As 2012 moves along we look forward to the show season beginning for us.
This Friday, February 24 will be a Warren Chang: Narrative Paintings book signing. Warren Chang will be present from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Arts Council for Monterey County gallery in Carmel, California. This is the premier exhibition for The Arts Council’s new series “Celebrating Monterey County.” Admission is free and all ages are welcome. Original paintings and giclee prints of Chang’s work will be on display. For more information and directions visit The Arts Council website here.
We’ll be exhibiting again at WonderCon in Anaheim, California from March 16-18. Our booth number is 816. William Stout will be set up right next to us and Craig Elliott will also have his own space. Both Craig and I are excited to have the opportunity to show off his new “Art of Craig Elliott” book for the first time to the public. What do I think about the show not being in San Francisco this year? I think we’ll see a lot of new faces and possibly people who will choose to go to WonderCon instead of dealing with the crowds at Comic-Con. Business-wise I think it will work out just fine. Personally, from a purely selfish reason, I hope it comes back and stays in San Francisco. It’s a local show for me there and I like sleeping at home.
I’ll be headed to the Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle on March 30-31& April 1, not to set up, but to walk around and meet with a few artists and possibly find time to enjoy myself. It’s been close to ten years since I’ve gone to a show that I have not had a booth at. It’ll be nice to have some freedom. If my scouting mission goes well I’ll sign up for a booth there for 2013.
Without a doubt the show I am most looking forward to this year is the inaugural Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! event held in Kansas City, Missouri from May 18-20. I have an island reserved (four booths) and William Stout, Mark Schultz, Gary Gianni and Petar Meseldzija will be joining me. Craig Elliott will have his own booth close by. Also, our friends Jim & Ruth Keegan will be across from us. I am honored to have been asked to produce the show commemorative art book featuring the five guests of the show. They are Phil Hale, Android Jones, Mike Mignola, Brom and Iain McCaig. More details on this book, what we will be doing at the booth and my praise for the show coming soon in upcoming blog entries.
Now, an issue has come up in that my favorite local show for me, Big Wow! ComicFest in San Jose, California is running the same weekend as Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! Since I am already committed to the Spectrum show, it leaves me in a bit of a pickle since I want to support both shows. (I believe next year they are already planning on being on different dates.) I want to have a booth at Big Wow! as well. I’m checking with a few people who I trust and who know Flesk well enough to handle the show without me. More details soon.
Then on July 11-15 we will be at Comic-Con International in San Diego. The show is always exhausting, but tends to do well for us. We’ll be there again. Mark Schultz, Gary Gianni and Jim Silke are all show guests this year. William Stout and Craig Elliott will be set up at their usual spots not too far from me.
Then, our final show for the year will be APE, Alternative Press Expo, on October 13-14. I love this show. It’s a lot of fun with a hip and sophisticated crowd. Mark Schultz and William Stout will join me this year.
At this moment we are not planning on making a trip to The Netherlands for the Strip Festival this year, but very much hope to make it again in 2013. We can’t stay away for too long!
This completes our 2012 appearances. I hope to see you at one of these shows!
On Saturday, February 4 visitors to the Winfield Gallery in beautiful Carmel, California were treated with an outstanding warm spring like day for the book premiere signing of Warren Chang: Narrative Paintings. A fine art exhibition of Warren’s original paintings was also on display. My estimate is that approximately 70 plus people filtered through the gallery between the signing from 1 to 4 p.m. It remained quite busy as people took advantage of meeting Warren and viewing his paintings, which are spectacular to see in person. We are grateful for the support of the local community and visitors, many of whom left with a personalized copy of Narrative Paintings. At the end of the event, Warren, the gallery owner Chris Winfield and I were all very pleased with the turnout.
A large part of the success was from the cover mention and front page article in the “Life and Times” section of The Monterey County Herald on the Friday before the show, and then repeated in The Santa Cruz Sentinel on that Saturday. This same article can be found online at The Herald’s website. An article in the local paper The Carmel Pine Cone rounded out the press to make people aware of the festivities.
