Fur In The Paint

Okay I think I have said all I have to say about Breyer, at least until I get my photos developed. Today I leave for Owatonna, MN and will be back on Monday. Once again, the weather is supposed to cooperate so hopefully we’ll have a successful event.

Just 2 more artfairs and then I am free (free as a bird) for the next month or so. I have two major paintings planned (if I can squeeeze them in) during this time frame and so will finally get back to posting artwork.

See you Monday.

Live Shows
By now you know that Breyers are models of horses, so the term live show throws me off a bit. (actually it tends to make me snigger like a school girl.) Not knowing much about the model showing universe it surprised me how serious people take it all.

A live show is where the model is actually present at the show, as opposed to a photograph competition. The goal of these shows are to showcase the model in as lifelike a setting as they can acheive. Just like in real life the horses are shown in different classes such as halter or performance.

Top dollar is paid for quality models either original to an artist or a Breyer that has been altered or is in classic condition. A high premium is paid for quality painting and tack. In the end the prices being spent rival that of a real horse show for both animals and tack. Wow!

Collectors
The number of people participating is small (compared to that of an artshow that is) but they are very serious. These people would stand in line for hours just to get a good deal, or enter the swap meet.

The Holiday Inn West in Lexington, KY was completely taken over for 4 days. Most people who stayed at the hotel opened their rooms and sold their older models or whatever. You could walk up and down the hallways to find room after room full of Breyers and Breyer enthusiaists. They also plastered the walls with sales fliers showing the horses for sale and the room number. I would think this would do major damage to the wallpaper but apparently not, since the hotel hasn’t put a stop to it and the event has been held at the same place for many years.

I should mention that Stone has an event going at the same time at the same city. His event is called Equilocity. I didn’t run over there but that just goes to show how much interest there is in this stuff.

Competition
Carol is good as what she does. Her passion for her art and animals comes through in her work. She loves cows like I love horses. It’s just something in the gentics that is hard to explain. She used to do a lot of horses but over the past several years her work has focused more on the livestock side of things. And towards cattle in particular. Her business acronym is COWS. (Carol’s Original WorkS) Very clever!

Most of the people we met were great fun. The vendors and fest goers at the Kentucky Horse Park were all friendly. Our neighbor Nicolle at the artisans gallery was a hoot and made what would have been a rather stuffy experience a joy.

However, there was a select few people who held a rather high opinion of themselves and I think they tended to look down their noses at Carol. Mind you, some of these same people she helped get into the industry. Breyer uses a rather small stable of artists to create original work for new models. I believe having only a handfull of artists tends to increase the competitive edge for some. I mean seriously, had a few of them been any more Alpha Dog, they would have come over and pee’d on her table.

I did want to say not everyone gets cut throat when it comes to Breyer. Brigitte Eberl is the German sculptor who created the Alborozo model for this years event. She and her friend were a delight. Carol and Brigitte (Bri-gee-ta) are good friends and share much between them including information and a place to stay when one is visiting the others country.

This was the 19th year for Breyerfest to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park (KHP) in Lexington, KY. It is expected for 2009 event to take place there, though not a certainty. And in 2010 the World Equestrian Games will be held at KHP so who knows what will happen to the Breyer people. KHP is currently under heavy construction to improve the park in readiness for the games.

The KHP is huge. I walked all over that place and still didn’t see it all. It has several museums (all dedicated to the horse) a racetrack, polo field, cross country course, show jumping and dressage arenas. They have an extensive breed barn and many things dealing with the history of the horse. I was in pony heaven.

Breyerfest
Breyerfest events were held in the arena at KHP, as were the vendors. Here is a photo of our both. (Carol and mine.) It was located on the railing and behind us was where the horses did their performances. We were the only artists at this location. All of the other vendors were more retail like in that they were selling Breyer models, t-shirts and such.

The other location for Breyerfest activities was at a nearby Holiday Inn. There they had the Artisans gallery where tables showcasing the artists works were displayed. Also this was where the auction and swap meet was held. Sorry no photos of this. By the time we got there after a day of sitting in near 100 degree temps at the park, I wasn’t feeling very much like taking pics.

A surreal experience
Carol Herden is a sculptor and has created several pieces for Breyer. You can check out Carol’s website and get a much better idea of what it is she does.

I have known her for many years now, but didn’t really know her, (if you know what I mean.) The idea of spending a week with someone I was not thoroughly familiar with, in very tight spaces was a little unsettling. But what I knew of her, I liked. I figured either we’d get on like a house afire or we’d wind up killing each other. Turns out . . . we are actually the same person.

At first it was just really weird how similar we are in husbands and lifesyles and personality. We occasionally said the same thing at the same time or after long periods of silence both spoke at the same moment. We have the same suitcase, toothpaste and moral code. But by the end of the trip the weirdness had worn off (well almost) and all that was left was friendship.

Thanks for the ride Carol!

