Convention Report: Boskone 2007 -- A Good Con All Around
I know, I know -- I never even finished the report on Arisia. I promised to write about robots from WorldCon. But things happen which sometimes take precedence. If I had finished the Arisia report, it only would have been about the annoying things that happened. I already told you all the good stuff (sales, award, you remember), so why go on and drag the bad stuff in here? It's done and over with. Robots are always cool, and they'll be just as good at another time. Boskone was great! So, I'm gonna write about that! Because I want to! And because I can.
Important news first: I sold SEVEN pieces and FIVE prints! This is officially my all-time record. I did very well in Baltimore a few years ago, but not as well as this. And MaryAnn sold twenty-one books!
So, what were the pieces that sold?
Among other things, this:
and
both of which I featured on this site before. The skull first appeared in the I-Con show, almost a year ago. The "Wanderers" piece I did when I did all those Sagan pieces for WorldCon. Of those three pieces only "No More Impassable" remains.
Here's another one that sold:
I had brought it along accidentally, packing it with the other 12x12 pieces. Since it was there, I hung it up and someone bought it! First time out, and unintentional at that. Some pieces go to show after show, and no one buys them. Some are gone in their first showing! Go know!
I did several new pieces only a few days before we left for the convention and those sold. One was another Sagan quote; one was a quote by J.S.B. Haldane; and a third piece was a tree, backlit by the moon, with little lights twinkling in it. I finished them so late on the Thursday night, that I never even took pictures of them! However, the "Faerie Tree" was purchased by a close friend, and so I may eventually be able to display that on this site.
Another one that sold was a NewGrange piece I finished for Boskone 2004. I recently re-matted it and brought it along to hang with the other three NewGrange pieces. And, again, no picture had I taken of it. Fortunately, I caught the purchaser, who let me take a quick and dirty shot of it, just for my records and I'll try and post it as soon as I can get the pictures downloaded from my camera.
There is no way to predict the tastes of the buying public! I can't even say which type of piece -- painting or calligraphy -- did better, since I basically sold equal amounts of both types.
As for the prints, I sold two of "New World Next Door" and two of "We Were Wanderers", and one of "Pale Hands I Love".
But the weekend wasn't all about me! MaryAnn did very well with her book sales (as mentioned); we saw all our terrific Boston friends -- all of whom had survived the Moonite invasion and lived to have dinner with us at the fabulous Sauceity restaurant in the very elegant Westin Waterfront Hotel. Some of our friends described this hotel as being at the end of the earth -- and indeed, on a cold, windy, Boston winter day, it would be a heck of a walk to downtown Boston where a wider array of restaurants could be found. But the hotel was beautiful, the restaurant pricey but not outrageous, and the food excellent. It also had a nice bar area where one could see all those coming and going.
On the Saturday night, we held our Travelling Creative Salon, which was very well attended by old friends and new, and the conversation was rapid-fire and wide ranging. Of particular note and interest among the new: Glenn from Montreal (which is bidding for WorldCon 2009 [we're pulling for you, Montreal!]), Brian the Troubador, Elizabeth and Nate. Among the old friends: Bob Devney and Michael Devney, of course, and bloggers Jim Mann and Laurie Mann, artist Tamara Gurevitz and her husband Jim Paradise, a custom framer.
My only problem at the parties is that no one ever seems to be really interested in the art part of the salon. MaryAnn's Princess Bride book involves people in long and lovely chats about the book and the movie. But the art never does that. I can't draw people into conversations about it, and no one asks any questions at all. I wonder if art just sort of intimidates people? Do they feel they don't really know anything about art, and so cannot discuss it? At the Art Show, they can wander around and not have to have conversations about the pieces and can easily avoid the artist if they choose. They either like it, or they don't, and they don't feel any impulse to discuss it, I guess. People at conventions have no problems discussing books and movies -- perhaps art and its creation is almost too intimate for them? If anyone has any other theories on why my art doesn't sell at these little soirees of ours, or even spark conversation, I'd love to hear them! Give me suggestions on what I can do to get art -- or at least, art conversation -- moving at these parties!
One piece that did move was this one:
to a woman named Margaret who wanted it for her sister -- a theology student!
Saturday night, we collapsed into bed, and Sunday morning were up for another busy day. I went to MaryAnn's last panel, then went to breakdown the art show (where I received my joyous surprise of all those pieces sold!) and then we hit the John Scalzi literary beer, then the bar until it was time to go to another great dinner with our Boston family and some of the new people we'd brought into our orbit! After a terrific Chinese food dinner, we hit a great little ice cream parlor called Toscanini's in Cambridge, and finally got back to our room around 11:30. Two sips of tea and I was out for the night. Exhaustion, excitement and much wine had finally caught up with me.
The trip home Monday was a quiet one, all of us exhausted in that good way. And already wondering when the next convention is.
Technorati Tags: Boskone, Arisia, WorldCon, Carl Sagan, NewGrange,
Comments
Hi from orbit!
Yes Boskone was completely enjoyable as was the company of new friends and the company of old friends and "heres a health to the company" and ok i'm riffing on company too much. So sue me, it's 12:25 am and I'm still at work on site at a client in lovely hunts point produce market, bronx ny, and thus I am excused from making sense.
If I see another bar code (what i'm working on...) I'm going to maybe go get that awsome battle axe I got at Chattacon a few weekends ago out of my car and "fix" some printers so they never have to worry about printing barcodes again. Yes, I keep an axe, and 2 swords, in my car.
On that note, bye. :)
Posted by: Brian K. White | February 24, 2007 12:23 AM
hey, brian! glad you stopped by at the site, and at the party. i used to work at the American Bank Note Company when it was headquartered in Hunt's Point. not the cheeriest place at the early hours of the morning. axes and swords are lovely thing. i often wish for "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" myself. hope you drop by the site again, and catch you at the next con.
Posted by: bonnie-ann black | February 26, 2007 4:51 PM