It blew and it blew!!!! First the back wall caved in. My neighbour Bela tied it back with string. It gusted some more, all the paintings had to come down as they were getting damaged and the side wall caved in. My neighbour behind me tied that one up with rope for the remainder of the day. I sat there for 8 hours and no sales..
Next week will be better!!!!!!!!!
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What a shame! JJ I recognize some of your paintings in the photograph ...they look awesome!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh well it makes life interesting, and if you ask Ree, she will tell you everything about me and what I do is interesting rotflol.....
ReplyDeletewhat a bummer, no sales! hm, did it have something to do with the fact that your customers were afraid THEY'D be blown away?
ReplyDeleteyikes!!!
I can sympapthise with you. My one and only foray into an outdoor market was abismal. It was just like what you showed plus it rained, hard. My everloving wife helped me set up and retreat but we had fun. No sales either and it was a 400 mile trip each way too.
ReplyDeleteI am forever the optimist. My neighbour was saying I was falling down, and I said nope, I am half up!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe market scene is a hard way to make money. I have to be up at 4.30am, at the market by 6.30am and set up pretty fast. Sit there for 8 hours and not get discouraged. I had an English woman next to me selling mats this time. She was selling fast and furious and grumbling the whole time.
The gazebo is not easy to erect on my own, and the new one I have is really, really heavy. I am going to have to ask for help getting it in and out of the car, and I hate asking for help.
A lot of the visitors to the markets are regulars, so you just have to hang in there and give them time to get used to you. Bela, next to me sold very little last week, this week he sold two big paintings for 75.00 each. More than covered the petrol for the car and the 25.00 market fee.
Folks will come and look, they will admire, and they will go and tell their friends. They will come back the next week and buy the painting they admired the last week if it is still there, well from Bela anyway lol. I think it helps a little to have a theme. Bela, it is Australian birds. Me, it is mostly still life. I have been asked for roses twice. I don't like painting roses, but I just may have to paint a couple just to see what happens.
Folks come in to see if you have anything to match their bedroom, dining room, kitchen. That is normal. They like stuff with white backgrounds best.
This was my third week, 3 more weeks and I will be a permanent. The regular market stall holders are all a friendly lot, and they all know it is hard work.
I will hang in there, because even if I am not selling, folks are still looking. One never knows just who is looking either. All sorts of people wander around the markets looking for a bargain, something different. One never knows just who they might be, or where they are from. Forever the optimist, me!! I believe!
JJ, Don't let the lack of sales get you down. It aint easy at the best of times and being surrounded by bargain hunters doesn't help. Paint for the love it and eventually the person who is meant to have the painting will buy it. Take prints too, prints sell easier than original art, infuriating I know, but its true.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't be afraid to ask for help, it's a great way to meet nice people. And what nice guy can resist a damsel in distress?
Oh you are so right. I was hammering in a tent peg, and this guy comes out of nowhere, takes the hammer from me and says I see you are having trouble. I wisely shut my mouth as I had the peg halfway in and wasn't having any trouble at all! He just wanted to be a knight in shining armour. He was cute too!!!
ReplyDeleteI am not down becasue of lack of sales Bruce. It is making me more determined. My reasons for needing this money keeps me focussed too.
I agree paint for the love of it, yes! If those folks don't like what I paint too bad. I can't paint to order actually, and I hate commissions. I have 2 dog commissions (unpaid) that I have been procrastinating about for months. Maybe I will paint them maybe not.
I listen to Bela the artist next to my stall. He is a wealth of knowledge and has been painting for the markets for years. He paints his birds because he loves to paint them. I do enjoy painting my onions and garlic. I can't have a stall full of onions and garlic though lol. I am not fond of painting florals but I am going to have to, and when I get into it, I know I will start to like it ,wont I?
I say try the dog paintigns a few times. It would be great practice and you will make two customers happy. Nothing spreads faster than the compliments of a satisfied customer. A word of mouth reputation is the best advertising you'll ever have. And you'll become a better artist to boot. Yougo girl...
ReplyDeleteYou could be right. One of my customers is in New Zealand and the other one is in Perth. I will paint them both on paper before I paint them on the canvas...........oneday..
ReplyDeleteNO !!!! One day means never. Stop giving yourself reasons not to do something.
ReplyDeleteYour assignment for this week is to do value sketches of teh dogs. Next week is to draw the dogs on the canvas, and so on.
No ifs, ands or buts, JUST DO IT. Stop wingeing, or complaining as we say over here.
Oh but I love to winge!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI will try. I have to tell you that both people have given me shocking photos of their dogs. Sheesh
ASk for better pics then, use artistic license, but don;t put it off. Start with what you have and count it as practice...Now get started...))))))))))Shove!!!!!!!!((((((((((((
ReplyDeleteOh I did ask for better pics actually. several times.. :( I will ask again. If they are not forthcoming, I am not painting these dogs. Well one anyway as I did paint it a couple of times on a small support, and the pose is dreadful..
ReplyDeleteYou keep shoving me that hard and you will push me off the cliff.. and break something, oh poor meeeeeee.. hehehehehe
Yeah I shouldn't be so cruel tot eh rocks...
ReplyDeleteCan you find a way to paint a different pose on the dog whithout running into lighting problems?
I actually saw a painting on wc of a dog just like my sil's dog, just the face and neck. I think I may do that, instead of a full body.
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely no energy right now, I haven't painted in 4 days, I am so tired I can barely function, I am fighting to keep myself vertical. This is caused from a combination of the heavy work of setting u7p the market stall and my colitis. Mainly the colitis, it is so stressful and draining at times.. It isn't life threatening but it sure sucks the life out of me if you know what I mean.