Rich Sigberman Art & Illustration 90

It's the title of a very funny Coaster's song from about 1959, and that's the way I'm beginning to feel right now as I work on my second elaborate piece for my new client who reappeared after a 3 and a half year absence.

As an illustrator/artist doing it full time since 1983, I've learned to live with the insecurity of only being "as good as my last job" and wondering where the next one would be coming from. Clients have come and gone, and, for the most part, most were "one shots", clients for whom I did but one job. This was not necessarily a reflection of the quality of the work I did, or a reflection of how they may have felt about me, just the way it has gone. It has, however, been a real challenge for me. I had always thoiught that the longer I worked at my profession, the easier it would be to get jobs due to repeat clients and good word of mouth.

Now, just perhaps, it is happening. Shhhhhh...don't put a hex on it!

My client and the people he is showing my work to are all pleased with what I've been generating. I have been too. And, I am truly generating this work: the conception is coming from me, and these are my babies. I love them. It's very exciting to be doing the best work one can do for a happy client who is also treating me well. It must be too good to be true, after all, life's never been this good to me. (it's a great song, you really ought to look it up).

At this moment, I have a number of other jobs too, and they are all rewarding on some level. I almost have more work than I can handle. Hey, I said, "almost". If this keeps up through the end of the year, I will feel that I have truly turned a big professional corner.

And, if and when I have some down time, I'll begin replacing the art that sold over the last month at the festivals. I must be in Art Heaven!

Today, I am transforming a good sketch into a fine pen and ink piece for my client. I do regret, however, that I won't be the one to add the color - that will be done by the computer company that he is employing, and I doubt they will be willing or able to give the art the type of love and attention I do. I will lose some control over the final product, but that is how it goes when one is part of a team, something I'm not really used to. I will add a color scheme for the computer people to work off of, as well as a "shadow scheme" to show where depth may be added via shading. We shall see how it all goes.

But, that's not what the title of today's entry is referring to. Today, my drawing student and I will meet at the Palace of Legion of Honor art museum, at the west end of San Francisco. We have an appointment there with the Assenbach Foundation people to view 15 master drawings that I have chosen off of their website. We will see drawings by some very famous artists: Tieppollo among them, and I am excited to be close enough to these drawings to breath on them - to be close to "the hand of God" if one is to believe that some artists are so great and so tuned in, that they possess a direct line to a higher power, sort of like our current Prezident. (that's a joke, folks).

I chose the 15 pictures , which was the limit, with care. I did go for some big names, but for the most part, I chose drawings that show variety in approach as well as intent. My student should be most impressed, to the point of inspiration or intimidation, I'm not sure which. In fact, I may be affected similarly.

Still, even if she is over-awed by what she sees, and vows never to touch a pencil again, I'll remind her that nobody can draw like she does. Not even Tieppollo! There have been times when I've worked on a piece of art that is about as great as I can do, and I think that to myself: "nobody can do this particular piece of art as well as you, or just like you are doing it". Whether that's true or not, it feels awfully good to believe it.

Another fine bit of news: a painting I did 23 years ago that I thought had been recently lost, has been found! It was left at the cafe it had shown at a few months ago - why I overlooked it, and why the cafe people didn't call me, I'll never know, but I felt awful a week ago when I realized that it wasn't here. My wife, Pam, suggested I call the cafe, and I did so fully knowing that there was no chance that they had it. I was wrong, and am I pleased about that.

Persevere, one and all!

The light at the end of the tunnel, that is.

For those of you who are reading any of these entries, you may have noticed that the last one is there twice. Not only that, but I actually wrote this one a few hours ago, only to see it vanish into the blogosphere. All of that is to say that I have not yet mastered the technical aspects of this invention, which is not particularly unusual for me.

About that light at the end of the proverbial tunnel: today I found myself working on a piece that required a great deal of tracing off of photographs aned then projecting those images on to watercolor paper in a darkened room. This is a quite tedious task for me, but just somewhere past the mid-point, I actually grinned. I knew the hardest parts were over, and could see that the endof this phase was relatively near. And, while this type of art is more crafts than inspired, I also knew that the eventual recipient of this piece was going to be moved greatly when she received it, as it summarizes most of her life.

Beginning an art piece like this one feels like a Sisyphian task at first. It is laborious, tedious, and methodical, none of which I am by nature. Knowing the end product will be worth the effort, however, got me thorugh the hardest parts. Yes, I wish the budget was bigger too, but I made my bed, now I have to eat it, or somethig like that.

