Art shows and giclee printing I can't emphasize how important art shows are as a source of revenue for original art and giclee prints. I am not talking about shows in galleries (which will be the subject of another post). The kind I will discuss is large shows with tens or hundreds of exhibitors. We have many clients who make a comfortable living attending 20, 30 and more shows a year. The benefits are many: high turnout, a captive audience and the chance to see the competition. Art shows, the good ones, charge an entry fee that can range from $80 to even more than $1,000. There are shows for interior decorators/design that are in very high demand and expensive to enter. What you get is what you pay for: professionals come in the hundreds and they are always looking for artists who fit their style. The seeked after shows may be difficult to enter and often there is a panel that will accept or reject an entry depending on the work submitted when an application is made. Even if you hear that a particular event is filled, make sure you are put on a waiting list; people do cancel. Many shows will accept slides and some even CDs. Some artists will come out of an event with revenues in the thousands. I know of a very talented photographer who grosses over $10,000 on a good day. The other positive is that professionals, such as interior decorators, regularly attend and if you score with one of them, it can become a long lasting and fruitful relationship.
Now the downside: besides the entry fees, there are the costs of owning a booth, travel expenses possibly including hotel stays (although these are often tax deductible expenses - consult your accountant). Also, this is HARD WORK. I want to emphasize this because travel, mounting the booth, staying all day on Saturday and repeating the same routine the next day is taxing. Frequently, the travel can be long and exhausting. If you decide to go this route, the rewards are great: it feels good to see so many people loving your work and displaying their purchased art in homes and offices. Giclee printing is a great avenue in this type of market because it dramatically increases the number of products available for purchase, maintaining quality by printing on fine art papers. An oil painter can reproduce on canvas and even embellish the giclee. Often, it is not necessary to do the art show circuit for many years. If you can build a good customer base over a period of time things will start going on autopilot; your name and art will be known and there hopefully will be a following. On the other hand, I know artists who love to travel cross country during season and make a great living.
You can speak to fellow artists or search on the internet to find art shows. The companies that own and organize them have a web presence and will gladly explain the rules.  ¶ 8:46 AM