3 Art Festivals

Lions Art Show and Sale
Bobcaygeon Art Festival
Muskoka Arts and Crafts 48th Annual Summer Show

This month is a busy time for me with three art shows around the area.  The Beaches Art Show last month was disappointing because of poor attendance due to rain.   Because we have just recently returned to Toronto I have had to go on show recommendations from other artists. I had been told that this was a good show however I found that it catered more to inexpensive craft than art so it's not a one I would do again. It's all a learning experience. This weekend I am at the "Lions Art Show" in Cobourg, Ontario.  Cobourg is on the lakefront between Toronto and Ottawa.  I have never been into the town although I have passed the turnoff to it dozens of times when we have been going between the two cities. This art show is in a huge tent so at least we won't get rained upon.

The following weekend I am doing "Bobcaygeon Art Festival "show in the Settlers Village in Bobcaygeon.  This town north of Toronto has many beautiful cottages and homes as does Muskoka in the same area. This is where I have the third show for the month, the 'Muskoka Arts and Crafts 2010 48th Annual Summer Show'.  It will be interesting to experience all three.  It is hard work but both my husband and I enjoy the shows and the people we meet.  We are looking forward to visiting these areas again after having been away from Canada for quite a few years.  Northern Ontario is beautiful place.

Just a note on the G20.  We were amazed to see all the violence on TV in the area near where the G20 was being held.  We live in downtown Toronto and find it a very safe and tolerant city.  The breaking of windows and setting of cars on fire done by gangs of young thugs has no place in genuine protest marches and is not justifiable under any circumstances.  I think most Torontonians felt sad and angry about it all.

New Art Studio in Toronto

Finally I am in our new home in Toronto and setting up my art studio again. It's small but I think I can make it work. When I first started unpacking I was overwhelmed by the amount of art and art materials that I have and need to fit into the space. It has taken days and I still haven't finished.

There is so much happening in the art world here so I think it will be an exciting place to work. To get started I have three art festivals coming up in the next month.

Artisans at the Distillery Art Show
Sept 4 - 7

The Junction Arts Festival
Sept 12 & 13

Trinity Bellwoods Park 2009 Outdoor Art Show & Sale
Sept 19 & 20 (11:00am � 6:00pm)

Toronto Art Festivals

I have now applied, and been accepted into, three festivals in Toronto in September. The Artisans at the Distillery Art Show, The Junction Art Fair and Queen Street West Art Crawl. This should keep me busy for the first month or so. Toronto is such a vibrant city with lots going on and I am excited about the art possibilities there. It always takes about a year to begin to make new friends and find out what is available in a new place but at least with this move it will be more permanent and I won't be leaving just as it all starts to come together.

Small Musical Paintings and Abstracts

I have been working on some small musical paintings, 6 x 6 and 8 x 10, which is a real challenge for me. I like really big you see. Anyway it has been a good exercise to do and I now have a few pieces that I quite like. I also did some abstract works a month or so ago and I find that the way I painted those has filtered through into the latest of these small works. One is posted here.

I have been busy getting ready for our move to Toronto. We should be on our way in mid July. I have applied to three art festivals there that will be held in September. I have been accepted into one, Art at the Distillery, and I am waiting to hear about the other two. After finding out about which ones are good or not in the Atlanta area I now have to sort out the better shows in Ontario.

Art Festival Madness?

Although I knew the economy was in a bad state I decided a few months back that I was going to take part in some local art festivals next summer. I have done Open Studios and a few small art festivals in the past and what I really enjoyed about doing them was the people contact. It's great being able to talk to people about the art and get feedback. This is something that doesn't happen when work is in a gallery. Last weekend, in preparation for next years festival season, I had a practice run at a very small new festival. It was very small, as I knew it would be, with very few patrons however it served it's purpose for me very well. After squeezing everything into two cars we arrived at the festival and managed to get the tent up along with the display walls. Everything worked and looked great. We met a couple of other artists who were also showing and they were really nice so it made for a pleasant day. Sales were bad for everyone but I did manage to break even and was lucky enought to win an honorable mention and cash award for one of my paintings. I now feel prepared for the larger shows next summer. Lets hope the economy picks up a bit by then.

Exhibiting at Art Festivals

and Open Studios

When I was living in Ottawa, Canada, I took part in several Open Studio events and art festivals. I really liked the Open Studio format. I opened my home and showed my art in a normal house setting as opposed to a formal gallery environment. People really enjoy seeing art this way. They get to see inside someone's house or studio, see art, and meet the artist. I like going to them too for the same reasons. The Ottawa event I took part in was exceptionally nice. There were about fourteen artists and the tour was walkable as I lived in a fantastic inner city neighbourhood. I have had people ask me why I would do Open Studios as surely I would run the risk of being robbed or how could I enjoy having people snoop into my house. I have always found that people who are interested in art are not generally likely to rob me and are in fact extremely respectful of my home. I actually find it very enjoyable thing to do. I did several Open Studios in the UK when I was living there. They are a fairly new idea in the UK but seem to be spreading. My house there was ideal for holding such an event as it was very open and bright and had a gallery like feeling. At the second event I did there I asked a friend who was an amazing potter to join me. That made it really nice as our work complimented each others. In the photo above you can see her work, which has sea colors and applied shell shapes, and my painting of shells.

I also took part in a couple of art festivals in Ottawa one of which was "Art in the Park". It was started up by a local artist, a real character called Bhat Boy, and I was one of the organizers for a couple of years. It was a very laid back event and pretty basic but I believe that in the six or so years since I left Ottawa it has grown very large.

Here in the US art festivals are a big thing and there seem to be several going on most weekends. I have decided it's time for me to put up a tent and become part of them although it's not actually a good time to start with the economic climate being what it is. My first one is the "Seven Springs Arts Festival" in Powder Springs near Atlanta. This is the first year the event has been held and so I have no idea what it will be like however it is close by and I need to have somewhere to try out all the new gear that doing a festival requires. I live in a condo so I don't have anywhere to set up the tent and try it out at home so I hope I don't look too silly the first time I put it up at the festival. It's a one day event on October 18th. Details. I am now getting organized to apply for more events in 2009.