Art Shows

In my small community, a huge art show is held every spring. Vendors and artists come from several states away to compete, display and sell their prized creations. Spectators drive long distances as well just to walk through the art show and admire the artwork. It isn’t uncommon to see people spending their hard earned cash on paintings and sculptures – any creation that jumps out to attract their attention.

I used to look at the price tags on paintings and other forms of artwork and almost laugh out loud. I never took the time to think about the fact that most artists spend hours and hours of their lives putting the perfect emotions and touches into their artwork. Some artists spend weeks or months on perfecting one simple painting to be absolutely perfect. To charge such a small price seems ridiculous. However, spending several thousand dollars on a piece of artwork seems absurd as well. Nonetheless, art shows around the country and world are always popular. Even people who prefer to simply admire the creations and cannot afford to make purchases will wander aimlessly, wishing they had more of an artistic talent. Other artists will venture to the art shows to size up their competition or get some new ideas for their own future creations.

There are lots of things that can be found at art shows. They aren’t just paintings and sculptures – you can find jewelry, glass creations, cards, decorations, etc. Most of the creations you find, no matter what they may be, all have a sense of uniqueness to them. Chances are, even if they look identical, no two creations are quite the same. You can be assured that the items that you are purchasing were created with care and expertise, by hand, at each stand that you happen to find. There is more of a willingness to spend more money on such items when you actually meet the individual who created the jewelry or paintings. In fact, I’ve found that people will spend twice the amount of money that they’d spend in a store in order to purchase a handmade necklace or an autographed painting. Why? Because things are more meaningful and purposeful when you meet the creator. You can talk to the artist about the feeling and emotion that lurks behind a particular creation. Being able to say that you met the artist is
worth money to a lot of individuals. Buying a generic picture in a store just isn’t the same. You know that dozens of other people have the same identical picture hanging in their homes. At an art show, you know that your painting or creation is unique. That’s priceless.