Shere Art Fair: how was it for me?

This was my first art fair, organised by Surrey Art Fairs. As mentioned in an earlier post, I was rather nervous and unsure of what to expect.

On the day, I packed the car with my paintings, three easels and some SAA display stands, plus a packed lunch. My wife delivered me to the village hall in good time to set up and then the fun began.

I'd prepared nice-looking labels for the paintings and spent some time attaching them once I'd set up. During this time, one of my easels decided to have a rest and tipped back, dropping a painting on the floor. Grrr!

At 10am, the doors opened to the public and a steady, but small stream of visitors came to see what was on offer. My friend Julia popped in early on which was nice. There was a good selection of art on offer but sales seemed rather slow.

I decided to spread my packed lunch over several sessions to break up the day, and that worked well. However, at 1pm I had a phone call from a friend telling me that the A25 had been closed from the Guildford direction as the result of an accident, meaning that anyone coming from the Guildford direction would have to make a lengthy detour. I think this must have hit attendances badly. Despite the road closure two sets of friends made the detour to come and see me, which was nice.

The biggest seller seemed to be a lady selling photos of horses. Elsewhere, business seemed to be slow. I know that the man next to me did gain a commission, but one of the organisers and I made zero sales, which was disappointing.

Would I do it again? I think so, as SAF charge only a small fee for their fairs, and it's mean to judge things on just one event. Onward and upward!

Setting up

In front of my stand