Or something to that effect, as I enjoyed my first-ever street fair as a vendor this past Saturday at Roadworks, San Francisco Center for the Book‘s annual steamroller book and print extravaganza.
I took a cautious approach, renting half a table. Here are my wares, all set up at the start of the day.
(Note to self: Next time, turn the crate around so random messages like “dropcloths” do not show!)
Roadworks is a great day of printing linoleum blocks of various sizes using a steamroller. Vendors line the street, selling book-related or print-related wares. It’s a great attraction for people who love books, art, gadgets, heavy machinery, and/or ephemera. And there is a surprisingly large overlap between all these groups.
A vendor’s-eye view of the street fair:
I had no idea what to expect, and took as a good sign the fact that we found an all-day legal parking spot right at the end of the street! The parking gods were smiling at me. As were the commerce gods; I did fairly well, selling a mix of original linoleum block prints, bookmarks, mini-linocut cards, and commercially printed cards with images of some of my block prints.
Here I am, hard at work. (Photo taken by my friend Heather of Four Oceans Press, who also graciously gave me copies of their 2009 print calendar to give away.)
Of course, the main attraction is always the steamroller. A select group of artists are invited to carve 3-foot-square blocks. And then there’s an open call for any artist to carve a “little lino”.
Some of the little linos (1-foot square prints) being admired as they dry.
For sale, after being signed by the artists:
A fun day was had by all! I learned a lot about being a vendor at a fair or festival, and am seriously considering hitting the road for at least a few such events next summer. And the intense preparation for this has gotten me in a great position for my Next Big Thing:
Santa Cruz County’s Open Studio Art Tour
My studio will be open for two weekends in October:
October 3 & 4
October 17 & 18
11am – 6pm each weekend
816 Hanover Street
Stay tuned for more information!
Hey – congrats on what sounds like a successful weekend at the Steamroller event! And I must add that you look quite dashing in your goat roper hat with the “stopping” sign on the top of it. Was that to encourage more people “stopping” at your booth??? Glad you had a positive experience!
Your booth lloks great, even with the “drop cloths” box prominently displayed. Be glad it wasn’t your big “sex toys” box instead…
Hee-hee…(Oh no – now I get the angry phone call)