Will it rain? Next weekend, the Violet Crown Festival pitches its many tents, and the forecast doesn’t bode well. Yesterday, the forecast predicted 40% chance of thunder storms. Today, the forecast is at 50%.
Even a light drizzle would ruin my art. Paper dislikes humidity last I checked. Of course, I won’t be the only disappointed artist if the thunder storms arrive.
A while back, I swore off outdoor festivals. Ha! I’m a sucker.
My budget tried to tell me not to spend the money on all those festival things: entry fee, my own table (I can’t borrow tables forever), art supplies for new pieces, prints of new work…
Well, it is the nature of such events and efforts, and we need the rain.
Heck. Maybe it won’t rain. The forecast can change. Right? In any case, I’m spending my time over the next few days getting a few more things ready. (If I didn’t get ready, it would, of course, not rain. Obviously.)
And then before you blink, it will be Story-a-Day May! I forecast 100% chance of stories rain or shine.
*
To buy this artist & author a cup of coffee for the work she creates, go to kofi.
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 
I am SO looking forward to your stories! Say, you didn’t happen to invest in Plasticine sleeves to protect all that paper, didja? We (Per Bastet Publications) swore off outdoor events. Books + water = heartbreak. Also: I’m prone to heatstroke. Exciting, but sells no books.
Hey there, marianallen! I’m glad to see you.
I do have the art covered in plastic sleeves. They’re absolutely necessary! I also though have about 100 paper ornaments. I might get Ziploc bags for them, just in case. I’m still worried humidity wouldn’t be kind to them.
I’ve done several festivals. In some I’ve sold next to nothing–not even enough to pay for my entry fee. Sigh. It is tough! That’s why I swore festivals off. They can be fun, but not worth the work. Yet, here I go again.
Last year I took part in a charity fundraiser/fair. It was 106 degrees and almost no one came. Of course. The heat was terrible.
I’m going to be especially sad if this upcoming fair doesn’t work out. I hate the idea of my money going down the drain–especially I currently have two weeks off without pay. Aurgh! But, oh well. So it goes.
Just don’t come unstuck in time! HUGS
I’ve been spending so little time on FB that I completely missed this upcoming exhibit/sale “opportunity.” So when I saw a post there where you chanted “Rain rain go away” — something like that — I thought, “Huh?” NOW it all comes clear!
Back in February, I went tot an outdoor art festival in South Florida. It was a 100% sunny day, but I could see that the folks in covered tents would mostly be okay if that changed. But the festival had set aside a large central lawn where artists were creating stuff LIVE — painting on plywood, sculpting clay, etc. I asked one of those artists what the bad-weather backup plan was; he said the people working out in the open would be moved to a nearby school so they could finish their artworks. It still sounded dicey to me.
Will be doing some chanting on your behalf over the next few days!
P.S. I visited the festival’s Web site; they’ve got a list of participating artists there — I’m guessing you are “Words Are Art”? If so, the LINK they provided is to a non-existent Etsy page. Just in case you want them to update it!
Oh, yeah. When I applied for the festival, I still had my Etsy site. Thanks for noticing that.
Humidity just isn’t good for paper. Right now, the rain chances are 25% in the morning and it seems to be going down after that. We shall see. I swore off outdoor festivals, but here I am!
Years ago, Laura and I tried some shows, selling hair jewelry that we made. We managed to have some fun, even though we never so much as broke even.
Good luck with the weather. Someday, when I get my life figured out, I will buy some of your art for my home.
It is hard to break even. I usually just hope to make back my entry fee. Sometimes I’ve had decent sales, but if I calculate the cost of art supplies and my time, then I’m am always in the red. It seems foolish to do these things at all.