I was a bit eager to listen to peoples comments when comparing the book reproduction to the originals. It felt good to hear feedback regarding how closely they matched. This was something Warren and I worked very closely together to achieve. It serves no purpose to have a book come out that does not represent an artist’s vision. Reflecting the true colors, depths and tones of the originals is imperative. In this regard I feel publishing a book is a tremendous responsibility to get right.
However, as great as a book can be, nothing beats viewing the original paintings in person. Still on display at the Winfield Gallery are Warren Chang’s paintings “Studio at Chestnut,” “Harvesters Resting,” “Fall Tilling,” “Imitation of Life,” “Stacking the Net: Monterey Harbor,” (both the final painting and a study), “Artist in Her Studio,” “Studio Interior III,” “Twilight in Santa Cruz,” “Bus Stop,” and his “Jameson Whiskey” advertisement painting that can currently be seen all over the subways in New York City. If you can make it to Carmel, I highly recommend you stop in to view his paintings. They are truly moving.
Warren Chang discussing his "Jameson Irish Whiskey" painting.
Another Warren Chang exhibition of original works and Narrative Paintings book signing will be held this February 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Arts Council for Monterey County in Sunset Center, Room #5 at San Carlos between 8th and 9th in Carmel, CA 93921.
We look forward to seeing you there. Thanks to everyone who made it to the Winfield Gallery!
Come and meet Warren Chang at his book signing and exhibition this weekend. Join us to celebrate the release of Warren Chang: Narrative Paintings. The event will be held at the Winfield Gallery in lovely Carmel, California on Saturday, February 4th from 1-4 p.m. You can visit the Winfield Gallery website for directions and further details.
Arnie and Cathy Fenner have asked me to produce the commemorative art book for their upcoming “Spectrum Fantastic Art Live!” event happening this May 18-20, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. I am thrilled to have been trusted with this project. The Fenners’ have high expectations for anything that carries the Spectrum name; and for good reason. Spectrum is the world-wide phenomenon dedicated to promoting the best in contemporary fantastic art that is the result of their hard work, diligence and smart decision making. I find this pressure inviting as I edit and design this collection.
This 64-page, 9 x 12 inch hardbound keepsake collection will begin with an introduction by Arnie and Cathy Fenner. The focus of this art book will be on the five guests of the show. Each will be showcased with a gallery and accompanied with an introduction by a prestigious member of our fantastic art-loving community.
Brom, with an appreciation by Christopher Paolini.
Mike Mignola, with an appreciation by Christopher Golden.
Iain McCaig, introduction by William Stout.
Phil Hale, with a short interview excerpt from his upcoming art book coming this summer
Android Jones, with a feature by Lorne Lanning.
I’ll have individual biographies for each artist and writer posted on my blog in the near future. It’s an amazing experience to work with this esteemed and respected group. The book will premiere at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! and be available direct from our website.
William Stout and Craig Elliott will be at the CTN Animation Expo in Burbank, California running November 18th to the 20th. Stout will be speaking at the Creature Design panel and will have a table with books, prints and original artwork. Elliott will have a new display of his animation and games design work, as well as books and prints. Sample pages from the upcoming Flesk book release The Art of Craig Elliott will be on hand. He will also be taking a limited number of commissions at the show. Stuart Ng Books will be present with a sampling of Flesk Publications titles for sale.
This write-up on my trip to The Netherlands in early September 2011 is a long time coming. Upon my arrival back home I was backlogged with books that needed to be completed, which required my focus and prevented me from sharing photos and stories earlier. Finally, I have a brief respite and can write about what was possibly one of my best trip / convention combination experiences. Click on all photos for a larger view.
Top row, left to right: Petar Meseldžija, Gary Gianni, Craig Elliott. Bottom row, left to right: William Stout and Mark Schultz.
