SOWA OPEN MARKET 10/10/10, originally uploaded by kathy weller. See all pics on the Flick.
Today was Boston Handmade Day AND Dog-tastic Day at the South End Open Market (SoWA). I took a trip down to see the new layout and to enjoy the day and the dogs!
Boston Handmader Arthur Halvorsen - LOVE his pottery. I think we live in the same planet. Astro-turf table dressing? Yes!
Another BH'er, Cricicis Design makes note cards with a clean design aesthetic.
Amy Casher designs other-worldly, wearable and chic silver jewelry. Beautiful work.
Lauren Blais uses some very innovative materials (she'll tell you, if you ask. Brace yourself!) She merges current and classic looks in a kind of post-modern way that is very appealing. She also teaches jewelry-making classes (email her).
Vintage by Crystal's decorative figurines are always a tasty hit of eye candy.
By: Kathy Weller,
on 11/30/2009
Blog: wellerwishes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Lettering, Shows, stuff I made, Boston Handmade, Bazaar Bizarre, Add a tag
I've been off the blogging radar for the last couple of weeks! My major apologies to followers of my "Rosie my last pet portrait" project and my "schoolgirls" from-sketch-to-final project. Those will be picked back up after Dec. 6th!
I've been laying low for good reason - I am furiously getting prepared to vend at the upcoming Bazaar Bizarre Boston! This is one of THE annual premiere holiday art markets in Boston. I am so excited to be a part of it this year. It will be my first time at the Bazaar Bizarre. I will proudly be vending with the fabulous local group of Etsy artists, Boston Handmade.
Each item in these photos is handmade, and all of the illustrations used on the ornaments is of my own original illustrations, including the hand-drawn lettering.
Just for fun, here are some of the pencil sketches of the lettering... so you can see my process a bit..
I've only made a handful of each ornament design (labor intensive!) and once they are gone, they are gone -- so if you see something you like... you know the rest. ;)
Hope you enjoy!
By: Kathy Weller,
on 8/9/2009
Blog: wellerwishes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: dog art, Events, Pets, crafts, signs, Shows, Kitties, stuff I made, handmade, Pug, indie artists, Boston Handmade, Add a tag
Fun and (I am happy to report :) ) busy day today at the South End Open Market. I tell you I LOVE this side of town! Lived in Boston or Cambridge for most of my life. Now WHY have I not spent time in this vibrant little shoebox-cozy part of town? Let's look forward shall we! I'm going to drag Matt out of Cambridge for a leisurely South End Saturday one of these weekends. The dog count ALONE here is worth the trip -- so many adorable, sweet, big, tiny, licky-friendly and then also of course the non-chalant, stand-offish doggies, and I love to meet every last one! It's like a big dog party! :)
Weather was nice today -- very warm but not too sticky with intermittent sun and overcast skies. The a.m. was just a little bit harried because we did not have a lot of time to set up our tent and area. It was a race but it all worked out just fine in the end.
The crowds were intermittently thick or moderate at any given moment. We had an aisle spot, so there were a couple of "Now you see them, now you DON'T" types of moments, but in reverse: "Now you don't see them, now you DO!" That was fun and kept us on our toes!
Today, SOWA hosted a group of NYC artisans called "The {New New}". (The {New New} group is similar in philosophy and concept as the group to which I belong, Boston Handmade.) I think that having The {New New} here today may have helped to increase foot traffic over a typical summer Sunday. In general, the overall number of vendors was high as well, so it was a very good day to be here,whether vending or shopping or just hanging out! I was not able to do a good walk through, greet our NYC guests and see what kind of cool stuff they were making and selling. I was too busy today. with my own booth, which is a good thing, I can't complain about that but I sure would like to meet the NYC artists some time. For now, I will have to depend on their Flickr photostream to check out how the day went from their end!
I also did not take too many pics today (see the photos I did take HERE). I just didn't have many chances. I was able to take a few of my table and a few of my booth mate / sister / jewelry designer NancyRosetta's. (Those did not require that I leave the booth. It's no wonder I could get a few pics!)
Well,that's my SOWA report for Sunday, August 9, 2009. I might do one more SOWA date this month ( Aug. 30) . It's not certain yet but I promise to keep you in the loop!
1 Comments on Fun day at SOWA, last added: 8/10/2009
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By: Kathy Weller,
on 7/11/2009
Blog: wellerwishes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Painting, crafts, Shows, Promotions, Plug, Boston Handmade, Marketing, PR, Add a tag
See more BH Union Square 2009 photos on my Flickr photostream
Today was THE DAY! The Boston Handmade Marketplace Union Square show that I've been incessantly tweeting, Facebooking and blogging about finally took place today! The weather was sunny and beautiful, and we all were breathing a grateful sigh of relief, I am sure, on waking up to this weather today. It was so nice to be 'gifted' with good weather. Given the summer we have had thus far, it was, indeed, a 'gift'.(What is Boston Handmade? Read Mission Statement here.)
I shared a tent with my sister Nancy of NancyRosetta jewelry. It worked out just great to have her as a tent-mate. First of all, I do not have a tent of my own, and she likes to share, and I was thrilled to share myself, so it worked out perfect! Not to mention that she came and picked me up at my home, with all of my wares, so that was also a great thing. I'm pretty excited to be joining with her again for at least TWO dates in AUGUSTat SoWA (8/02 and 8/09 for sure, and possibly 8/30). So.. Be There, Or Be Square!
