Preparing an Art Show

I am about to hang my second photography show tomorrow. I learned a lot the first time, and I took a different approach for this show. I thought I would share the information here.

Just to give you the time-line:

June 2007 -- Trip to Barcelona (I decide to start selling my photography)
Sept. 2008 --Women in Focus juried photography show (Faye Gold selects 3 of my images for group show)
May 2010 -- Magnolias on Magnolia Street (32 images of magnolias at the Roswell Tea House)
July 2010 -- Sunflower Farm Festival (Rutledge, Georgia)
March 2011 -- Floral Photographs on Canvas (12 images at Octane Coffee Bar & Lounge)

My first show was in May of last year and the first art festival that I started learning "what sells" was in July. I definitely have a good record of what images sell and know what to expect at an art festival now. My priority is selling art at art festivals, so that is my means to an end. I think art shows are about getting the word out and into the community. A lot of people will visit Octane Coffee between March 12 and April 3 (my show dates), but there won't be a sales person to close the sale.

The Magnolia show included different treatments: unframed canvas works and framed fine art paper photographs. My goal with the show was to illustrate how varied the gorgeous magnolia flower was. My goal today is different. I want to display a representative sampling of my work. I am selecting art that hasn't been shown in Atlanta. My show is more gelled. I know that I am selling 12" x 18" canvas works regularly, so I am displaying 10 works on canvas that size unframed. I am certain that I will be able to sell this size image in an upcoming art festival, so no worries about the investment, which was limited.

My 24" x 36" canvas titled Magnificent pulls people right into my photography booth at art festivals, so I will display this work at Octane. And, I created another 36" x 24" canvas titled The View, below, for this show. It is my newest image. This work will be super to add to my show booth. Yes, this portrays what I felt looking at those gorgeous trees in Griffin, Georgia.

For this show, I purposely selected four of my best selling images as a base. The owner of the coffee shop likes my works which are mixed medium, so I have included four images where I was able to add acrylic paint on top of the photograph. I personally have a "love affair" with my latest image until I take the next one that I like better, so I have included four brand new images. For this show, I selected a variety of flowers (subject matter within my specialty), not all magnolias. Lately, I have been more conscience about looking through previously shot work, which I did not release, for something I might have overlooked. This show will include one new image from my archives.