Since my last post, it’s been a very active spring, artistically and otherwise. I was scheduled to do two art fairs (April 28 & May 5); it was my first time doing an outdoor fair, so preparations began well in advance. I also completed 2 new Pandagram commissions this season, prepared for (translation: “practice, practice, practice!”) and gave 2 carillon concerts, and traveled to China and Japan. (There will be paintings! Not to mention the 1,000+ photographs.)

4/28 Art Fair: Communiversity 
Wow, this was a lot of work for one person for one day. It didn’t help that my car’s trunk wouldn’t open, but with a little ingenuity, a lot of determination, and an immediate schedule to keep, I packed everything except a big painting of a Viking ship. (I did fit it in the car for the second show.) Logistically, the event could have been better organized for set-up and take-down. The streets were packed, so I lost at least 30 minutes of set-up time due to traffic and someone else parking in my booth space to unload; consequently, I wasn’t able to put everything up that I intended, including a hanging display across one side of the tent. Also, take-down was surprisingly short. Fortunately, the staff sent a post-event survey to solicit feedback. Despite various challenges, I was glad for the opportunity to test the waters and, surprisingly frequently, to improvise solutions. There were a number of adjustments I would have made at the May 5 fair the following weekend, but it was cancelled due to a heavy rain forecast. (Good thing, too–the forecast was incontestably accurate.) 

Click to enlarge photos. The second photo shows the side of the booth, not the front. I left the side wall rolled up to make the space more open, but left it hanging down a bit to dissuade people from hastily cutting through my booth to get through the crowds. The white circles on my shirt are Pindas.

Can’t do a booth without Pandagrams. 😉

Come back next time to see the two new panda paintings mentioned at the beginning of this post. ‘Til then, cheerio.