Post show comments...

Just wanted to jot some notes about the show this past Saturday. My neighbours were Laura of Inspired Soapworks and Anja Hertle who makes the most beautiful mosaic pieces. Anja and I exchanged wares and felt good about having a treat to bring home. We laughed and commiserated together as artists usually do. All in all, it was a really nice show and I did better in sales than the previous year. The show is still experiencing some growing pains although it was very well decorated and put together, it would have been better with more people and of course more sales. It was nice to see familiar faces. Sally the organizer said the numbers were about the same as last year, but because everyone is feeling that economic pinch, there were allot of tire kickers. The past few weeks I had been working really hard at making all my jewellery top notch. There wasn't anything there that was less than 100%. I usually go over everything before a show, but this time I really made sure everything was just perfect. Feeling a need to lower my prices in an attempt to sell more, is wishful thinking, because I haven't raised prices in years while silver prices keep climbing. All things considered, I did well.

Feeling good about my work is a high priority, because I am not a sales person, I am an artist and I rely heavily on my work to sell itself. Also, me being as transparent as a window on the Church of St Mary (as Ron James would say) has a way of rearing its nasty head at times, but I digress. I also tire of the same old, so I work hard at bringing out something new to feel good about, and it shows because of my transparent nature.

So my show would be easier to put up and take down, I begged to have a vertical aspect to my display instead of it being all horizontal. Many people commented on the new look and saw my new pieces. The "passion pieces" as my friend Lianne calls them, that I created especially for this and next weekends' show seemed to attract some buzz. Actually, I was sad to see my first ever driftwood and glass bird necklace sell. I'm sure it found a great home and the gentleman said it was for someone who loves driftwood and that she is a stained glass artist. I'm sorry that I didn't get her name as he was trying to buy it incognito. Original designs are always the first to be spotted by everyone, jewellers, or those in the field, so to speak. I would think jewellers who have seen pretty much everything, can usually spot a new design from miles away. Having those people stop by and ask questions and comment on my work is always great for my creative soul. When I make the sale, it is even better.
As an independent, we all have to work so much harder at getting those sales. Its difficult to come up with an original design, but I am glad that I still can do that from time to time. Original designs stem from the years of putting pieces together over and over again, or by trying out new findings, or just by trying to figure out the best way to display a newly created bead like the one above. I say original, because as my old art professor said, "everything has been done," and artists can spend a lifetime trying to come up with something new. Lampwork birds are not new, even though I thought they were when I first created them, but no one has anything like these as far as I know. The glass technique I used is my own, and also how I put the bird necklace together with this naturally tumbled tiny driftwood which I handpicked from the lakeshore. Next weekend is the Autumn Treasures show in Peterborough and I'll have to get busy replacing the pieces I just sold. Hope to see you there, if not, be good and happy holidays everyone.