That sound you heard over the weekend was my heart hitting the floor. The Art on the Edge Studio Tour, which I had spent so much time preparing for, was a complete bust. As a reminder, this was my second year on the tour. Last year the traffic through the house was pretty steady.
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| 10-11 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 11-12 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 12-1 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| 1-2 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 2-3 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| 3-4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 4-5 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 5-6 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 21 | 20 | 23 |
I was a little surprised that more neighbors did not stop by, but I was kept pretty busy with a steady stream of visitors on the tour. This year, the tour was moved more than a month later. I think being so close to the fourth of July weekend, as well as the lovely weather, made a difference to what people were willing to do. Another factor was the Lincoln City Cultural Center’s Pride Fest, which I understand was VERY busy. It all combined to make for a disappointing turn out for the tour (though more neighbors did show up this year!)
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| 10-11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11-12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12-1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1-2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 2-3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 3-4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 4-5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5-6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 6 (all neighbors) | 9 (5 neighbors) | 4 (2 neighbors) |
By Friday afternoon I had a suspicion that business wasn’t going to boom, so I spent time on Saturday and Sunday painting.
I spent this additional time painting, thinking that all my hard work on inventory and getting the majority of my paintings out of frames and into mats and sleeves was to be rewarded with the addition of a bin in the Pacific Artists Co-Op Gallery. But late Sunday I found out that my plans for a bin had been misunderstood and all available bins had been rented to other artists. I tried to take the news with as much grace as possible, but it is likely that looked like a lack of words (as my mom said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.) I’m now on the waiting list for a bin and I’m hopeful it won’t be TOO long before I can add more of my inventory to the gallery. As a result of all this, I added two more paintings to maximize my allotted wall space.
The gallery is in the process of being reset and the opening reception is Friday (July 5). Additionally, my very new piece “Brandt’s Cormorant” (see above) will be on display at the Lincoln City Cultural Center‘s Members Show opening across the street from the gallery.
A good excuse for a day trip? Here’s hoping. I need some reassurance!