Next up: another job where I have to do almost the exact same thing! The big difference, however, is that I will be projecting my own sketch, which is whimsical and witty, with my personality all over it. It will thus be a lot easier than tracing all of them photographs (sic)!

Fellow artists, know that your work will find its audience and have its desired affect! Let that knowledge sustain and motivate you while you slog along wondering why you're doing this stuff.
And if, by chance, there is a nice budget attached to said art job, then you have achieved Art Nirvana!

That's my new affirmation: "I have achieved Art Nirvana!"

Just about every illustrtion job I take in has a bell curve of effort. At the beginning, it is a Sysiphian , or so it seems for me, as I start at zero, and generate with plenty of trial and error involved.

In the case of the piece I am currently working on, craftsmanship is by far more in order than the flair I may have for whimsy, music, or movement. This piece is from a friend to her best friend upon the latter turning 50, and it involves a more realistic approach in line with the sensibility of the eventual recipient. This means, I trace photographs and project them on to watercolor paper, a most laborious task. and, I work in the dark, which can be strange.

I've now been at this one for about 5 hours, and I just hit the point where I can see the end of this process coming soon (to a theater near you?). I smiled because I know the end result will justify the toil and tedium, and I know that the person this is for will be enourmously touched by it. I also fueled myself with caffeine and Little Feat. To take a break, I'm writing this here blog.

After I get this art into pencil, the hardest work will have been done, and then I'm going to do it again on another job for my new client. The major difference is that the second sketch I'll be projecting is an outgrowth of my imagination, no photos involved, and, as such will have a lot more of my personality in it, and a lot more liveliness to it. It will go easier.

All this doesn't even touch on the issue of money! Finding ways to get good compensation is always a challenge for those of us who would practically pay to do their art anyway (shhh! it's our little secret). We live to do art,and people are aware of this, and sometimes do try to use that to take advantage - "hey, it's great exposure, and I'll be sure to tell lots of people all about you". Fellow artists, don't go for that carrot on the stick, it will remain just out of reach. Where there is a job that has low compensaiton, but other good results, I say "do it". I try tofind a good balance between some better paying work and the jobs that come from the heart, and , when the two are one and he same, I've reached art Nirvana.

New affirmation: "I've reached Art Nirvana".

Just about every illustrtion job I take in has a bell curve of effort. At the beginning, it is a Sysiphian , or so it seems for me, as I start at zero, and generate with plenty of trial and error involved.

In the case of the piece I am currently working on, craftsmanship is by far more in order than the flair I may have for whimsy, music, or movement. This piece is from a friend to her best friend upon the latter turning 50, and it involves a more realistic approach in line with the sensibility of the eventual recipient. This means, I trace photographs and project them on to watercolor paper, a most laborious task. and, I work in the dark, which can be strange.

I've now been at this one for about 5 hours, and I just hit the point where I can see the end of this process coming soon (to a theater near you?). I smiled because I know the end result will justify the toil and tedium, and I know that the person this is for will be enourmously touched by it. I also fueled myself with caffeine and Little Feat. To take a break, I'm writing this here blog.

After I get this art into pencil, the hardest work will have been done, and then I'm going to do it again on another job for my new client. The major difference is that the second sketch I'll be projecting is an outgrowth of my imagination, no photos involved, and, as such will have a lot more of my personality in it, and a lot more liveliness to it. It will go easier.

All this doesn't even touch on the issue of money! Finding ways to get good compensation is always a challenge for those of us who would practically pay to do their art anyway (shhh! it's our little secret). We live to do art,and people are aware of this, and sometimes do try to use that to take advantage - "hey, it's great exposure, and I'll be sure to tell lots of people all about you". Fellow artists, don't go for that carrot on the stick, it will remain just out of reach. Where there is a job that has low compensaiton, but other good results, I say "do it". I try tofind a good balance between some better paying work and the jobs that come from the heart, and , when the two are one and he same, I've reached art Nirvana.

New affirmation: "I've reached Art Nirvana".

It's Sunday, a day of rest for those who work Monday through Friday, but not any different from most other days for those who happily run their own businesses. This includes anyone, but especially so-called "creative types" whose muse may run hot and cold, if it runs at all.

For five days following the Monterey Jazz Festival, I was dragging physically, and pretty tired mentally too. Ideas which usually flow out of me with ease were stopped up. I struggled to get out a decent sketch for my wonderful new client on Thursday, had a brief, productive meeting with him on Friday and, thankfully, had a good breakthrough on Saturday. Got off a good, fun sketch and received good feedback today.