Mark Schultz, William Stout, Gary Gianni, Craig Elliott and myself all travelled to The Netherlands for a little vacation, to attend my first Flesk event, “An Evening with Flesk Prime” and exhibit at the Strip Festival Breda 2011. Local artist Petar Meseldžija joined us once we arrived.
Mark Thelosen and Mark Schultz.
Before I begin, I would like to extend my most gracious thanks to our sponsors and friends Mark Theloson and De Stripspecialist store owner, Guido de Bue, for being our local contacts. They played a huge role in organizing the trip and making sure we were taken care of while there. Having these two gentlemen tend to our every need for one week, as well as have their responsibilities to the Strip Festival show, is something the entire Flesk group appreciates. One more person I want to point out for his help is Fons von Erp. He is a great guy who we were all grateful for his time.
Petar Meseldžija posing with his “The Bull Fight” painting.
Story time!
I flew in a few days early so I could adjust to the time zone and spend some personal time with my family, Petar Meseldzija and his wife Anita, and see some of The Netherlands before the events began. I’m glad I did this as it allowed me not only the time to adjust (it always takes me a few days), but also to shake off all of the lingering work that I left behind. I was roughly 2-3 days away from finishing the Bruce Timm book. Once I was on the plane I accepted the fact that I was heading towards a fun adventure and had to put my life and work back home on pause.
Upon landing we happened to bump into Craig Elliott at the baggage area. He also opted to arrive early. He wanted to visit some galleries before we met up in Breda on Wednesday. Petar, Mark Thelosen and Guido were there to provide a hearty welcome and transport us to our respective destinations. Petar guided us to his home for a two day stay.
Enjoying the hospitality of Petar and Anita for a few days was a delight. We toured Amsterdam, visited the Artis Royal Zoo, walked the streets, ate great food, enjoyed the Dutch culture and had long talks. Sure, Petar is an artist I have published, but our friendship goes beyond the professional courtesy. I find we have much in common and we can have all sorts of discussions about random topics that roll from one to another. We never seem to get bored or at a loss of words when we are together. He’s both serious and seriously funny.
On Wednesday afternoon I met up with the five artists in Breda in preparation for “An Evening with Flesk Prime” on Thursday night. I’ve documented this in detail in a previous blog post with pictures that you can read here.
Gary Gianni and William Stout viewing Petar Meseldžija’s “The Bull Fight” original painting.
Jumping forward to Friday, it was a day to relax and enjoy the downtown area of Breda. As with my previous trip to Breda in February 2010 with Schultz, I found the locals to be extremely friendly and warm. The overall pace was much slower than I am accustomed to. I tend to work at a fast (I’ve been told) and focused pace. This is just my pace, and I am comfortable with it. I found myself constantly holding myself back and doing my best to slow down to match the local speed limit. It took me a few days, but I started getting used to it. I rather enjoyed it actually. (That didn’t stop me from hitting the gas when I got back home though.) My point here is that if you want to relax and have some kind people to talk to, then I would recommend visiting Breda.
Craig Elliott preparing his prints and original artwork for the show.
Saturday and Sunday were spent at the Strip Festival in Breda. We had a large Flesk Publications stand courtesy of the event, and Mark T. and Guido. Guido did a remarkable job in having the booth completely set up prior to our arrival. We had an area for our entire line of books and a space for each artist, Schultz, Elliott, Gianni, Stout and Meseldzija, to sit. Once they arrived the crowd formed quickly and never diminished throughout the two days. Having all five artists together was quite remarkable.
An interesting aspect is our placement was next to large windows. I have never exhibited at a show with natural light before. It was a welcome pleasure to not depend upon artificial lighting. I found it helped the mood overall.
Petar Meseldzija imitating the expression of his latest giant.
