These past two weekends 116 people came to my studio for the Greater Ithaca Art Trail open studios. Visitors included students from Wells College who were taking a class in psychology and art. Their teacher brought them to my studio so I could talk to them about the connection between my art and my bipolar disorder. They were a good group, interested in the art process and art marketing as well as the psychological aspects.
My granddaughter Rachel assisted me both weekends, and she also took some videos of the event. I hope to edit those and put together a finished video soon--at least before next year's art trail!
Here's a photo of one visitor trying to decide which paintings would work together on one wall. After reviewing several pairs, she picked the ones she liked best.
This was not the best art trail I've had in terms of sales, but overall, it was worth doing. Plus, several visitors were serious about getting art in the future.
One thing visitors found interesting this year was learning more about my art process. I showed the video with me painting my abstract art, displayed step-by-step photos, and talked more about how I achieve the results I do. A lot of artists and art students come to the studio on art trail weekends, and they love to learn about the process.
