of as only a few pieces made it that far out of hundreds!  Here’s the image:

Winter House 3, (c)Lauren Curtis 35mm B&W photo

(signed prints available starting at $50 for a matted 8″x10″)

Now I’m scheduled to do many more events this summer including the Junebug Art Fest in Metuchen this Fri., 6/14, an indoor gothic art show at QXT’s Club in Newark on Fri., 6/28 among others so if you’re in NJ keep checking my posts for updates and come out and join me at these fun and often free events!

 

Me at my booth, E.Bruns. Fest 2013

To Fest or not to Fest; an artist’s dilemma

Happy Summer (for those of you in my hemisphere…otherwise, happy winter)!  Despite the bizarre weather patterns across the globe, summer is in full force in good ol’ New Jersey and we’ve been getting plenty of hot, steamy, sunny days..but we haven’t been free of rain and when does it seem to hit most??  Well, when I have an outdoor art fest to do, of course!

Now there’s nothing quite like going through the stress and strain of setting up a professional looking both at an art event only to feel those annoying drops of rain begin to fall RIGHT AFTER everything’s ready to go!!  Then it’s “QUICK!  GET THE TARP….PROTECT THE ART!!!”  Don’t get me wrong; I really enjoy doing art fests of all sorts.  They’re an excellent way to sell and get exposure for your work, to network with other artists and potential new clients and collectors, and it’s extremely satisfying to win an award!  (I’m happy to say I won a cash award in the last three juried art fests I’ve done over the last year!  YAY!).  But many people don’t realize the hard work it is to do an art fest, especially outside when you’re constantly worried about the weather…and not just rain…but wind, heat, cold, humidity…it’s a rare and lucky occasion when you stumble upon that perfect day!  And of course, the weather (& weather predictions) dictate the crowd that’ll show up for the event.

But, as a full time artist, I highly recommend giving art fests a try…especially local ones as it’s a great way to get your work seen by your community.  It also builds your mailing list and your resume and can lead not only to sales but to other exhibit opportunities as well!

So, I guess it’s not as much of a dilemma after all…except when you’re watching the news and the weather person says those dreaded words; “Looks like thunderstorms will hit the area by 11am tomorrow…” which is, of course, the time when your event is due to begin!  But, they can be wrong and you can still take the chance and come out on top…although it doesn’t hurt to pray to the weather gods to be on your side that day!

See you at the fest…check http://www.facebook.com/LaurenCurtisArtTalonArt  & this blog  for updates on my upcoming art events.

Take care,

Lauren

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

P.S. I have no idea why the photo of me & my award shows up sideways…file is saved right-side up..it’s a computer mystery!

Award-Winning Photo!!

Happy 4th of July weekend to all that it applies to! Just a quick post with some exciting news…on 7/2/10, my photo, “Pumpkin Pickers” (see below) won an award at the 5th Annual Franklin Township (NJ) Juried Clothesline Art Exhibit!!! This is the 4th time I participated in this local, juried art event and the 2nd time one of my photos won an award so I’m thrilled to start off my holiday weekend on such a positive note.

Thanks to all my friends and family who sent out lots of positive energy for this event! (& the weather was PERFECT!)

Signed prints are available…just contact me for details…and remember, I DO accept Paypal to my email addy.

Enjoy your weekend!
Lauren