It's been over a week since the Peters Valley 40th Annual Craft Fair .
Now it is a memory of fuzzy details. It's amazing how much planning goes into preparing for an art show before the actual event begins. There is the most important task (which is an ongoing, year long process) of creating original paintings and then matting and framing the paintings. I also make painted jewelry. Each pair has to be mounted for display on mat board that I cut into 4" squares. Upon each of these squares I attach a logo sticker on the front and a web address sticker on the back, along with a magnet for hanging the earrings on my metal display. Then I also print my own bookmarks and insert each into a protective plastic sleeve with a ribbon attached at the top.
About a week before the show, I send out an e-mail announcement to my e-mail list of previous customers and collectors.
The entire display, inventory, packaging material and office supplies are packed into the van on the day of set up. Once we arrive at the show grounds and register, we go to our booth assignment where it takes from 2 to 3 hours to set up, sometimes tweaking the booth with some fresh touch up paint.
But once it's all in place with the paintings hung, the prints in their rack and the jewelry displayed, I am ready for the show to begin.
What I appreciate about setting up my booth and putting my artwork out for display is that it's like inviting friends and visitors to step into my own little corner of my world. Throughout the day people stop, stay for a minute or two or longer, and look at what I've created. Some offer comments or conversations, some decide to purchase something, and some are contented to just look.
Sometimes friends will stop to visit, someone who I know from another context, or someone who I haven't seen since the previous year. Often I meet people who are new to me, and it's alway fun to learn abou them.
It's all very welcoming to me, and being surrounded by my work is like being surrounded by my creative thoughts, and that's very satisfying.
