2nd ANNUAL PUTNAM FINE ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL

Last weekend I had a booth at the 2nd ANNUAL PUTNAM FINE ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL and would have to say that it was probably my favorite this year despite the weather. The festival was in Putnam, CT over two days and I especially want to thank the Putnam Arts Council for putting on such a good show.

As I understand it, this year it was double the size of last year so the growth has been fantastic. The show was on a level field in front of the town’s municipal complex, a nice building used for a variety of things including where I attend the local art guild. It was nice to have a comfortable spot for restrooms and cooling down out of the warm weather.

Speaking of which… weather was interesting. I didn’t set up Friday night because of the storms moving through. There were a few people that suffered water damage because of the rain, but it was a small portion of the group that set up the day before. So I got there early Saturday morning to set up and I guess my practice has paid off. I was able to get set up and move my car with plenty of time to wander the show before it officially opened up. Additional nice bonus was that parking was offsite, but they ran a shuttle bus frequently to get everyone back and forth for loading and unloading.

I had my first sale at 10:02 am on Saturday as a lovely woman fell in love with one of my little desktop series paintings. It felt good to have such an early start! Later in the day I sold two more of the desktop series to two young men I’d guess were 10 or so. It held up my consistent sales to that age range that I’ve sold at least one item to for each show I’ve sold something at. I guess I’ve found an audience!

The show was well attended even as it became quite warm. The rain the night before and the cloud cover with little wind made it quite humid. Even so, people were out in numbers.

The other ego boost I got was that I had a number of people that came by and mentioned that they had seen me at other shows and that they loved to come by and see my work! I especially loved seeing the occasional person walking by across the way, spotting my work, and making a bee line to come see it. I had a lot of interest and some great conversations with fellow artists.

Towards the end of the day the weather reports started looking bad again and the art council had everyone shut down a bit early because of the potential timing of some of the storms. I took all of my paintings down and put them in bins, added extra weights to hold down the tent and left for the evening. It started pouring down rain as I was unloading my cooler and a few other things at the house so there hadn’t been much time to spare (I live about a 10-15 minute drive from the location.)

By the next day it looked as though the weather would be a bit nicer. My setup made it through without issues and within a short time I was all set up to go. It was heavily overcast and the first 15 minutes of the start of the show we got a bit of light rain, but that was the last of it we saw for the show that day. The challenge of the day weather wise was largely a bit more wind that kept my tent shaking quite a bit during the day along with some much warmer weather.

It basically felt like I was sitting in a sauna in the back of my tent. I thankfully had a couple of fans going for myself and anyone who stopped by and they were a game changer for me. The heat more than anything else made the crowds a bit smaller on Sunday, but there were still plenty of people in attendance.

I sold two more of my desktop series paintings and had a lot of great conversations. It made for my most successful show as far as number of new collectors! The regular check ins by the volunteers kept us all hydrated and cared for. The mayor of Putnam also stopped by both days to see how things were going. It’s nice to see such involvement by the town.

I also managed to start a couple of new pieces and finish one of them while at the show. I could have probably done quite a bit more, but the weather really wore me out.

Sunday ended with me packing up and it felt like it took longer than it did to set up! Being out in the warmth all day Saturday and Sunday did take it’s toll on my energy level, but it was worth it. I had to rent a van for the show due to other issues with cars and so my night went on for a bit to unload back at the house, and then take the van back to the rental place that night. Our ride home was in quite a bit of rain yet again so I guess the show ran into quite a bit of luck in keeping the rain away during the show itself!

So I’m looking forward to doing this same show again next year. It was definitely worth it to be there. My quick setup times left me a chance both days to browse the other vendors and I’d also have to add that I think they did a great job with their selection. Lots of talent showed up and I only wish I had the money to buy everything I wanted while I was there!

I have a bit of a break until my next scheduled show which is currently my last show of the year. There is a good chance I’ll show up at a few more smaller bazaars and such, but for now I’ll be catching up on all the other things I need to get done around the house now that I will have a bit of time over the weekends.

Next show up:

Roseland Park Art Show

Sunday, September 22nd, 2024

10th Annual juried Fine Art show in Woodstock with Art, Food Trucks, Raffles, and more!

Sunday, September 22nd, 2024 11am-4pm

205 Roseland Park Rd.

Woodstock, CT 06281

https://www.facebook.com/205Roseland