2021 Year In Review

2021 Year In Review

WOW! 2021 was whirlwind for us personally, professionally, and in growing our art business. This year, we focused on growing our physical presence at car shows, art shows, and local festivals. We learned a lot, met a lot of really cool people, and saw a lot of really cool cars! Along the way, I think I may have honed my skill a little, too!

This year we set up and sold hot rod art at six events – for the most part, they were all great!

The first show was actually the Telegraph Car Cruise in Taylor, Michigan in July. Our friends Roy and Brandi at Detroit Stitching Company invited us to return and set up at their shop during the show.

Next, we set up at the Good Times in Goodrich show in Goodrich, Michigan in August.

We met a ton of cool people at this show! The Goodrich cruise is one of the largest car shows in Michigan, and we were fortunate to have several commissioned pieces come from this show. Next, we headed to the Frankenmuth Autofest for one of the Midwest’s largest car shows!

The Autofest is such an amazing show with so much cool iron and knowledgeable people! This was a fun show because it was a multi-day event and we were able to stay at the Bavarian Inn, which is within walking distance! I made a few sketches on-site for people, and even met some fellow HAMB-ers! I was fortunate to receive several commissions from this show, too.

For Autofest, I started drawing and selling what I call “Quick Sketches,” which are stylistically simpler, take less time to draw, and I can sell for a lower price. I made these primarily for impulse buyers who may not want to spend so much on a single piece. I’ve read a lot of articles where artists say, “Don’t lower your price!” That seems reasonable, but not everyone is ready to pay $100 on a whim.

Next, we set up at the Brandon Septemberfest in Brandon, Michigan. This show started very wet and rainy but got dryer throughout the morning. They put us right next to the kettle corn stand, which may have been a mistake…

Finally, we returned to Goodrich for their annual downtown Christmas celebration in December. This turned out to be one of the best events of the year for us as everyone was wrapping up their Christmas shopping!

Each show brought some fun commission work and on-site sales. We have some ideas for improvement for 2022, including some thoughts on how to make logistics easier. In 2021, I honed in my personal styles, my favorite being my black and white method. I also created a commission cut sheet to make it easier for customers to place orders. One thing that’s important to me is making it easy for clients to buy. Nothing is more annoying than a vendor who makes it hard to buy.

Commissions were off the charts this year! We were so blessed – we got THIRTY ONE commissions this year!!! I’ve posted most of them, but I still have FOURTEEN I haven’t shared here or on social media yet! Stay tuned – there are still a lot of Christmas commission pieces coming!

2 Responses

  1. Charlie says:

    Terrific work. Have a great 2022

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