Clymer Art Show Recap

copyright 2007 Stacy L. Rowan

So I owe a show summary here. I would have had one earlier, but the kids started back to school this week and I have been up to my eyeballs in Mommy homework. It makes them so happy to bring home homework for someone else.

The show was a bit of a disappointment because it was not very well attended. A surprise since this show normally has a pretty steady crowd. The smaller crowds could have been caused by the change in venue or by the hot, sunny weather following a week and a half of rain.

Overall, I was happy with the new location. It was easier to find and larger than the old place. Also it was air-conditioned which saved us all from melting from the heat and humidity! And despite the smaller turnout, I did about the same as and Dad did slightly better than last year. However, in general, it did seem that people were buying lower cost items and not as many originals.

One thing that I found a little disturbing was my conversations with other participating artists who claimed that many of the local art shows are experiencing drops in turnout (of customers) and sales. Some artists are thinking of cutting back the number of shows they participate in because they don't want to "waste their time".

So my questions to you, dear readers, are you seeing a similar trend at your local shows? If so, are artists choosing to sell their artwork through different channels (ex. at galleries, on the net)? Is this a lull in art sales in general or just a shift in how those sales are made?

I think it would be interesting to get a broader picture of the current art market, so I'd love for you to post your comments here or blog about it and come back and give a link.

Although this year's show might not have been a rousing success, Dad and I will be back next year. The show has a good track record, is in a convenient location for us and is organized and attended by some very nice artists. That is enough to make it worth our while.

The picture above shows part of our set-up. The rack contains a mix of Dad's paintings and my paintings.

Clymer Library Art Show

Burnside Plantation

copyright 2007 Stacy L. Rowan

This weekend I will be participating in the Clymer Library Art Show. The show is open Saturday August 25th from 11am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 4pm. It is being held at a new venue, but is only minutes from the old location. This year's venue is the Pocono Mountain West Junior High School. The junior high is on the same property as the high school. You can find directions here.

There are many great artists at this show, so I hope if you are in the area you get a chance to stop by. You will find me sharing a booth with my dad, Bob Govett. I wouldn't be an artist if I hadn't watched Dad draw and sketch when I was a kid. Now we share a lot of good times together doing shows, taking workshops, sharing some friendly competition to keep each other motivated. And when he's with me at a show, he's out of Mom's hair for a day. So I earn some bonus points there.

Assateague Lighthouse

copyright 2007 Robert Govett

Daisies

copyright 2007 Stacy L. Rowan

My Gerber daisies are blooming and they look beautiful!! I am so excited! These are the same Gerber daisies that I sketched on my windowsill.

I transplanted them to a large planter outside after they almost died in their little pots from the garden center. For a few days I wasn't sure if they were going to survive. Then the leaves started looking better and new leaves started growing. For weeks I've had nice, healthy, shiny, green leaves. And now finally FLOWERS! Hooray!

I've been snapping away with my camera. I just can't help myself.

Vindication

I was reading Robert Genn's newsletter today and it said this...

The art of remaining mute is one of the keys to personal
creative evolution. By speaking out and expressing our plans we often diffuse
our need to do. It's as if some of the energy required to produce the creative
product is already used up by the words themselves.

See! That's why I need to do before I tell. Otherwise it might not happen at all. It has nothing to do with being secretive. It's about creative evolution.

So I could tell you what I am planning to do next, but then I might not have enough energy to continue fighting with my printer. It already won Round 1, so I really need to be in top shape tomorrow.

Artist Slump

watercolor thumbnail

copyright 2007 Stacy L. Rowan

I have found in my years of being an artist that two things can push me into an artist slump. One is finishing a breakthrough painting or drawing. By breakthrough I mean a work that is better than any I had created previously. The other cause is realizing that my vision outpaces my skill level. In other words, being able to "see" the fabulous piece of art I want to create, but not having the necessary skills to be successful in creating it.

I think the problem with both of these events is they inspire fear or create (self-imposed) pressure. The breakthrough piece surprises me with how good my work can be. That surprise is followed by the feeling of pressure, created by wanting to repeat the success, and fear that the success was somehow a fluke. When vision outpaces skill, of course, the fear is that the skill will never advance enough to allow me to create what I see in my mind's eye.

What I think is funny is that visible growth can sometimes stop me. (Although truthfully it is more of a pause, because I always come back to creating.) Producing a painting that shows growth in my technical skills or visualizing one that represents growth in my creative skills is more fearful than producing something which shows no growth? How counter-intuitive is that? Stagnation is more comfortable than growth?

Do you think that changing my point of view - celebrating the growth instead of focusing on the fear - would stop a slump in its tracks? It's an interesting theory and definitely worth a try. I'd love to hear opinions on this topic from other artists out there.

Why Simplified

watercolor thumbnail "Marigolds"

copyright 2007 Stacy L. Rowan

(A continuation on the theme of my last post...)

I like people to be happy, and I see a lot in the world to be happy about. I like helping people be happy by showing them what I see that brings me happiness. I'd be even happier if my art could do that for me.

Yes, you may now call me Pollyanna...
but only if it makes you happy.