Sunday was a gorgeous day and I had the opportunity to attend the 25th Annual Haddonfield's Crafts and Fine Art Festival. I wanted to do some research to see if this particular festival would be good to exhibit in next year. I am familiar with the town of Haddonfield since I used to work in Moorestown and often had school and union functions in the area. I was lucky enough to get a parking spot right in front of Markheim Art Center, where I have exhibited artwork in the past.
Since it was the last few hours of the show, I stopped at the booths of fine artists to discuss their experiences over the weekend. My first stop was at Dorothy De Matteis. She is an acrylic painter with a whimsical style and bold color palette with subject matter featuring people and animals. She had a similar setup to mine and we spoke about the logistics of setup and take down. It was great to talk to an experienced artist and hear her advice to alleviate some stressful situations during festivals. I purchased a fun print for my daughter (pictured below).
Next I visited Keith Mountford, an extremely detailed, photorealistic watercolorist from Yardley, PA. He had an easel set up with a work in progress he was working on while talking to patrons. It was captivating listening to his story and view his breathtaking artwork. While at his booth I also met a young artist just starting out, Sarah. We talked and exchanged business cards to keep in touch.
The next artist I spoke with was Majorie Haley. She is a plein air painter and was extremely helpful with sharing which shows in the area she found were best for fine artists. She wrote down a list for me to look into and suggested I visit an artist diagonal from her. I purchased a small 5" x 7" painting from her for my kitchen (pictured below).
As I continued walking, I found Bill Donnelly. He is an illustrator with current work focusing on close up drawings of the natural environment. He uses wax pastels with gestural lines on black paper to create textural drawing. We talked about getting started, where he has shown and which shows are worth investigating.
The last stop of the day was to Gerry McDonnell of Celtic Hearths Bronze. He creates bronze sculptures of Celtic designs. Being of Irish heritage, his work caught my eye. I had the opportunity to talk to him about his life and my family's names. He showed me on one of his bronze maps of Ireland where those family names are prevalent. He went on to explain his process of carving the design, creating a mold, pouring the bronze and lastly, applying acid and saline to create the unique patinas of his work. Since he travels up and down the East Coast doing a variety of festivals, he shared very valuable tips for setting up and showing solo. I purchased a 8"x10" Celtic love knot which I plan to hang in our living room.
Overall, most of the artists were pleased with the attendance and spending of the patrons. I had a great time talking with the artists about their work and learning from their experiences. I will definitely consider adding this show to my line up for next year's festivals.
Next I visited Keith Mountford, an extremely detailed, photorealistic watercolorist from Yardley, PA. He had an easel set up with a work in progress he was working on while talking to patrons. It was captivating listening to his story and view his breathtaking artwork. While at his booth I also met a young artist just starting out, Sarah. We talked and exchanged business cards to keep in touch.
The next artist I spoke with was Majorie Haley. She is a plein air painter and was extremely helpful with sharing which shows in the area she found were best for fine artists. She wrote down a list for me to look into and suggested I visit an artist diagonal from her. I purchased a small 5" x 7" painting from her for my kitchen (pictured below).
As I continued walking, I found Bill Donnelly. He is an illustrator with current work focusing on close up drawings of the natural environment. He uses wax pastels with gestural lines on black paper to create textural drawing. We talked about getting started, where he has shown and which shows are worth investigating.
The last stop of the day was to Gerry McDonnell of Celtic Hearths Bronze. He creates bronze sculptures of Celtic designs. Being of Irish heritage, his work caught my eye. I had the opportunity to talk to him about his life and my family's names. He showed me on one of his bronze maps of Ireland where those family names are prevalent. He went on to explain his process of carving the design, creating a mold, pouring the bronze and lastly, applying acid and saline to create the unique patinas of his work. Since he travels up and down the East Coast doing a variety of festivals, he shared very valuable tips for setting up and showing solo. I purchased a 8"x10" Celtic love knot which I plan to hang in our living room.
Overall, most of the artists were pleased with the attendance and spending of the patrons. I had a great time talking with the artists about their work and learning from their experiences. I will definitely consider adding this show to my line up for next year's festivals.
Crowds at Haddonfield Crafts & Fine Art Festival
Print by Dorothy De Matteis
Painting by Majorie Haley
Chestnut, Leaves, Grass by Bill Donnelly
Cold Cast Bronze by Gerry McDonnell
I'm so impressed with your networking/research abilities! I'm pretty introverted and would never have thought to just go ask other artists about their experience :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading, Alisha! It was a lot of fun to attend the event as an outsider seeking information. The artists were all so friendly and forth coming with tips. You should try it some time! :)
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