Old Saybrook, here we come

This weekend I'll be at the Old Saybrook Arts and Crafts Festival, near the Katherine Hepburn Center. Without a doubt, the Old Saybrook show has the worst weather year in and year out. From unbearable heat and humidity to torrential show-closing rain, this festival has the worst luck of any show I do on the circuit. And it's a shame because the promoters treat the artists wonderfully, from a welcome barbecue on Friday night to handing out free totes when we check in. This weekend may be a little better, just a little toasty on Saturday but Sunday should be spectacular. Fingers crossed. Anyway here's my latest painting, "Yawkey Way." I'm sure all the Red Sox fans will recognize this street!!

What I learned about selling art from a five-year-old

It was a chilly afternoon last spring when I drove up my driveway only to see my little neighbor, 5-year-old Sydney come running up to me. "Come see my shell shop," she said.

"Shell shop?" I asked. Translating the speech of a 5 -year-old can still be a little dicey. She took me to her driveway, two doors down, where she had indeed set up a little shop in the cul-de-sac in front of her house. She had used two of her brother's hockey goals set up face to face which made it look like one of those portable gazebos that people set up in the summer in their back yards. Inside, on the asphalt of the road, she had placed a beach blanket. On top of the blanket was a child-size beach chair and laid out very carefully on the seat was an assortment of various beach stones and shell fragments.

"These are from Maine," she announced proudly.

"Ah, yes," I said, recalling her family's vacation last summer to that state.

"This is my favorite one," she said, fingering one of the shell fragments.

"It's very pretty," I agreed.

"And they're four for a dollar."

I got a dollar out of my wallet and asked her to pick out four for me. After the transaction she handed the dollar to her brother who, at 7, is apparently the accountant of the partnership.

As I walked home, I recalled a marketing book (one of Jack White's) that said that children are born salesman and we lose that natural ability as we grow up. And Sydney was living proof of that. I mean, she did everything right. She went out and got her customer ("come see my shell shop"). She was selling broken pieces of shells but she displayed them in a lovely setting that increased their perceived value. She spoke of their uniqueness ("they're from Maine"), described her emotional connection ("this one is my favorite") and asked for the sale ("they're four for a dollar"). Bingo. Transaction complete.

One other thing that I learned. Sometimes people buy from you, not because you're the best around, not because you're the cheapest around, but because they like you.

If you're selling art, learn from little Sydney.

Flowers from my garden

You just can't beat June in Connecticut. Here are some flowers from my garden.

First show of the year

I just got back from checking out the new venue for the Lyme/Old Lyme Junior Women's Club art show, to be held April 29-30. It's being held at the Christ the King Church's Our Lady of Good Council Hall, 1 McCurdy Rd in Old Lyme, CT. It a really, really nice place to hold an art show with plenty of parking. A little over 30 artists are exhibiting (yours truly included). Stop by Friday night for their gala (the $30 entrance fee includes wine and beer, hors d-hoeuvres, and dancing til 1 a.m). Or come Saturday 10-2 to purchase art or some nice crafts. Remember, proceeds benefit the Junior Women's Club's charities.