For another long-standing excellent client, however, I have struggled with a pen in hand and piece of paper in the other, to come up with a good idea for a Thanksgiving card.I spent time on the Internet, looking up one Thanksgiving site after another, the history of it, the Pilgrims and the Indians, how to make a kids' Thanksgiving screen saver, how to best cook a turkey - anything to spark some ideas. I got off four sketches, none of which I feel all that confident about for being inspired. I await word from the client, who is often quite creative and witty himself. We shall see.

At the Friday networking group that I was a mere substitute at, one mmeber expressed surprise that I conceptualized as well as drew and painted. It is knowledge that I thought was common, and now will have to remeind people of that. I really honed that skill with my four years at a newspaper, reading articles and always coming up with visual ideas for them. And, I mean "always". So, I will do it again for this Thanksgiving card.

In the ebb and flow of our daily lives, I think it is most important to respect these times when we are not necessarily firing away on all cylinders, be able to rest, and know that work will get done at a better time, not too far away. We pressure outselves to generate income and new, great art, and sometimes the body rebels and shuts down, no matter what the brain is trying to make it do. It keeps shouting out commands only to be met with a shrug and a nap.

Today is a new day, and I feel terrific, full of pep and creative energy. Where I'll direct that energy is anyone's guess.

It's Sunday, a day of rest for those who work Monday through Friday, but not any different from most other days for those who happily run their own businesses. This includes anyone, but especially so-called "creative types" whose muse may run hot and cold, if it runs at all.

For five days following the Monterey Jazz Festival, I was dragging physically, and pretty tired mentally too. Ideas which usually flow out of me with ease were stopped up. I struggled to get out a decent sketch for my wonderful new client on Thursday, had a brief, productive meeting with him on Friday and, thankfully, had a good breakthrough on Saturday. Got off a good, fun sketch and received good feedback today.

For another long-standing excellent client, however, I have struggled with a pen in hand and piece of paper in the other, to come up with a good idea for a Thanksgiving card.I spent time on the Internet, looking up one Thanksgiving site after another, the history of it, the Pilgrims and the Indians, how to make a kids' Thanksgiving screen saver, how to best cook a turkey - anything to spark some ideas. I got off four sketches, none of which I feel all that confident about for being inspired. I await word from the client, who is often quite creative and witty himself. We shall see.

At the Friday networking group that I was a mere substitute at, one mmeber expressed surprise that I conceptualized as well as drew and painted. It is knowledge that I thought was common, and now will have to remeind people of that. I really honed that skill with my four years at a newspaper, reading articles and always coming up with visual ideas for them. And, I mean "always". So, I will do it again for this Thanksgiving card.

In the ebb and flow of our daily lives, I think it is most important to respect these times when we are not necessarily firing away on all cylinders, be able to rest, and know that work will get done at a better time, not too far away. We pressure outselves to generate income and new, great art, and sometimes the body rebels and shuts down, no matter what the brain is trying to make it do. It keeps shouting out commands only to be met with a shrug and a nap.

Today is a new day, and I feel terrific, full of pep and creative energy. Where I'll direct that energy is anyone's guess.

It's hard for me to believe that three daze after the last festival ended, I'm still tired, and definitely not in creative gear. Maybe that's the price one pays for being 54 - the recovery time is much greater than one was used to.

I eased myself back into work mode today by doing some tracing onto film from photographs, in preparation for two separate jobs that will need good likenesses drawn. In one, I proceeded to a cut and paste mock up, and with the other will filnd out more tomorrow at a meeting with the client. This type of work is laborious, but taxes no brain cels, and that's good because right now I don't feel like I have any left over to tax (are they taxing those too now? And what about the syntax?).

Lastly, in prepartion for a presentatio I'll be giving tomorrow to my networking group, I have matted some pictures to make them more presentable - one was an abstract that required just a bit more work, the other that remake of "Clarient-itus" that was done lovingly over the last few weeks. I will do a demonstraiton tomorrow in my ten minutes, in the hopes of showoing the people in my networking group the level of craft, thought, and attention to detail I put into even my simplest pictures. I don't know if it will work, as the group has not been providing me with many good leads for the last 4 months or so, making it tougher for me to go and pay the dues, but I persist just the same. Last year, I got some great jobs from this group. We keep trying.

