“Do you draw horses?” she asked while perusing my booth at my first art show.
(No… I mean, I dunno… I never tried… maybe…)
“Sure!” I enthused!
“Do you have any here?” she asked, while looking over my shoulder.
(NO… Of course not… OMG… wait, what if I can’t draw horses??)
“Not here, but I certainly can draw them,” I smiled confidently.
“Great!” She exclaimed, “We have a horse show up in Ojai in June, come on up!”
(Wait, you don’t want to see something first? I mean, what if I really can’t… I mean, I’ve never…)
“Sure!”
(OMG, what have I just got myself into???)
“Here’s my card,” she proudly produced, “We’ll see you in June.”
(February… March… OK… April… I got plenty of time… May… be)
By the time June rolled around, I had a few horse pictures that I was feeling pretty confident about. I felt ready to take on my second show, as we drove down the dirt road, past the horse stables, to where the outdoor vendors were setting up.
“Um,” I paused and turned towards my co-pilot, Missy.
Feeling the blood leave my face as I looked around, “Are we supposed to have TENTS?”
“I don’t know,” she replied, the realization dawning on her face as well.
“Oh boy.” My mind raced, trying to remember if we passed some big box store along the way.
(Of course we didn’t… the last show was indoors… why didn’t I ask for DETAILS??)
I rolled down my window to talk to one of the coordinators, explained our predicament and asked, “Can I sell out of the back of my car?”
“No,” she declared. “But just park down the road,” the coordinator smiled, “we’ll figure it out.”
So… we unloaded all of my possessions, plus or minus a tent…
Or chairs!
“I guess we’ll want to SIT at some point.”
(Sigh)
I quickly called another friend, who was about 30 minutes behind us on the trip. “Stop at the CVS by the exit and pick up some chairs, please.”
He ended up buying four chairs because he liked them.
“Snacks?”
“I guess we’ll want to EAT too.”
(Double sigh)
The coordinator (the most wonderful, friendliest, most helpful and honorable coordinator of all times) brought us to one of the barns and let us grab an extra tent.
(Exhale)
After a start as rocky as the road, the rest of the day was incredible.
I drew several pieces of art during the show and raffled them off at the end. I was able to raise about $60 for the charity.
This was a lesson that wasn’t going to be taught twice. Soon after the show I bought a tent, (my own) chairs, and all the accessories that go with being an outdoor vendor.
(Which lead to Lesson #3: “Where are you going to store all this stuff once you get home?”)
………………………………
I’ve done 44 shows since then (would’ve been more had the world not locked down) and the story continues to a gallery in London, England in April 2023. It’s been a dream since I started “Stu Rosen Art”. Please help it come true. Every little bit helps. https://gofund.me/f6cfc391