Greetings from Kentucky
I have returned to the comforts of Iowa. But for the past 7 days I have been enjoying the sites and hospitality of Kentucky. I took both cameras but failed rather badly at taking loads of pics for the blog. I got a little swept up in all the horses and spent most of my time with the 35mm trailing around the barns.

A friend of mine, Carol Herden had booked a booth at Breyerfest to be held in the Kentucky Horse Park, but had misjudged the weekend and her usual help was unable to attend. So she asked if I would go. She bribed me with some booth space to sell prints and the freedom to go and watch all the equestrian events held at the park. I have never been to Kentucky or the horse park, so after about 15 minutes of deep introspective thought, I agreed.

For those of you who don’t know what Breyerfest is, I will talk about it in more detail in an upcoming post. But suffice it to say that it deals with little plastic horses that people collect. Breyer is a major manufacturer of this type of thing.

Churchill Downs
Yet another oh so flattering photo of me. I swear I am going to have a photo shoot just so I can post something that looks somewhat attractive.

Churchill Downs is the famous racetrack where the Kentucky Derby is run. Just so you know this is as much of it that I saw. We arrived after it had closed (only just) and so didn’t get to go in. Carol insisted she take a pic of me in front of the place, despite the fact that I had been on the road for 18 hours and was wearing the same clothes that I wore the previous day. (Hmmm. Long story that. The point is however, never, ever pack your luggage behind two tons of art product. So that you would need to unpack the whole freakin truck to get fresh clothes.)

We’d like 16 pounds of cheese please.
We now are the proud owners of a sparkly new Ez-up canopy freshly purchased at Sams Club. The only time I ever go in a Sams Club is when we need a new tent. It is always a little surreal. I mean it’s not like I will ever need to purchase 16 pounds of cheese or 100 rolls of toilet paper in one go. Though I imagine if we lived conveniently near a Sams Club we might actually shop there. Maybe.

About the artfair
For this years Brookings Summer Art Festival it was sunny, clear and cool. All in all a perfect artfair situation. The crowds were enormous though the buying a little lack luster. We made enough to make it worth our time but it did not reach my goal for the event. Still . . . it opened the door to the possibility that I can have a complete art fair without getting doused is flood rains. (Once again with the happy dance) Um (see previous post.)

So to give you a comparison between this event and Omaha Summer Art Festival here is the breakdown of amenities and/or benefits.

• They host an artist dinner the night before the event. It is simple but very tasty.
• It is on grass. It is far more secure to stake down the tent which adds to peace of mind.
• They allow you to put up a second canopy (at no additional cost) behind the first. Some use this for additional selling space or shade.
• They bring you a water once each day.
• free music and entertainment.

Ummm . . . thats about it.

Downside to Brookings
Brookings tends to be quite crafty. Now I really am not an art snob but the truth is fine art and craft buyers are completely two different crowds. They do not spend the same. (I plan to cover this a little more thoroughly in the future.) Not only is it crafty inside the event. But it also has around 50 or so booths of buy/sell surrounding the park. This is the only venue where I have seen this happen.

Yes I am leaving again.
I know I know, I just got back. But an opportunity came up that I just couldn’t pass up. I am going to the Kentucky Horse Park for Breyerfest. Now I really don’t care about attending Breyerfest. But I am sooooo excited to be going to the horse park. I have never been and I can’t wait. I have both cameras (digital and film) and will tell you all about it when I get back, (Ahem) next Tuesday.

It didn’t ra-in, (kick) It didn’t raaain (twirl, spin and kick) La la la, I did not rain! That’s the sound of me doing a happy dance.

Actually the weather was just about as perfect as you could get. Buying was down about 25% over last year. I have no idea how much is the economy, or the non-stop news talk about the economy but so far the events have been less. (mind you, I’ve been rained out of pretty much everything. So it may be slightly unfair to judge at this stage.) Of course Brookings has always been a mediocre event unless one of my patrons wants to add to their collection.

I’ve got a few snaps and will talk about Brookings Summer Arts tomorrow in more detail. But since I have been home for less than 24 hours I am going to do a little fluff stuff that has nothing to do with art (at all) but I found it kind of interesting.

Jimmy Johns
For those of you unfamiliar, Jimmy Johns is a chain of sub shops. They make really excellent (they call them gourmet, but I think that’s pushing it) basic subs. It’s quick. Most of the time the sandwich is done before you’ve finished paying. The bread is fabulous and they are cheap. 8″ sandwich for $4.25. Yummy!

Anyway part of there thing is they have signs plastered all over their dining area. And one of the signs had some interesting stuff on it. I am obviuosly paraphrasing here, but you’ll get the idea.

The mind is a wonderful thing.
Rceently the Uvniresity of Cmairbige did a sutdy wehre tehy divoscered taht you cluod mix up the odrer of the lteters in a wrod, and as lnog as the frist leettr and the lsat lteter wree in tehir crecort piostion, a poesrn colud sucllscesfuy raed waht was wrtietn. Tihs is beascue the barin deos not raed ecah lteter setperlaty but inaestd it rdaes wrods as a wolhe and can teorehfre mkae snese of waht sluhod be coufinusng. Wow huh!

