Discoveries at Houston’s Bayou City Art Festival

Posted on April 5, 2015by theartofangela

Bayou City Art Festival 2015

The weather was beautiful as droves people in waves walked the trail along Memorial Park.  It felt good having the warm sun guide the path to the Bayou City Art Festival (Bayou Fest). Twice a year this event is held, showcasing amazing art from juried, national, and international artists. Over 30,000 people came this year, & for the first time it featured the younger artists (age 11 & up) in art competitions. People love to go to find original art at the best deals, have fun with friends & be a part the Houston lively art scene. However, I go on a research mission, wanting to discover & learn what it takes to be a juried winner & go on tour to different festivals all over the U.S. (& World). And the best way to find answers for a self-taught artist is to learn from those who already achieved those big dreams. I know there are others just like me. If you weren’t able to go, these are the 5 things I learned from going to the festival this year.

1. Save money, research booth requirements, and plan in advance before submitting to shows like Bayou Fest. Yes, you have to have a booth. Each booth in the festival abides by a list of regulations that goes with public safety (preventing fires, collapse, etc.) and protecting art from being damaged. The information is on the Art Colony Association website (http://www.artcolonyassociation.org/). For a starting artist, it can be expensive to set up your own ($600 & up). However, there are some artists & vendors you can research that will sell or rent out cheaper used booths.
2. Start early building a large art collection, large enough to fit at least 2-3 booths. For when things sale, you have to remember blank walls are dead space, an eyesore for customers, & judges.
3. Have fun & paint what you love! And remember it doesn’t have to be one particular subject. Fine Artist Jeff Hamachek was inspired by his home, created his own art for every room from the kitchen to the man cave. His work sold quickly too, & for the same reason people could see it inside their homes as well.
4. Have a lot of conversations with the fine artists there. By networking with different artists, you quickly learn what the next big event to prepare for is. As well as which shows to that don’t give as much profit. By word of mouth, I was able to determine which cities next to try to showcase for in the future.
5. Enjoy making a lot of high quality prints of your work. It sales! I saw that a lot throughout the art festival. Some booths appeared to have at least 2/3rds of their space devoted to quality art prints. There are different techniques in print making, these were the ones I thought were stood out the most:
   1. Artist Sheryl E. & Jimmy D. McDonald- Life sized Mannequins from head to toe hundreds of mini prints all from original art work along their body, bright vivid scenery & abstract paintings. It had so much of a flare it caught the eye of a fashionista buyer & also mine. Visit more of their work athttp://www.JimmyMcDonald.com
   2. Artist Barry Reithmeier and his use of 3D landscapes abstract on stainless steel, absolutely beautiful, check out more on his website:http://www.barryreithmeier.com/About.html
   3. Artist Jeff Hamachek uses GICLÉE art prints done by Legacy Fine Art Prints in Houston. They scan the original painting rather than take a high resolution picture & do excellent color matching. The finished product looks on canvas exactly like the painting. I learned the same style prints are often used in museum and fine art exhibits. See more of Jeff’s work at http://jhamachekart.com/ as well as ordering Legacy Fine Art Prints at http://legacyfineartprinters.com/

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. I had an amazing day in the park, saw a tremendous amount of art. Though I did not eat, felt really full from all the valuable information! I really enjoy learning about the most thriving artist environments, and always take notes on everything. You see my reports monthly online, and hope it enlightens others who are also extremely artistic, but never know how to break through into the professional art business. May we grow on this journey together and never stop learning new skills. For now, signing off, take care and have a blessed week.

Sincerely,

Angela S.

HAS Editor/Blogger/Emerging Visual Artist

Follow work on fb/twitter/instagram: TheArtofAngela

P.S. If you have any art events, artist workshops in the Houston area, and would like to for me to promote & give a detailed art review, please contact via email atartofangela@outlook.com