Of "ohh, I love your colors," Bee Butt, and the $400 Display Tag
The title sums up our 11th appearance at the Festival for the Eno last weekend.
As always, the weather was hot and humid, but that didn't prevent music-lovers and supporters of the Eno River from coming out. Art lovers? Not so much. It was not my worst outing in terms of sales here, but very close.
"Ohhh, I love your colors": I had the usual number of compliments about my work, and this phrase was almost a constant refrain. The fact that I sold very little, and mostly my very lowest priced items reflects what I've seen as a change in the festival over the last 3 to 4 years. People come to enjoy the music, eat the festival food, play in the river, and glance at art. The art is an afterthought, if it's thought of at all. This will probably be my last Eno; it's time to move on to where art is the main event.
Bee Butt: a photographer was in the tent to my right, displaying a canvas print on a tripod outside.
It was titled "Bee Butt," and because of how close it was to my tent opening, we were able to observe countless people stopping to see it and repeating the title (I say countless, but at one point, we did count 38 people in about a 90-minute span saying it!). I don't think "Bee Butt" sold, or actually brought anyone into his tent, but it was certainly a source of amusement/annoyance for us.
The $400 Display Tag: Late on Sunday afternoon, an older gentlemen came in, looked around briefly, then stared for quite awhile near one of my wall hangings. He appeared to be fixated on the display tag, under which was the price, as you can see at left. He looked confused, and a bit upset. Just as I was about to ask him if he had a question, he asked "What makes this worth $400?" Normally, I would use this as an opportunity to talk about my process and techniques, but something about his peering intently at the display tag rather than the piece itself stopped me. I replied: "The price is for the large piece to the right, not the tag!" He seemed relieved. I went on to say, "I'm good, but I'm not THAT good, I can't paint that small." I guess the answer satisfied his curiosity, because he left quickly afterward.
Wow, really?! A $400 display tag?! We got a good, if incredulous laugh out of that one.
And so, my sojourn as an Eno artist concluded. It was a good run of 11 years, I met many new collectors, made some good friends, and now it's time to find another show which will provide me the same. Stay tuned to see what that will be!
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| Some of my apparently swoon-worthy colorful items |
"Ohhh, I love your colors": I had the usual number of compliments about my work, and this phrase was almost a constant refrain. The fact that I sold very little, and mostly my very lowest priced items reflects what I've seen as a change in the festival over the last 3 to 4 years. People come to enjoy the music, eat the festival food, play in the river, and glance at art. The art is an afterthought, if it's thought of at all. This will probably be my last Eno; it's time to move on to where art is the main event.
Bee Butt: a photographer was in the tent to my right, displaying a canvas print on a tripod outside.
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| "Bee Butt" ©Stan Lewis Photography |
The $400 Display Tag: Late on Sunday afternoon, an older gentlemen came in, looked around briefly, then stared for quite awhile near one of my wall hangings. He appeared to be fixated on the display tag, under which was the price, as you can see at left. He looked confused, and a bit upset. Just as I was about to ask him if he had a question, he asked "What makes this worth $400?" Normally, I would use this as an opportunity to talk about my process and techniques, but something about his peering intently at the display tag rather than the piece itself stopped me. I replied: "The price is for the large piece to the right, not the tag!" He seemed relieved. I went on to say, "I'm good, but I'm not THAT good, I can't paint that small." I guess the answer satisfied his curiosity, because he left quickly afterward. Wow, really?! A $400 display tag?! We got a good, if incredulous laugh out of that one.
And so, my sojourn as an Eno artist concluded. It was a good run of 11 years, I met many new collectors, made some good friends, and now it's time to find another show which will provide me the same. Stay tuned to see what that will be!
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