I've been in Florida long enough now to do 2 shows, eat plenty of wonderful sea food, get used to the idea of flip-flops being “shoes” and even develop the start of a tan on the top of my head. All in all, it has been an excellent beginning to my Florida adventure.
My first exposure to the Florida show circuit was in the Gulf Coast town of Sarasota just south of Tampa. I was able to stay with some fellow snow-bird artists in Venice who held my hand through my first show...thank you Bob and Ruth! When I got to Venice on Friday afternoon Bob took me to the beach just 10 minutes from the house. We walked along a sand beach listening to the surf and picking up ancient shark's teeth. How cool was that! I found a couple of small teeth and was thrilled. When we returned to the house a boy from next door brought over a whole box full of them, some were several inches long...I felt humbled. He gave me the pick of the box and I added another tooth to my tiny collection.
I was a “newbie” artist at the Sarasota show and the other artists around me took me under their wing, making my first experience very pleasant and enjoyable. The customers were very receptive to my pots, the comments encouraging and the sales were good. My booth was directly across from Barnacle Bill's...thank you God! I had fresh sea food just mere steps away and I ate it both days...the waiters knew me as “that potter across the street”...they delivered! The “winter” weather was spectacular with temps in the 50's in the morning and the 70's in the afternoon. I have discovered that the folks of Florida have a very narrow range of comfort when it comes to temperature. It was either “too cold” or “too hot”. Come on folks, the sun was shining, the temperature was above zero and there was no snow in sight...what more could a South Dakota boy want in February?!
My next show was in Stuart on the Atlantic Coast. The town of Stuart was much like Sarasota in many ways. The main street did feel older, more quaint and much brighter colored. Orange stucco buildings with purple trim, old clapboard tenements with aqua painted siding and lime green accents...they all made me smile. The people were smiling too as they walked by on Saturday morning as I was having breakfast at Maria's. Maria's is an old family restaurant that had just moved locations after 27 years. Saturday morning was their first day open at the new downtown location. I sat outside under the canopy and enjoyed my Greek omelet with goat cheese, rye toast and wonderful strong coffee in the morning sun. I watched Cattle Egrets and Ibis's fly over as I ate in the warm sun...life is good! I also discovered my first Banyan tree. Impressive and awe inspiring is not an apt description. When I was young I climbed trees like any other kid, now I'm an older kid and it was all I could do to keep myself from exploring the huge branches that stretched over my head in all directions. I could have lived in that tree! I had customers tell me there is a road in Stuart that is canopied for a mile with the giant Banyan trees.
The sales in Stuart were consistent with the Sarasota sales and I was happy. The customers remarked on how nice it was to see something new, on the quality of the pots and on how reasonably priced the pots were. People seemed to be spending less on the high-end pieces of art, but still willing to buy lower-end pieces. Other artists I talked to had that same sense. There were some beautiful paintings at this show that reflected the sea and the shore. They had bright vibrant colors and used the intense Florida sunlight in a way that the landscape painters of South Dakota cannot.
My next show will be Jupiter along Juno Beach on the 14th and 15th of March. I have been told the show stretches for almost a mile along the Atlantic Ocean...I can't wait to experience it!
My first exposure to the Florida show circuit was in the Gulf Coast town of Sarasota just south of Tampa. I was able to stay with some fellow snow-bird artists in Venice who held my hand through my first show...thank you Bob and Ruth! When I got to Venice on Friday afternoon Bob took me to the beach just 10 minutes from the house. We walked along a sand beach listening to the surf and picking up ancient shark's teeth. How cool was that! I found a couple of small teeth and was thrilled. When we returned to the house a boy from next door brought over a whole box full of them, some were several inches long...I felt humbled. He gave me the pick of the box and I added another tooth to my tiny collection.
I was a “newbie” artist at the Sarasota show and the other artists around me took me under their wing, making my first experience very pleasant and enjoyable. The customers were very receptive to my pots, the comments encouraging and the sales were good. My booth was directly across from Barnacle Bill's...thank you God! I had fresh sea food just mere steps away and I ate it both days...the waiters knew me as “that potter across the street”...they delivered! The “winter” weather was spectacular with temps in the 50's in the morning and the 70's in the afternoon. I have discovered that the folks of Florida have a very narrow range of comfort when it comes to temperature. It was either “too cold” or “too hot”. Come on folks, the sun was shining, the temperature was above zero and there was no snow in sight...what more could a South Dakota boy want in February?!
My next show was in Stuart on the Atlantic Coast. The town of Stuart was much like Sarasota in many ways. The main street did feel older, more quaint and much brighter colored. Orange stucco buildings with purple trim, old clapboard tenements with aqua painted siding and lime green accents...they all made me smile. The people were smiling too as they walked by on Saturday morning as I was having breakfast at Maria's. Maria's is an old family restaurant that had just moved locations after 27 years. Saturday morning was their first day open at the new downtown location. I sat outside under the canopy and enjoyed my Greek omelet with goat cheese, rye toast and wonderful strong coffee in the morning sun. I watched Cattle Egrets and Ibis's fly over as I ate in the warm sun...life is good! I also discovered my first Banyan tree. Impressive and awe inspiring is not an apt description. When I was young I climbed trees like any other kid, now I'm an older kid and it was all I could do to keep myself from exploring the huge branches that stretched over my head in all directions. I could have lived in that tree! I had customers tell me there is a road in Stuart that is canopied for a mile with the giant Banyan trees.
The sales in Stuart were consistent with the Sarasota sales and I was happy. The customers remarked on how nice it was to see something new, on the quality of the pots and on how reasonably priced the pots were. People seemed to be spending less on the high-end pieces of art, but still willing to buy lower-end pieces. Other artists I talked to had that same sense. There were some beautiful paintings at this show that reflected the sea and the shore. They had bright vibrant colors and used the intense Florida sunlight in a way that the landscape painters of South Dakota cannot.
My next show will be Jupiter along Juno Beach on the 14th and 15th of March. I have been told the show stretches for almost a mile along the Atlantic Ocean...I can't wait to experience it!
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