Tyler Art Market & A Fresh Attitude

    I suddenly had a plan.  It felt like I was just getting into the groove of this whole not having a plan thing!  Now I'm going to move to Georgia, go back to school, RENT AN APARTMENT, maybe even get a part time job. This is Craziness!  But first things first, I had to get back to Philadelphia for the Tyler Art Market - my first art show since Hot Glass Cold Beer in April.  The Art Market was a collection of talented folks, most of whom I either went to school with or know from my years in the Philadelphia area.  I decided to go with the travelling salesman theme, my display consisting of the various suitcases I carry my work around in.  I think there is a lot of potential with this theme - although I will admit, I need to refine it a bit more.

    Doing a show like this is an interesting exercise.  You learn a lot about what you are all about when you put it out there for the public to see.  There is this idea of what you stand for that dictates everything, the process of making, the subtleties of your designs, how things are arranged on the table, the whole package.  Things look great (or not so) in your mind, in the vacuum of your Space,  and then you put it out there, for all to see.  You make a commitment to these objects, these are a part of your being and soul, there is so much energy that goes through you into these things.  Now there they sit, arranged on a table, and there you stand, not really knowing what to do the present situation.
    I do not always handle this part very well.  I tend to have no problems selling the interaction of person / material in the sense of making.  Get me in the shop, and I shine, demos, lessons, playtime - I love it and I thrive - but when it comes to the objects, the residue of the experience of making....that's seems to be a different story.  One of those things that I am working on.

    All this said, I had a BLAST at the show.  I made many new friends, saw many long standing ones, sold some work, maybe even inspired a couple of budding glass artists!  I was pretty exhausted afterwards, and was reminded of what a friend once said about trade shows - "It's like giving birth to a child - by the time it comes around again, you have forgotten how painful it is!"  I spent Recovery Monday at East Falls Glassworks, planning out the next couple of weeks worth of lessons.  All in All, my stay in Philadelphia this time around was really fun, I was able to catch up with quite a few folks that I missed the last time around.