Today we leave for Brookings, South Dakota for our next artfair. We’ll be back on Monday. It is a bit of a crafty event and not high end at all. But the people come out in droves.

As for the weather. . . I am thinking the gods cannot be so cruel as to rain me out again. Can they? Perhaps they are just laughing and pointing. Hmmm. Anyway the weatherman forecasts sunny and coolish (like low to mid 80’s) Perfect artfair weather, if it’s true.

Wait a minute . . . do I just hear someone laughing?

It is time to reveal secret #2 about me (for #1 you’ll need to read back through the blog, here’s a hint. . . it involves swearing.) I am kind of a new age-y sort of gal. (is that anything like being kinda pregnant?) Okay, so it wasn’t very juicy and probably not much of a secret to most of my local friends. But I haven’t really mentioned it on the blog yet. Now I don’t study the stars or collect crystals . . . but I also do not mock those who do. I am open to new ways of thinking and enjoy reading about spiritual matters. So I thought this book would be right up my alley.

I purchased this book thinking it was going to be horse stories told by a therapeutic riding instructor, (who by the way has over 20 years experience working with horses and children with special needs, as well as a 12 year series of horse camps for children and adults.) She would then apply myth to those anecdotes and sort of dissect it with psychology. (Yes, that really did sound like a good read to me.) Turns out it was not quite like that.

Riding Into Your Mythic Life by Patricia Broersma is about the symbolism of the horse in myth and using that mythology to discover more about ourselves and what she calls “the hero’s journey. It is chocked full of exercises designed to help you gain more awareness and enhance communication between you and your horse. It is part philosophy, part self-help and part horse training guide.

I tend to already communicate with Chicory on a deeper level, none the less, I think I will give a couple of the exercises a go when I have a spare moment. (and for those of you wondering how I got a book read this past month . . . lets just say, I have been spending a lot of time riding to and from artfairs.)

This post is about going the extra mile when sending out communications to the patrons on your mailing list by writing a personal note by hand. (This is where recording comprehensive information about who you are contacting, is so important.) Whenever I send out notes for whatever reason, Thank You’s, Christmas Cards, or letting them know what booth I’ll be at during an artfair, I always write something by hand on the card, even if the bulk of the information is printed out.

For example: My name, the gallery name and contact information will be printed on the postcard mechanically. As well as the information that I will be attending the Rockbrook Art Fair in Omaha on Sept 7th and my booth number is 67.

Then I write: “Cathy, It was a real pleasure talking with you at the Omaha Summer Arts Fair. I hope all is going well with that new colt of yours.” (or perhaps “I hope you are enjoying your new painting”) “I am sending this note because you had requested I let you know when next I will be in the area. Thanks again for everything. Maybe I’ll see you there.”

It is simple, nothing too fancy. (Pretty much like me really.) I do tend to write much like I speak. I think this feels more authentic. The first part, the “pleasure talking with you at the Omaha Summer Arts Festival” serves two purposes. It not only lets them know you remember them but it may help them to remember you. You want to convey the thought that this particular patron is special and gets special attention. And they are. These are the people who are spending their hard earned dollars on you.

On the marketing side of things you could always include some sort of action they can take. (this would be printed) Like: “Bring this card with you and receive a free box of note cards” or “get 20% off your next purchase.” This may help you to have some idea as to how effective the mailing was. I tend to do this on bulk mailings to unknown contacts. Say for instance I sent out an invitation to all the equestrian centers, equine veterinary practices and horse tack shops in a city that I am going to an event in.)

Proper Names
The choice to use their formal names like Mr & Mrs Smith or refer to them more casually like Pat & John, is up to you and what your comfortable with. My target audience tends to be 25-45 and thinks that Mr & Mrs. Smith is their parents names. Generally what I do is use Mr & Mrs Smith on the mailing label and use their first names on the handwritten note part.

That is about all the wisdom I have on the subject. It isn’t rocket surgery. Umm . . that not right . . . brain science? Ah well you get the idea.

To sum up

• Handwritten notes on communications.
• Use their first names when appropriate
• Mention something that is unique to them. A handwritten note that is stone cold or canned is almost as bad as just printing out something entirely by the computer

Tiger - Oil Pastel on handmade paper
10 1/2 x 13
Copyright by Mona Majorowicz

Don’t Mess With Mamma is the tentative title for this painting. All of my handmade paper pieces before had been descriptively titled like Blue Rhino, White Wolf and Purple Buffalo. However I think in this instance a real title is in order.

I love this tiger and I’ve painted her several times, just reincarnating her into different species (or is it sub-species?) of tiger. She has a great intensity about her that I find appealing. She is an Indo Chinese tiger that I photographed at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha a few years back.

At the time she had two cubs that pestered her mercilessly. Whenever she would try to nap, her playful cubs would take advantage of her being unawares and would fly at her full tilt, practicing the fine art of attacking prey. So this very aggressive attitude is really just mom trying to get her kids to behave.