As I mentioned before the local people are exceptionally outgoing and friendly. There is one difference between the U.S. shows when compared to our Breda experience. It seems like many people expected free sketches, whereas in the U.S. people expect to have to pay for them. Also in the U.S. many artists do not sketch. Each artist handled this differently in Breda. They all have plenty of convention experience to know how to handle this expectation. Most fans are excellent and were able to work with the artists to get what they wanted in a reasonable fashion. I did, however, see a few highly aggressive individuals try to get the best possible sketch out of each artist for absolutely nothing. Now, I’ve been to a lot of shows with artists and seen first-hand all the tricks and stunts people play to try and get a freebie, but a few things I saw in Breda were new to me. Rather than point out what happened I would like to share my thoughts on the matter.
William Stout drawing the Crypt Keeper in a copy of the book “Tales From the Crypt: The Official Archives”
An artist is a working professional. Their artwork is not only a passion and something they love to do, but also their income. Just like whatever anybody else does for a living is an income. I don’t think it is fair to ever expect an artist to give you a free drawing. Is it right to ask any professional, for example, a dentist, doctor, lawyer, computer tech, car mechanic, plumber or any other person with a specific skillset for their services for free; Especially if you don’t even know that person? Where does the assumption that an artist owes you a free drawing come from? Let’s use some common sense here. That sketch can be worth a lot of money. I’ve seen people who beg, or use unsavory tactics or get highly aggressive, who may get a sketch then flip the art on Ebay. The artists know this. Here’s a simple rule. Be prepared to pay, and ask and don’t expect.
If you really want to support an artist give them payment for their services. I want to reiterate that the people who I am talking about are very few. The vast majority are understanding and gracious. It’s those few that were the cause for much discussion after the Breda show and they can affect the situation for the whole.
Another aspect of the expectation of free sketching that I feel can hamper an overall fan experience is that when artists are sketching full time it makes a handful of people really happy, but a potentially large group is unable to squeeze in and get a quick signature or say hello for a few minutes, or even be introduced to the work for the first time–especially when considering a sketch can take 15 or minutes to produce. If you are third or fourth in line, that’s a lot of wait time just to get a signature or meet someone. That’s it from me on this topic.
Gary Gianni sketching in his book “Into the Land of Shadows.”
On another subject, due to Guido’s efficiency in setting up the booth and his unwavering energy level and assistance in getting helpers at the Flesk stand, it freed me up to actually relax and do other things at the booth. One thing I managed to do was film each artist while drawing. I have roughly four hours of sketching footage that I will begin posting on the Flesk Publications website once the new video friendly site goes live. I also took a lot of pictures, a few of which can be found on this blog. I also got about an hour long interview with Petar about The Legend of Steel Bashaw and many other subjects. I can’t wait to share it.
Petar Meseldžija drawing a barbarian.
The show ran very smoothly. I was happy to see both Geoff West of The Book Palace and the many exciting projects he is working on, as well as Nick and Arno from Alca in Paris. I was also happy to see many familiar faces from the “An Evening with Flesk Prime” event that was held a few days prior. What a great group of people.
Craig Elliott shows off his latest commission.
On the Saturday night of the show the event organizers invited Stout, Schultz, Gianni, Petar, Elliott, myself and our families that came along to an exclusive private dinner with all of the show guests and their invitees. It was a memorable evening of lively discussion and exceptional food. On behalf of all of us, we were all grateful for the invitation and had a wonderful time. We are all touched by the hospitality and kindness of the organizers and all they did for us over the course of the weekend.
A bonus for me was seeing Paul Renaud again this year. Paul was also at the dinner on Saturday evening and we had the chance to catch up, share our thoughts on the industry and discuss all of our likes and dislikes in an open discussion that stimulated my perception of certain subjects. I always feel like I’ve come away more enlightened after talking to Paul.
Mark Thelson, Petar Meseldžija and John Fleskes at the Flesk Publications stand.
