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A little brick and mortar exposure again

Robert Watcher

Well-known member
What to do with tens of thousands of photographic images. That almost stifles my incentive to go out each day and photograph.

At this point in my life / career, I’m not concerned or even expecting to make money from my photography. But it sure is nice to have a venue where people can see my artistry. In the days of my High Street Studio, I got more pleasure from watching people peering in my windows - smiling, pointing and engaging as they looked at my prints.

So it was so fun when earlier this year, my daughter Rachel asked me to put together a selection of matted 5x7 prints display with her creations at art and craft fairs that she setup at. It’s been fun to hear that people love thumbing through my box of prints - even though only a dozen or so have sold.

Well, Rachel went ahead and opened a small boutique last week, where besides her own products includes carefully curated collections from artist friends of hers. She asked me to set up a section as well as an area for my wife Anne’s amazing quilts. She has been very busy and successful right off the bat.

While I still will be keeping my offerings to 50 or so 5x7 matted prints as well as a couple larger framed prints —— I have named each photograph, including location where the photo was taken, and detailed description of the image printed on a label on the pack of each package. Rachel let me know that everyone that comes in to her store, spends time reading the details and trying to figure out where the location is, as well as commenting on them. That’s all I need to know. The photos don’t do anything for me, sitting on my hard drives LOL.

Here is my modest display, and a snap I took on her first day when there was barely a time when no one was in the store. The woman on the left is flipping through my prints.


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Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Delightful!

I am interested in this simple solution to the deadend vision of thousands of images imprisoned on hard drives!

I have define capitalized “ART” as “The export of creative constructs we enjoy in the private “Cathedral of out minds”!”

In ART, as I see it, stage I is conceiving of the structure and aesthetics, with our own private enjoyment.

Stage II We look, listen and feel our creations physicality, impressing and moving us. Now ART is born!

Stage III We share our ART in the public space to complete its entrance to work competing for longevity!

You have completed “Stage III”

Kudos!

Asher
 

Robert Watcher

Well-known member
Sounds right Asher. I create what interests me, but value others enjoying what I create and bringing a smile to people’s faces. Guess that is Stage III

I just returned from taking a few of my wife’s pieces to my daughter’s store, this morning. As I entered the store, a woman who had been driving through the town, noticed Rachel’s sign and stoped in to see what the store was about —— was flipping through all of my matted prints. My daughter says to her, “here is the photographer”. The woman turned and told me how well done my photos were.

Rachel had obviously been talking with her about some of the photos there that were from my trip to Holland earlier this year, and let me know that the woman loves making photo books and had just returned from Holland and recognized some of locations in my shots. The woman then began to tell me about her upcoming trip to Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India in a few weeks. Anne and I wished her the best on her amazing trip.

But it is just so cool how my photos are opening discussions in my daughters store. I absolutely love that and is more gratifying than if I ever sell a print or not. Those things never happen in the recesses of my workspace environment and computer. LOL


Now that I have worked out the process of creating these small relatively inexpensive matted prints, and having a large collection to offer —- I may use the winter months to look for a few similar type locations around the province to see if they will make a spot for my setup. Already one such store about 3 hours from where I live has asked if I would drop in and chat about it, because she does not have such an offering in her carefully curated store of local artists and craftspeople.
 
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