Work, Work, Work

Logistics, logistics, logistics.  This is shaping up to be one of our busiest summers ever, at least the most traveled.  As you've seen in the earlier post, we'll be traveling in Ohio, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, and California through August.  Lots of miles :)  Then it's back to Florida to get ready for the next round.  This fall you'll find us in Washington, Utah, Colorado, and ending in Arizona before heading back to Florida.

The picture above is new work based on refrigerant tanks.  These pink and green tanks hold chemicals that are used in air conditioning systems and are strewn all around Florida.  I pick them up on a daily basis and they've served as the base for new animal planters,  pink pigs, and the chicken that you see in the above photo.  I'm blessed that recycled materials choose me to work with.  They offer endless opportunities to come up with incredible ideas.  Who knows what will turn up at shows this summer!

Please check the show schedule often as changes will be posting fast. 

Crack-a-lackin

I have no idea when I started saying this, but it's the one word that describes my life and my work ethic.  No matter what I've done, I've given it my all and succeeded.  And, so it goes with art.  This is my life and I could imagine doing anything else.  It's an incredible feeling when someone walks into our booth and smiles.  Even better when they purchase a piece because, they'll be able to enjoy it every day for the rest of their lives.  And, they'll be able to pass it down to their children for them to enjoy.

North and south and then east and west, Mackie and I travel the country to bring our love for our work to share with art lovers across the country. Our upcoming show schedule for this summer is listed below.  Mackie and I look forward to visiting with you and sharing our work.  Stop by and say Hi.

May 14 and 15, 2011	Delaware Art and Craft Show	Delaware, Ohio
May 21 and 22, 2011	Michigan State University Spring Art and Craft Show	East Lansing, Michigan
June 4 and 5, 2011	Strawberry Festival	Troy, Ohio
June 11 and 12, 2011	Clay, Glass, and Metal Show	Royal Oak, Michigan
June 25 and 26, 2011	Vancouver Recycled Art Show	Vancouver, Washington
July 9 and 10, 2011	Los Altos Art and Wine Festival	Los Altos, California
July 16 and 17, 2011	Connoisseur's Marketplace	Menlo Park, California
July 29 through 31, 2011	6th Street Art Festival	Bellevue, Washington
August 6 through 10, 2011	Temtative - Amish Acres	Napanee, Indiana
September 2 through 5, 2011	Tentative - Arts, Beats, and Eats	Royal Oak, Michigan
September 9, 10, and 11, 2011	Tentative - Black Swamp Arts Festival	Thornton, Ohio

On the Road Again! Port Orange, Florida

This week I'm off to Port Orange, Florida to exhibit in their annual Artfest.  Last year, it was the funnest shows that I attended in Florida, so I decided to give it another go.  It still sucks traveling without Mackie, but we've got to do what we've got to do.

I've set up at the Super 8 motel in Daytona Beach and what a treat that is.  I've stayed in some real flea bags over the years, and this one certainly rivals with some doozies.  Where shall I start :)???

It started with the door.  The electronic keys wouldn't work.  Turns out that they don't use them here but instead use a real key.  That really through the new desk clerk as the lobby was full of people that couldn't get into their room. 

Next is the room itself.  I decided to leave my socks on and I ran to Walmart and bought some pajamas.  Now I can honestly say that I have not had on a pair of pajamas in years, but this motel made a believer out of me.  The best part about this stay is that I have Netflix playing on another screen on my laptop.  Technology has sure made traveling a little easier on us artistic road warriors. 

As you can see by the above self portrait, I even keep a positive attitude no matter where I might be staying at the time! 

Rockstar or Artist. Hmm.

When I was in my early 20's,  having a few beers with my friend Randy Cox, and singing to Eddie Money, I knew that I wanted to be a rock star or an artist.  Randy told me that I didn't have any hope of being either, so I became a lineman.  Heck with peer pressure, beer and rock music makes the artist come out in all of us.  It's amazing to be blessed with so many good things and friends in life and enjoying this journey with my great family and good friends!  The above picture is of me driving in the early morning across New Mexico.  Below is a shot of my good friend Bill Woods taking a much needed nap along the road.  I believe that this was somewhere driving from New Orleans to Santa Fe.  We started that day in Daphne, Alabama and had a brief stop in New Orleans for breakfast, and then drove straight through to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Oh, the glamorous life of an artist!