The show ended up being very successful in that we all got to spend an intimate time together in a lovely country. It was like being on a vacation together and no part of the journey felt like work. Usually at shows like Comic-Con in San Diego, we all might spend five days together, but we are so swamped with work, talking to people and running the booth that we don’t get to interact that much. I don’t know how many times Schultz and I have stood side by side for two or three days, then called each other after the show is over just to get a chance to talk. Strip Festival Breda was unique in that we could give the fans and patrons time and we still had time for each other. This was definitely a plus.
On Monday, Schultz, Gianni and I all met up at the Rijks museum to see the Rembrandts, among other masterpieces. Going to a museum with an artist is always an educational experience. They appreciate certain qualities of the art that I am not aware of, or even think about, and communicate them to me in a fascinating way.
Later that evening we all went out to dinner with Petar and Anita before going our separate ways. Afterwards, I spent another few days at Petar’s home. We had long discussions, and I viewed many of his originals, then talked some more. Petar read aloud his first draft of his new illustrated story “The Giants” and showed me many of the drawings he has worked up for it. I had a great time.
Then, before I knew it, I was back home; The trip being a pleasant memorable dream. I jumped right back into wrapping up the Bruce Timm and Craig Elliott books, both of which are being printed right now.
Today’s blog post diverges away from art and books to focus on my first and foremost passion—surfing.
Kelly Slater 11 Time ASP World Surfing Champion
I spent the day on Wednesday at the Rip Curl Search at Ocean Beach in San Francisco to witness a monumental event in surf history. With beautiful blue skies, perfect weather in the low seventies, no wind to slight off-shore winds, and perfect head high waves, I was present to see Kelly Slater claim his 11th ASP World Title. This is the first time a World Title was handed out in the mainland U.S.. I’m stoked to have had the opportunity to bear witness. A big congratulations goes out to Kelly Slater on his unprecedented amazing achievement.
Owen Wright. Current #2 rated surfer in the world.
I also had a great time taking over 400 photos over the last two days, and am looking forward to more excitement when the contest continues.
Nov. 4, Update: It turns out that due to an ASP oversight in computing the ratings, they were premature in announcing Kelly Slater as the 2011 World Champion. He stills needs to make it through one more heat this year to clinch the title. The only way he would not win the title is to never win another heat this year and for Owen Wright to win the final two ASP World Tour events, then for the pair of them to have a tie-breaker heat to decide. This is very unlikely and the chances are high we will see the “real” awards ceremony in San Francisco again in the coming days. I’m all for it. I had a blast the first time around. A second ceremony will be all the sweeter. There’s nothing like a little drama to spice things up.
Kelly Slater officially wins his 11th world title
Nov. 6, Update: Kelly Slater officially won the World Title on Sunday! Congratulations again!
Gabriel Medina wins the Rip Curl Search 2011
Nov. 7, Update: Congratulations to Gabriel Medina for winning the 2011 Rip Curl Search event in San Francisco!
Gabriel Medina, winner, and Joel Parkinson, runner-up, to Rip Curl Search 2011Rip Curl Search 2011 trophyTaylor Knox, the fittest 40 year old on the planet
The Spectrum Fantastic Art website has announced that Spectrum 18 will be available very soon from your favorite bookseller. Arnie and Cathy Fenner have posted a video flip-through of the book giving us a glimpse of who is included in this latest collection of the best in contemporary fantastic art.
In addition, Spectrum has announced that advance registration for Spectrum Fantastic Art Live is available on their website. Three day passes are only $40.00 and single day passes will be available at the door for $20.00. Spectrum Live will be held in Kansas City, Missouri with special guests Brom, Mike Mignola, Iain McCaig, Phil Hale and Andrew Jones.
I’ll have a Flesk booth at the show. Joining me will be Gary Gianni, Petar Meseldzija, Mark Schultz, William Stout. Craig Elliott will be there as well with his own booth. (That’s the entire Flesk Prime group!) I’m excited about being a part of this inaugural new event that focuses on the artists. As the show nears I will have some surprises to share.
