Wow, What a terrific Weekend !
The Gasparilla Festival of the Arts weekend was a significant and memorable experience for me as an artist. The journey to Tampa was quite the adventure, taking two full days of travel. Once I arrived, Thursday was dedicated to setting up my booth. I worked with the 10x10 tent provided by the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts (GFA), which I found to be unfamiliar and already set up on a sloping concrete surface toward the dock behind my location. Securing my mesh walls and stay bars to the tent frame required a lot of zip ties to ensure everything stayed in place before the rain began.
In preparation for the unpredictable weather, especially Friday night's rain, I had constructed durable, bubble wrap water-resistant envelopes for each of my paintings. This protective layer was essential and gave me peace of mind that my artwork would remain unharmed during the trip and setup.
Saturday morning was when I fully displayed all my pieces. After removing the outer walls from three sides of the tent, I was able to hang all my large pieces on the mesh walls, creating an inviting and colorful display. The weather that day was a challenge at first. It stopped raining about an hour before the tents opened, leaving the concrete damp. As the sun came out, the humidity turned the tent into a steam bath for a time, eventually becoming quite hot by midday. Despite this, I was grateful to be on concrete rather than muddy grounds, which some other artists experienced. Removing the outer walls allowed a breeze to flow through the tent, which helped keep it much cooler than it might have otherwise been. From this, I learned that for my next show, I will bring a fan to help with air circulation and comfort.
The interactions with visitors were rewarding. Most remarked on how colorful my pieces were, particularly noting how the metallic paints seemed to pop in the light. Many appreciated how I managed to control the chaos in the fluid acrylics, which is a signature aspect of my work. These positive reactions reinforced my excitement about sharing and discussing my art with the public.
Sunday brought a welcome change in weather—a clear, cool, and breezy day that felt like the perfect early March day in Florida. The comfortable conditions made it a joy to be present, and the bright sun highlighted the vibrancy of my pieces beautifully.
Reflecting on the festival, one of the most valuable lessons I learned was the importance of framing all of my large pieces, which I was glad I did. However, I also realized that having a greater variety of smaller works, such as 11x14, 12x16, and 16x20 canvases, would better serve visitors who are just beginning to start their art collections. For future shows, I am planning to bring more smaller canvases and prints to offer a wider range of options. Additionally, I want to include a few lights to better highlight the larger format pieces.
Receiving the Emerging Artist award was a significant milestone for me, especially since this was my first fine arts show. Being part of the EA program, which included several mentoring sessions in the weeks leading up to the event, was incredibly valuable and helped me prepare in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
Overall, this Gasparilla Festival of the Arts experience has been influential in shaping my artistic career and goals moving forward. It has motivated me to expand my offerings, improve my booth setup and comfort, and continue engaging deeply with the art community. I am grateful for the opportunity and excited to apply what I learned to future events.
