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I’ve been on the art fair circuit only for a few years and very infrequently.  Despite my limited experience, I think I can say that success at an art fair depends upon the exhibiting artist’s personality.  Yesterday I was at ArtWalk on the Bay, an outdoor fine art festival in San Diego, to observe that first-hand.  Some artists were busily engaging visitors in a lively conversation while others were lounging in their beach chairs away from their booths.  There were a few who sat in the back of their booths with a grumpy look or buried themselves in a magazine.  I was not surprised to see more people were tempted to stop and see works of more sociable artists.  Of course, foot traffic doesn’t necessarily translate into sales, but people will remember the artist they met and talked to.  That is the first step to success from a marketing point of view because they will surely talk about the artist to others after the event.

For artists who usually work alone in their studios, it takes a totally different kind of energy to meet strangers face-to-face all day long who may ask all kinds of questions (you have to do this while trying to make sales at the same time!).  But if being friendly to them doesn’t come naturally, it is definitely a skill needed to learn for a success at art fairs.  After all, what goes around, comes around…

View more San Diego watercolor paintings in my California Landscape Collection.