The Art of Bill Carman exhibit and sale will be held at the Animazing Gallery in New York City this October 23 to November 30, 2011. You can meet Bill at the artist reception on October 22 from 6-9:00PM.
Bill is a spectacular artist. His paintings are little gems filled with vibrant creativity. Follow the links below for more information about the show and on Bill Carman.
Craig Elliott, James Walker and John Fleskes at the Flesk Publications APE 2011 booth
I had a great time at APE!
I truly enjoyed my entire time spent at the show. Being only a two day event, and local for me, keeps things simple since I don’t have to plan far in advance or be away from the office for very long. The typical APE attendee is hip and sophisticated that allows for a good engaging conversation. Plus the show is mellow which allows me the time to talk at length on a more personal one-on-one basis when compared to a busier show like Comic-Con. I don’t mind a bustling engagement, but I like the balance of a convention like APE that provide a bit of a break from the more intense nature of a larger event. Due to my work schedule, I don’t have a lot of time to chit chat in emails and on the phone, making an event the best place to get my attention. The shows helps me gain valuable feedback to see how people perceive me and Flesk so I better understand what needs to change and what is working well.
Mary from Stuart Ng Books. Stuart was our welcome neighbor next to us and they carry a wide assortment of the best art books.
One thing I learned came from two separate groups of people. The first group to enlighten me was a group of students. The second was from a dinner party on Saturday night. (This included Stuart Ng, Craig Elliott and more.) I found out there is a perception that is shared among these students and a few of the people I spoke with at the dinner. They communicated with me their belief that the individual artist books I publish have to be within a certain vein. Here are some of the terms I heard: realism, award-winning, high-caliber, fine artist and intimidating. They confessed they didn’t think I was interested in cartoony, stylistic, super-hero or alternative art, or even younger artists—which happens to be far from the truth. I have a wide range of interests that I will reveal in future blogs and books I publish. I have no intention of limiting the types of books I publish to a specific genre. You can expect some diversity in the future. As an example, a goal of mine, which I began pre-planning last year, is to start a new line of animation artist books. I’ll take a few years to start getting a steady stream of animation titles out, but it is going to happen.
Craig Elliott
Craig Elliott was kind enough to join me this year. Besides being an amazing visual development artist and character designer working in the animation industry, he has a dynamic range of skills that appears in various ways. At APE, Craig had a selection of prints focusing on his personal fine art celebrating real woman in all of her glory with curvy, healthy features that appeal to both men and many women. Craig was there to show off his portfolio, sketch for people, sell prints and his jewelry, and promote our upcoming book, The Art of Craig Elliott. He is perhaps the kindest person I know. I enjoy spending time with Craig knowing (hoping, really) that some of his good nature will rub off on me.
Craig Elliott
I took note on what was selling the best at APE. This year was a surprise. And it would not have happened without the enthusiasm of George Cwirko Godycki. George is an instructor and highly-creative artist (I picked up three of his originals) at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He takes great interest in the work of Petar Meseldzija. George was rounding up students and praising The Legend of Steel Bashaw all weekend long. Thanks to George, if you add to the title already being popular on its own, it was our obvious top seller.
This leads me to an interesting story. All books that I publish are a risk. When you are investing your time and money into anything and expect to make some money off of it (in my case so I can keep publishing more books), the project is a risk. There are people out there that will tell you, “It’s like printing money!” and other such beliefs, but you really can’t say for sure until you have actually made the effort.
A year ago at APE, I had just released Petar’s The Legend of Steel Bashaw book. I told Petar very few people know who he is and we would have to build his name here in the states. This was the riskiest book I have published since Petar had hardly any built in audience and practically no name recognition. I sold only 18 copies of the book to Diamond Comics Distributors and a couple copies at APE last year. The book, in all intents and purposes, was a major bust. Never had a book I published sold so poorly. However, I foresaw this happening and knew we would have to push and hand sell The Legend of Steel Bashaw one copy at a time. I was confident that the word would get out there, albeit slowly. I told Petar to be patient and good things would happen. I felt (and still do) that he is too dang good for people not to notice his work. Here we are a year later, The Legend of Steel Basahw is my bestselling book at APE, and sales are picking up through the distributors.