As we move into 2011 I'm thankful for a number of things.  My family and I are healthy, we're all eating, and we're all pursuing our dreams in a fashion that suits us for this moment in time.  I'm grateful once again to be able to make my living as an artist, and I'm getting ready really hit the show road!  Once again, my good friend Bill Woods is joining me for a traveling east to west again.  But before that trip, I'll be doing a number of shows in Georgia, Ohio, and Michigan before heading west around June 16th.  Visit our website at www.cliftonmetalworks.com and click on the show schedule link to see where we're going to be.

See you soon,
Joe

Another One Bites the Dust

I just walked in the door from the Englewood Fine Art Show in lovely downtown Englewood, Florida.  The weather was great and I came home with more money than I left with, so that's always a good way to end the show!  Also, it's around 30 minutes from home so I get to sleep in my own bed.  Another bonus.

The crowd was heavy on Saturday but sales were so so.  Actually, they were terrible, but as part of my new Florida revamp, I was committed to continue with my new madness.  This deserves some explanation.  Over the past year, I've been failing miserably in this market.  I was so used to being successful on the west coast, I just assumed that I would do the same here.  Can you say a big NO!  Anyway, I'm only going with the higher end work and leaving my normal slamming line home.  The results have been better but not great.  I've been able to make money at every show; it may not be a lot, but it is making money.  Nice.

 The local rotary club puts this event on and they do a great job.  They are organized, provide free beer and snacks on Saturday night, and bring in a decent crowd.  They estimated 5K on Saturday and I believe they were correct, and I'd say that there were probably around 3K today.  I believe they also spoke to the weather gods because we had a blue skies and around 85 degrees both days. It's why we're in Florida.

It's shaping up to be a very busy year for us.  We have another four shows in Florida in April, and then it's time to head north.  Our website is up to date, and we'll be adding a number of shows as we hear back from them.  See you in Florida or on the road!

Workin For A Livin'

Life is never boring for the us artist folks, especially those of us that do one-of-a-kind work.  It's either creating new work or even a new line, completing a commission from the gallery, reading endless articles to try and find that next great art show, maintenance on the truck or trailer, or doing some work around our house.  Truth is that I have a great life and I'm the luckiest guy in the world!

It's been slamming this winter at our gallery in Florida, and I'm getting ready for this summer's shows.  Looks like we'll be doing a lot in the upper midwest.  Check our website at www.cliftonmetalworks.com and click on the link for the show schedule.  Everything is current and there are a number of tentative dates and will be for the next few months while we wait to here back from shows and their decision on who gets in.

Back to the work.  Mackie and I have our gallery in Punta Gorda, Florida, and tourist season in full swing in southern Florida.  And, I'm doing an average of two art shows a month.  Eash.  Who the heck set this schedule?  If I find that person I'll...Ok lets go on.  You get the general idea.  The point is that you can be successful with your craft.  It's no quick rich scheme, but you can live comfortably if you're willing to put forth the effort.  Keep positive, get yourself around positive and creative people, and network.  Check out www.artfairinsiders.com for some great folks and good information.

The moral of today's story is to keep creating art and doing what you love!

Show Schedule

Woo Hoo!  We're starting to look at a full summer!  So let's talk about it.

Good news today.  We got into both the Crocker Park Art Show in Westlake, Ohio, and the Clay, Glass, and Metal Show in Royal Oak, Michigan.  Both shows are on June 11 and 12, 2011.  Looks like Mackie will be in one place and I'll be in the other.  They are both great shows and we're fortunate to get into both of them.http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5287328090413027986

Crocker Park (a Cleveland, Ohio suburb) is managed by the Michigan Guild and their website is at www.theguild.org/artfairs.html .  These are the folks that put on one of the fine Ann Arbor Art Shows in July.  Some of the finest artists in America exhibit at their shows. 

The Royal Oak Clay, Glass, and Art Show (www.royaloakchamber.com/clay_glass.htm) is another great show that features artists focused on just those three mediums.  The show is in Royal Oak, Michigan near Detroit.  Again, competition is pretty high for this event and I'm looking forward to being their.  Here's some examples of the quality here.  www.royaloakchamber.com/PDFs/2010 CGM Atists.pdf