Like the Port Orange Art Festival this show is relatively new--only two years in the making. It was recommended by a fellow artist though, so, I gave it a try. I got up at 4:30, got in the shower and took off for Brandon arriving a bit after 6:30. Gina, the Rotary member in charge of artists was already there along with two other artists ready to set up. She walked us to the remaining spots and we all found spots we liked to begin setup.
By the time I was done setting up, my neighbors who had set up the day before had both arrived. Polly's tent above with the oils and pastels was a new to me artists who has been doing shows about the same time I have. On the other side, my friend Linda from We're Wired was set up--let the party begin!
The party would out to be a "beach" party as temperatures both days neared 100 degrees. We were kept well hydrated by the Rotary members who brought ice cold bottles of water every couple of hours. The artists were all a little perturbed by our location for this second year show. We were setup in the back of a town center with a Publix, several nice restaurants and lots of businesses. The year before, the show had been on the front side of the same shopping center.
The show was combined with a Jazz Festival on Saturday night. We did get light traffic but I did ok--several artists complained about no sales at all. One said she didn't think the location change hurt as much as the really hot weather. I think she was probably right. Another artist, Terry, cracked a joke--what's the difference between a puppy and an artist? A puppy quits whining after a couple years. :)
I talked to some residents who had moved from Orlando about 8 years ago. They said only in the last couple of years had development taken off. Where the town center was located was an old cow pasture. Now they were within walking distance to the Publix with a Target and a Home Depot down the road. The shopping center included some really nice condos with balconies overlooking a pond.
All in all, I think I will give this one another try next year and just hope for better weather.
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