I also did some follow up emailing to new contacts from the Monterey Jazz Festival. So, I suppose the point is that, even when pooped, one can find a few constructive tasks to do that will keep one's little business percolating along. Maybe by tomorrow I'll be ready and able to do the more creative sketches to generate new ideas and new paying gigs.

If I sound less than inspired, it's due to fatigue, but it will pass and I'll be doing some fine art very soon. In the mean time, I can always clean up my studio.

The MontereyJazz Festival was the last one I had scheduled for myself this season, and it went well, thank goodness. After two poor ones in a row, it would have been tough to suffer through another, but the sales were good, the atmosphere mellow, and the music (from what I could hear) at a high level. My art was well received, and the fact that I was working on a very fine jazz themed picture in front of anyone who wanted to watch didn't hurt.

I packed up the show and left there just after midnight and then drove the 2.5 hours home, tired but alert enough to hold my lane. Today is a recovery day in every way, mostly physically. I am hopeful that the show will have some "legs" for me, and that some of the people I met will turn out to have interesting art jobs to collaborate with me on. We shall see. One guy from Australia wants to record my whistling!! One guy from Florida said he had a sort of alter-ego that he wanted me to do some illustrations for .

I did manage to find the time to buy my Pamelaa nice shawl from Brazil, and for myself two four-CD Proper boxed sets complete with their very nicely put together 48 page booklets. So, I got my treats. I also bought myself a hat that Pam refuses to let me wear, bursting out in laughter when she saw me in it.

When I get some more rest, I wll proceed to the reorganization and follow up work that usually comes with the end of an active festival. Right now I have two framed pieces that sold to send to a nice, humorous couple in Ithaca, New York. Putting objects back where they belong is another priority, and I'm trying to do that every day so I don't spend so much time looking for elusive things, a habit that has plauged me since childhood. We are all train-able!

The piece I wa working on is a remake of "Clarinet-itu" and it is lovlingly painted, down the the wrinkles ont he fingers of the drummer's hands, and the highlights on his fingernails. Also, the color value ahs been fine-tuned very well, with lots of love and time. I guess that's the only way to do things, and for certain the only way to make great art.

I am one day away from the three day Monterey Jazz Fetival. Much of my limited energy has gone into preparing for this last festival of the year for me. The jazz festivals like this one have been my best bets to sell my artwork over the years, so I am optimistic for a good show. And, if the show does not go so well, my challenge is to keep my spirit up.

I mentioned "limited energy". I ahve obviously been dragging my way through this month of festivals, due to their being challenging physically. There is a lot that goes in to each one of them, and each one of them present stheir own set of challenges. Today, I had an accupuncture treatment with the express focus of more energy and a good attitude. At least with Monterey, I am familiar with the layout and the modus operandi of the management staff, so there is some confort in that.

There will be a few familiar faces to come to my booth, people I have met in past years at this festival. I look forward to seeing them, catching up, and showing them some new artwork. And, of course, there is the music. If I can get someone to spell me at my booth, I will go to a stage, enjoy some jazz, and sketch too. That is a good time.

So, tomorrow, I will once again rent a van, load it up, and drive a few hours south. I've done all I can think of to ensure a good showing, now I have to throw it out to the universe, and affirm that the people who are meant to come to my booth will be doing just that. A great weekend to one and all!

Anyone wishing to respond to these entries my email me at [email protected].

In my first posting, I wrote that I fall in love too easily...well, it's the title of a song, but what I really meant was that "I fall in love with every piece of art I work on". Now, that's a different thing than falling in love too easily, isn't it?

A few days ago, I was adding a small revision on to a commercial piece that I was proud of, as it was some of my best work. This addition could have been done in a few different ways, and the one I chose was to trace the character off of its profile sheet on to clear film, then begin to revise it to change its angle. When that was done, I copied it on a copy machine to bond paper. I sized it to fit properly, then meticulously cut it out, pasted it in, and cut away the parts that needed to go behind the previiously drawn characters. When I had that real close to correct, I re-oulined both the new and the old characters where the cut was, and finally painted it to match the already existing art.

If all this sounds craftsman-like, it was. All the while I was working on it, I knew it was going to look great, and that there was no way I would permit this last piece to lower the quality of the existing art, via any rushing of the process. I could bill out for the time, but may not. The basic point is that I love the art I do, and won't compromise its quality.

