I’ve done this show in the blazing sun, in the pouring rain, without a roof, during a dust storm and yet somehow I always end up having a good time.
Why do I do this show?
The awesome Neil & Lacy after helping me pack up my tent!
Several reasons:
I get to stay with Neil & Lacy! This show offers artists the option to stay with a “host family” rather than at a hotel. This is truly one of the best parts of any of the shows I do.
Free breakfast on Sunday — I mean, sausage and eggs followed up by a fried honey bun and a mimosa? That’s a show in itself.
And finally, there are the quotes from the visitors. I can’t express how much I utterly adore the “freeform jazz” / “stream of consciousness” style of responses that people express upon sight of my work.
The run-up
Applying to this show is as easy as all the rest on Zapp. Fill out the application, pay the fee and play the waiting game.
The actual doing of the show
Set-up is usually a haul. Since it’s in a park, we can’t really pull our vehicles up next to the booth spot (unless you’re one of the lucky ones along the street on the north side). You better have a good dolly to shuttle everything to and fro.
When considering the best time to set up, I recommend planning your time in reverse. The show starts at 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon, so work backwards from there. How much time does it take you to set up? Is your booth like mine, and it takes you three hours? Then start setting up no later than 1. Like myself, do you end up a sweaty mess after setting up your booth for three solid hours? If so, then start setting up at around 11 on Friday morning and allow yourself time to take a shower before the show starts.
I think that says “59”…
Of course I followed my own advice. Why else do you think I started setting up at 2?
Make that 3 pm. I started setting up in the wrong spot. The spraypaint on the grass was in more of a “59” shape than the first one.
Nope! THIS one is “59”!
Yaay! 5:20 p.m. and I’m open for business!
6:45 - We’re open just long enough for the weather to go bad. What would be the most appropriate song at this moment?
Raindrops keep falling on my booth
Singing in the booth
I’m only happy when it’s gray
Here comes the lack of sales again
I’ve seen sunny days where people buy everything
Weekend - Distract yourself from the mud pit with a tasty beverage
The rain turned the park into a mud pit.
The demand for hay was so great that this was the extent of the hay assistance for several hours.
I think I’m gonna traipse through this stuff and go get a beverage. Now, what kind of kerfuffle have we gotten ourselves into when this is an upgrade to Oklahoma liquor laws?
Think on that for a minute.
Mind the fence. Incompatible beverages must not mingle. We are saving you from something bad happening, or something.
Overheard Quotes
“Did you go there or just take the pictures?”
I have been known to multitask.
“Is there a specific type of paint you use?”
Epson UltraChrome HDR pigment ink. You can find it at any printer supply store.
“I don’t have Italy money. I barely have Oklahoma money.”
All photos of the same size are the same price.
Crowd walks by with beer-drinking dude in the middle. Without slowing down, beer dude glances over at my booth, looks forward to say, “I’m more intrigued that they sell beer at this thing” and nonchalantly sips his beer.
I go through my dog & pony show about my photo representing the Battle of Ingalls, and I get the ever-insightful response of, “Neat.”
A couple girls enter my booth and chat with each other while browsing my work. I don’t interrupt them because they seem quite engaged in their conversation. As they leave together, one turns to the other, “Okay, you can do photography, and I’ll do art.”
“Overheard Quotes” - The Lightning Round
This is a new section of my blog posts, reserved for the best of the best.
“You can’t tell if it’s a super amazing work of art, or just a picture!”
The only valid response to that statement, “Enjoy your turkey leg.”
…See y’all at Mayfest!