Another Calgary Expo is in the books. If you’ve been around for a while, you know how this goes, so I won’t bore you with a play by play.
Sales ended up almost identical to last year, within about twenty bucks, which is oddly precise. Not a record year, but still well worth my time. As always, it’s not just about the money.
The best part, and the reason I keep coming back, is getting to see so many of you in person. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth, said hello, and added to your collections. I never take that for granted. When I first started painting these funny looking animals, I had no idea if anyone would connect with them. Every year, you show me that you do, and that keeps me going. Talking with all of you refills my creative tank and makes me want to paint more.
I tried something new at the Banff Christmas Market last year, but this was the first time I brought it to Expo. A small display screen with sped-up painting footage, along with a couple of signs that said “NOT AI. NOT PHOTOS.” Both got a lot of positive reaction. People are paying attention, and they care how the work is made. That matters more than ever right now.
On the first morning of the show, sitting in my hotel room, I recorded a quick, unscripted video for YouTube. Nothing polished, just me talking into my phone. A few hours later, a young woman came by the booth with her family because she had seen that video that morning. She had never heard of my work before.
That was a nice moment. Also a bit of a kick in the ass. I spend too much time overthinking this stuff. I just have to put the work out there and let it do its job.
One of the most useful parts of Expo is seeing what people actually respond to. I have my own favourites, but the real feedback happens at the booth.
This year, Peekaboo Panda and the Porcupine did very well, and the Highland Cow continues to be one of my strongest pieces.
But the biggest surprise was the Raven on White painting. It’s a couple of years old now and has always been popular, but for whatever reason, it hit hard this weekend. I sold more of that print than I ever have of any single print at Expo, and I still could have sold more.
Not to worry, I’ve got more on the way.
With another raven in progress right now, I’m curious to see if it will resonate as well. It’s one of my favourite subjects to paint.
Saturday threw me a bit. It’s usually the strongest day, but this year Friday was better, and that got in my head more than I’d like to admit. I was back in the hotel that night wondering if my time at this show might be coming to an end.
But I rebooked Sunday morning, and by the end of the day, with very good sales, I’m glad I did. I relearned a lesson I already know. Don’t make big decisions when you’re run down.
I also had a couple of important conversations. I connected with another artist I admire who shared some valuable insight that might lead to something new. I also reconnected with Alex from Renegade Arts about the bear book we’ve talked about for years. I’ve been dragging my feet on it, mostly because I don’t trust my own design skills. That’s on me. Time to deal with it.
Now it’s back to work. The week after Expo is as busy as the week before.
I’ve got cartoons to draw, commissions to finish, works-in-progress and new paintings to start based on everything I saw and heard this weekend. And I need to finally make real progress on the bear book.
Somewhere in there, I should probably take a couple of days off. Funny how that’s always my last priority.
I’m working on it.
Cheers,
Patrick