A typical big publisher will release a book and if it does not sell well immediately, it will remainder and dump the book, write it off as a loss, stop promoting the title (and artist) and move on to the next possible big hit. What I believe in is following your gut, making a great book, and then doing whatever you have to do to share your passion about the artist and sell that book over the long term. I can’t tell you how pleased I am to see Petar’s star rising. He is a wonderful person and he deserves it. I’ve told Petar that once The Legend of Steel Bashaw makes its money back, then we will do an art collection. That has given him ample motivation to promote his book on his end. I also learned that many students praised Petar’s ongoing blog on his own site as well as the one on Muddy Colors. (Links can be found at the bottom of this blog.)
Runner up for the top selling spot was the Bruce Timm Naughty and Nice Teaser. People are going nuts with anticipation for the upcoming main Timm book, as am I. Our Flesk Prime book also did well, especially given that Craig Elliott was there to sign them.
One of the things I enjoy about APE is discovering a new artist whose art will blow me away. APE is an affordable show to set up at and caters to new artists that may not get the chance to exhibit and gain exposure elsewhere. You will find all types of interesting creative people. There are fun discoveries all throughout. Here is a list of a few standouts whose works I thoroughly enjoyed either seeing for the first time, or revisited based on my seeing them last year; Brittney Lee, Liana Hee, Genevieve Tsai, Glenn Kim, Michael Manomivibul and Emonic.
Chris Diaz took portraits of many of the artists, creators and publishers (including myself) at the show. He posted a slideshow worth watching on Vimeo, a link that you can find at the end of this post.
Shelly Wan was exhibiting with Eidolon Fine Arts. I like to remind her about how absolutely amazing her work is. I remember her coming by my booth in San Diego in 2006 and her showing me her art for the first time. I firmly believe she has a bright future.
The Flesk Publications booth with James Walker at the helm.
I believe APE will grow and become the place for newcomer artists to get his and her feet wet. I believe it is a very important show in terms of initializing yourself into exhibiting, gaining confidence in talking to people, showing off your art to the public, getting feedback and promoting yourself. If you are a new artist and want to grow this is the place to do it. It does take patience though. Don’t expect a whole lot the first year, but try it for three years and go from there. Be committed and make it work. Take advantage of what is there. Here is an example of what I mean. I walked the show on Sunday and found some people behind their table who looked tired, defeated, bored, or lacking in spirit. This has prompted me to offer some unsolicited advice to those who are new to exhibiting. I know it isn’t always easy to be energized, but try and be welcoming without being aggressive. Don’t worry if people buy something or not. I never do. If someone comes by it is an opportunity for me to chat a little bit and possibly reinforce a current relationship or start a new one. Be genuine. Keep it natural to who you are and don’t force anything. But, do look like you want to be there and don’t sit there staring at the ground when people come by. I’m not saying I have the process down perfect, and I know it isn’t always easy. I was shy when I first exhibited. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. But I kept at it until I gained the confidence to engage with people at shows. Quit when you are at home, not at the convention.
My last topic will be about the people who run Comic-Con, Wonder-Con and APE. There has been a lot of flak that they have received about the direction of Comic-Con and that they don’t care about comics anymore. I am here to tell you that is absolutely not true. If you ever get a chance, talk to these guys and you will see how dedicated and passionate they are about comics and the arts and how hard they work to make these shows possible for us to exhibit at and raise awareness of this field we all love so much. Next time you see a Comic-Con staff member, be sure to thank them.
On behalf of Craig Elliott, my friend James Walker who helps me out at the shows, and myself, thanks to everyone who came by our booth at APE!
See you next year. William Stout has confirmed he will join us for 2012!