Now, I'm getting ready for my final festival of the season: Monterey Jazz. Of course I hope that I'll find a more receptive crowd than those in Oakland and Albany over the past two weeks, and that my originals find a new home too. I'll take lots of inventory, and lots of sandwiches. And, I'll bring some art to work on and fall in love with.

So, what's exciting to you? If you're reading this, you might ask yourself that question. When you find yourself immersed in a work activity, and time is passing, and you don't care, it's a good sign. Keep it up!

On a day like this one, that is the heavy anniversary of an atrocity, it seems rather small-minded to be thinking about anything else. We all must remember where we were and what we were doing when the planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers, and, at least, stop doing everything for a moment today to give a thought and prayer to those lives that ended so suddenly.

But life has this persistent habit of going on, and so it has. Workmen outside are digging, cars are clogging the arteries, and the plants still need watering. So it goes.

Yesterday, I did another festival, this one called 'the Solano Stroll" in Albany, which is just north of Berkely here in Northern California, not to be confused with the capitol of New York State. The festival, like the one I did the weekend before, was well populated, and like the weekend before, I came away feeling pretty disapointed with sales. In fact, I failed to even make back the costs of the show! A dismal showing, I have to admit.

So, I have to face my biggest lesson: don't get discouraged, and don't permit anything to dampen my spirit for art. Today, it has been business as usual, and I have dug in to call clients who have mentioned work, or those for whom I have works in progress, not to mention that I have yet another festival coming up this weekend: the 3 day Monterey Jazz Festival. Yikes! I'm already tired just thinking about it, but, thanks to my poor sales over this past weekend, I'll have plenty of inventory ready to go for Monterey. How's that for a nice spin?

I spent a good amount of time at the Solano Stroll working on a fine piece, the remake of my 1994 "Clarient-itus" bigger and hopefully better this time around. Working bigger is more challenging, no doubt about it. If I was working 6' wide, maybe I could command a better price for it, but I'll settle for 28" wide. It is a very good, fun piece . I wish I could say I came away from the Solano Stroll with more than just some good work time, but that is the truth. Some of these festivals are true duds, and this, for me, was one of them. Time to move on.

At this point, it was time to add a figure on to an excellent piece of commercial work that was completed a few weeks ago. It's funny to come back to a piece of art that one hasn't touched for nearly a month: at first it seems foreign, almmost as if someone else had done it, but within a few minutes you're right back into it, working seamlessly on it as if time had not elapsed.

Speaking of time: it's time to end this blog entry. For anyone interested in commenting on anything I've written, feel free to email me at [email protected]. Enjoy this beautiful day, and give yourself a moment of silence too.

With the festivals I do, comes a bit of time in the booth where not much is happening (or, at least seems to be happening). So, I usually bring some piece of portable art to work on; even if I can't see quite as well as when I work under my 3 lamp set-up, I can do some very nice work.

For this last show, I chose to work on a re-do of an old piece of mine, "Clarinet-itus" , which I first did in 1994. It was a very good piece of work, so why do it again? Good question, glad you asked.

To some extent, I am replacing vanished inventory of originals that have sold (usually for too little!), and to some extent I am challenging myself to re-do the piece and do it better than I did the first time around. Usually, I succeed in this self-challenge. In this case, I'm working quite a bit larger, and I think my painting technique has improved over the years. I'll be relying less on line for this version, and more on watercolor. I'm also changing some of the colors, and I've added a new figure.

I also go through a lot of reproductions of my work for the festivals, mounting the copies on to fome core board, and covering them in mylar. I sell these pieces for $35, not a big sale, but I do tend to sell a fair amount of them. Moreover, when I'm viewing them, I am reminded of the body of good art work I've created, much of it colorful and fun. I treminds me of the original inspiration for my art: comic book covers of the 1950s. And, in being reminded I am once again inspired to create new, ebullient, colorful art. It's somelthing of a retrospective of one's own work, and it's fun to do. I recommend it to all artists out there who are not having a museum do a retrospective on them.

My body is still sore from this past 3 day event; I attempted to put up my canopy by myself, which was a big mistake. For this next one, I'll enlist the aid of the daughter of a friend, who lives in the area. And, I'll bring that re-make of "Clarinet-itus" to continue.

In the mean time, I went today to a new client who has been terrific, just to touch it up ever so slightly (they had made a minor error that needed correction), and did the small amount of work. I also made the decision not to charge them, as they've been quite generous with me - this is not necessarily characteristic of me, but I'm not going to fret about a few bucks here and there. Generosity begets generosity.

