Art Exposure at the Farmer's Market

Last Saturday I again set up my table at the Dawson Creek Farmer's Market to share a little artsy love with my community. I get asked every week "But how do you DO at the farmer's market?" I think the question they are trying to ask is, "Do you actually sell any paintings?"

I usually have one framed painting on display, and a few unframed, and I have sold unframed pieces at the market. But my objective in participating at the farmer's market is deeper than just good sales on a Saturday morning. I have lived in Dawson Creek, British Columbia for nearly twenty years, and I have been an artist in Dawson Creek for eighteen, and over the years there have been times when I was active in the community, and times when I was not (my baby raising years come to mind). How visible I am in the community makes a difference!

When I am able to show my work, and when I am able to be present in the community in some way, I sell more paintings and see more opportunities come my way.

It is the best feeling in the world to have a person come to my table, study my paintings on display and start a conversation. Sometimes I meet a potential watercolour student. Sometimes I hear a story about a family member who paints (and sometimes they turn out to be a friend of mine). The greatest is when someone asks my name and gets excited. "I have one of your paintings!" And then I get to hear a story about how my art has touched them; brought back a memory of childhood, or makes them smile every day. Those people rarely leave without taking a business card and buying a package or two of my watercolor note cards.

I get all of this for a minimal table fee, and it has me smiling through the following week. So the answer is, "Yes, I do quite well at the farmer's market!"