I shared a tent with my sister Nancy of NancyRosetta jewelry. It worked out just great to have her as a tent-mate. First of all, I do not have a tent of my own, and she likes to share, and I was thrilled to share myself, so it worked out perfect! Not to mention that she came and picked me up at my home, with all of my wares, so that was also a great thing. I'm pretty excited to be joining with her again for at least TWO dates in AUGUSTat SoWA (8/02 and 8/09 for sure, and possibly 8/30). So.. Be There, Or Be Square!
For the past week, I've been going at breakneck speed and intensity getting ready for this show. I have not done a show in *gulp* at *least* ten years... and, back THEN, I was selling ONLY greeting cards, and I'd really only done a couple of shows.
This time, it was going to be much, much more involved. I not only had to figure out what I currently had for inventory, what I wanted to add to it, and HOW I wanted to 'design' my entire stock of inventory (no, you can't just throw a bunch of unrelated objects on a table! sorry! ;) ). But, JUST as importantly, and some might say even MORE, was the fact that I needed to figure out a key element of this whole project -- my DISPLAY!!
I really don't think you can overestimate the impact of the impression your display will make to your visitors. It gives them some key unspoken clues about you. First off, it shares information about your entire visual aesthetic and your creative philosophy. It also tells them how you view your own work and how, or even WHETHER, you value it. (Surprise! You probably did not know that your choice of display had the powers of X-Ray vision!)
But, the most significant thing is that, regardless of how you "show yourself" to the public, whether consciously or not, you are making decisions on how people will size up you and your work. WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. You know that saying "You never get a second chance to make a first impression"? That saying, though I know it's a generalization, applies profoundly here. So, if you do not put the work into your own display, you are really cheating your chances at success. IF you are putting time and effort into doing shows to begin with, I think it's greatly important to put your best foot forward.
But, the most significant thing is that, regardless of how you "show yourself" to the public, whether consciously or not, you are making decisions on how people will size up you and your work. WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. You know that saying "You never get a second chance to make a first impression"? That saying, though I know it's a generalization, applies profoundly here. So, if you do not put the work into your own display, you are really cheating your chances at success. IF you are putting time and effort into doing shows to begin with, I think it's greatly important to put your best foot forward.
I learned a lot about my products and displays my first time out. There are some display tactics I tried that worked well, and there were some that were not successful. I took notes on these while I was still there AT my table, not after. The minute I close up shop, I know I am liable to forget all of these valuable bits of wisdom. So I made sure to seize the moment with pen and paper. Now, for the next show, I now will have a much-improved display (and maybe this will pay off with increased sales)!
In terms of product sold, I did okay today. I came away very pleased with my sales for the first time out. To be fair, the crowds were much, much thinner this year than last (which I attended but did not exhibit)... and, there were a lot of looky-loos, but not a lot of buyers. (I think people are way less impulsive to buy. At least they were today). In all honestly though, regarding sales, I was happy to get any today. And I do not mean that as a self-deprecating remark at ALL... Here is the thing: I believe in my product, in my artwork, and I absolutely ADORE it. (In fact I think I am my own biggest fan. I hope that admitting that doesn't lose me any fans.) But, I also know that this is my first run out here. I have no illusions. My plan today was to observe what people gravitated toward, what parts of my display seemed to work well and what parts did not work. To have a presence, say Hello, show my face, name, and products and make sure that my take-away "contact info" cards were within easy reach. Hey - maybe I'd even sell something (wink wink). Basically, I was entering this particular arena with a "This Is Me Putting My Best Face Forward, My First Time Out, Before I Have The Luxury Of Experience" attitude.
I have been working as a professional artist, illustrator, and graphic designer for 15 years. I have worked in various commercial markets and I have even proudly earned a little visibility in a couple of them. But, this *specific type* of market -- this live, open-air arts and crafts market for my work, is more or less new to me (save for that 6-month stint over 10 years ago I mentioned already). So, I say, jump in with both feet, but don't forget the life-preserver!
Well, I hope you've enjoyed this peek into my first art market in a really long time. I'll be doing at least two more shows this summer and I will be sure to post about the show prep as the dates grow closer. Maybe I might even be able to do a little show-and-tell on the process of product I create. I really would have loved to post a "diary" of sorts for this show - especially because it was so much trial-by-fire and that is something interesting to go through and to share. But the prep, I have to be honest, was just way too frenzied and franticfor that to happen this time out. Next time, I'll be able to be a little more relaxed about it because I now have a base to work off of. SoWA, here I come! Stay tuned for more on those dates, plus a couple of new pet portrait commissions in the works!!
3 Comments on The day I've been waiting for..., last added: 7/13/2009
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By: Kathy Weller,
on 7/4/2009
Blog: wellerwishes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Painting, Plug, Boston Handmade, dog art, Add a tag
5 Comments on Another painting, last added: 7/12/2009
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By: Kathy Weller,
on 6/21/2009
Blog: wellerwishes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Events, Shows, Plug, marvy markers, Boston Handmade, dog art, Add a tag
In other news, I'm starting to get ready for the Boston Handmade Marketplace in Union Square, Somerville. This craft show will be held on Sunday July 11th. I will be there, selling my artwork and painted goods, and will share space with my sister, jewelry maker Nancy MacCallum of NancyRosetta jewelry. It will be a lot of fun! Please come out and see us!!
8 Comments on Happy Bulldog, last added: 6/23/2009
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Thank you Kathy! It was great to see you today. It was a fun day
Thanks, Kathy! So nice to meet you... Love your illustration work!!
Thanks Kathy! What an awesome day it was, and so much better cause you came by!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! Please become a fan of Arthur Halvorsen Ceramics on facebook!