So, after taking a wonderful holiday in San Francisco, to recover from a 3 day festival, today it's back to the art life as we know it.
The first order of business is to meet with a person who has wonderful potential to be a new client of mine. He works in the entertainment and special events field, has already seen my website and likes it, so I'll be preaching to the converted to some extent. We shall see how this goes, but I'm excited about it.
After that I'll be meeting my art student, whom I'm mentoring in drawing, at the downtown area of San Francisco that has the most concentrated conglomeration of art galleries. We'll try to find the exhibits that best pertain to drawing, and intellecutally and viscerally experience them, and verbalize what we find appealling and apalling. Furthermore, she has a lot of homework she'll be bringing up for us to assess. This has been an interesting process for both of us. I like teaching, and, although I was afraid that I had holes in my education due to being mostly self-taught, this has not proved to be an issue.
By the time I come home, it will be late afternoon, and there is much to prepare for the next festival show, a one day affair called, "The Solano Stroll" this coming Sunday. My inventory nees a bit of shoring up.........
So it goes. It's fun to do what one really wishes to be doing on this planet, and I wish that for everyone.

So, Labor Day is over and done with,a nd for those who feel that today is Monday, I'm here to tell you you're wrong. Perhaps knowing you're working onlly a four day week will buoy your spirits.

As for me, it is the day after a 3 day festival lin Oakland, called "Art & Soul", and I'm reassessing and reorganizing, and, incredibly, getting ready for next weekend's festival. "Art & Soul" was not too stron gint he manner of sales, and I need to let that roll right off my back, like gumbo off a duck's back, and look ahead atall the exciting possibilites that lie ahead, but first: a much needed recreation day in San Francisco with my Pamela! Even though I'm tired from the festival, I'm greatly looking forward to spending time with my wife and taking our doggies, and going to the De Young Museum, Amoeba Records, and Golden Gate Park, treasures all.

One small "perk" of doing festivals, is that I am free to spend time owrking on a piece of art, in between meeting, greeting, and charming all the visitors to my booth. Over the last 3 daze, I have spent time workilng on a second version of "Clarinet-itus", a very good, cartoon/jazz piece I did back in 1994. I'm working bigger this time around, have added a most important new figure, and think I'm a better painter than I was then. I gave the art plenty of TLC over the last few days, spending as much time as necessary on a given area, building up the water color with thin layers. It's me working at my highest leverl, and if I was thinking about a deadline, it would hurt the art, so this was nice to do. Of course, one should do one's art in that fashion all the time, no matter what the circumstance, right?

For all you who spent Labor Day doing something recreational, I was in Labor, and, despite the mediocre sales, enjoyed the process of being out there and showing my art. For all you arteests out there, it is an essential part of your job. For the rest of you, support artists who are out there in their booths at festivals. Happy Tuesday to one and all.

Today is Labor Day and I will be working the third day of a 3 day festival in Oakland, called "the Art & Soul Festival"....day one was cool in every respect of the word, and a tough day all around. Setting up is a two person job, but this time I did it by myself and have a sore back to show for it...oh, well - this comes with the festival territory.
Day two was a lot better in terms of weather, sales, and the music that wafted my way from a stage a block and half away. I may have made a good contact in terms of my commercial artwork, too.
Today will be the last day, and breaking down the show and wrapping up the framed original art will be the last part of it. It is something of an endurance contest, and not for the faint of heart or elderly. The festivals are physically and mentally demanding. The best way I've found to pass the time is to bring a piece of art to wor on; not only does it greatly improve my state of being, but a number of people will be drawn in to my booth by it. I'm always surprised by their questions, however, which are generally asking about the type of paint, paper, or brushes I use. I wonder to myself, "How is that information important to them?" Why not ask something a bit more thought provoking, like, "why did you make that compositional decision?" or "what is your intention when you begin a piece like this one?".....Now, we can get into some good dialogue!
The other aspect of the festivals that I like a lot is the connection with other artists and crafts people. Although we do our share of complalining to each other, we are kindred spirits who are doing our best to make a living creating some beauty. One could have less exalted purposes than that in life, don't you think?
Of course, it's gratifying to sell one's art, and I have sold a lot of my "little prints" at $35 a pop; obviously one has to make a lot of $35 sales to have a successful show, and if I can sell a giclee print or framed piece, I'll come out of this one ok.
The festivals are not a bad way to show and sell one's art, but one always hopes for an easier way too.
Happy Labor Day to one and all.