It was ArtWalk this weekend, and as per usual, it was fabulous. I got an excellent spot, on a tall counter (the top of a bank of lockers) in the hallway in front of one of the gyms. It meant that the thousands(!) of visitors all walked by my display TWICE, once going into the gym to look at everyone else’s amazing art, and once coming out again – up one side of the display and down the other on the return trip, and having the counter so high meant that my tiny detail work was right at people’s eye level.
The night before it started, I was lying awake at 3am, worrying (as one does), and I came to the conclusion that I probably wouldn’t get a lot of sales – people would just walk past my display instead of stopping to linger and look. It was a hallway, after all. Fine, I thought, so be it. It is what it is.
Hah! I couldn’t have been more wrong. People stopped, they looked, they lingered, they oooh’d and aaah’d. And they bought. And bought!
I’d brought a little group of mice (apparently that’s called a mischief?), sitting on cheeses. Last year, I had a cat with a companion cheesymouse, and people kept trying to buy just the mouse, so I thought I’ll try a few mice on their own this time. They flew off the shelf – the first one sold within ten minutes of the opening!
Hilariously, the flock of Tiny Gnomes that were so popular last year were, to begin with, completely overshadowed by the Cheesymice – they only started selling once all the mice were gone. They got lots of attention, though (“Look at the tiny gnomes, Mommy!”, “Oh my gosh, so cute!”), so it’s all good.
The theme this year was “Colour Unleashed”. If you’ve met me in person, you know that that’s right up my alley. I would have worn my rainbow Ali Baba pants anyway, but as is, I looked like I dressed on theme! And it gave me an opportunity to bring my super-bright splashy abstract pieces (I call some of them “Kandinsky cups”), and to my surprise they were really popular.
Not much more to say. It was a fun weekend, quite exhausting, quite exhilerating. Now to go into hibernation for a couple of weeks, and then back into the studio to replenish the stock!
Life, the Universe, and my third time at ArtWalk. If you’re interested in adopting a Tiny Gnome or getting your very own Mousepresso cup, give me a shout. I’ll be over here on the couch, having a nap.
I’m so delighted this was such a good experience! Both in terms of immediate sale and also for just getting eyes on your art. And for you to have a chance to interact with so many people who are appreciating your art, something that is hard to come by as an author when the majority of sales happen online. A grand weekend all the way around, even if you will have to hibernate for a while to recharge! (Also, those pants are AWESOME)
Thank you! And yes, it’s the interaction with the people that’s the best part. Hearing the reactions. One lady was just about in tears, because she said looking at my work made her feel so warm and happy. She didn’t buy anything, but that reaction was worth several sales rolled into one!