My first luggage collection is now available at Burlington Coat Factory. They feature the Meandering Dots print in 2 different colorways and are available in 3 different sizes, reasonably priced from $59 – $79.

I found this little caterpillar in my garden last week. Aren’t the colors and pattern amazing?! Next spring he’ll become a black swallowtail butterfly. In the meantime he served as inspiration for some new stripe patterns. Which goes to show how much beauty and inspiration there is (literally) in your own back yard.

Surtex the second time around was fun and challenging. Fun because I got to see the friends I’d made last year and because I was more confident in what I was doing. Challenging because last year my goal was simple: introduce myself to the art licensing community. This year seemed harder — like a second date when you’re unsure how to make conversation since the basics were covered on the first date. So I dragged my feet  on booth design until the last minute when I finally got inspired (thank God!) and hurriedly got banners and promo materials ordered just in time.

The Booth
In the end I was pleased with how the booth turned out. Last year I had a corner booth so I only had 2 walls to fill and tried to show as much art as I possibly could. This year I had 3 walls to fill but opted for showing slightly less art in favor of creating a more cohesive look. Since my artwork is meant to go on products, I filled much of the space with large 3-d volumes: colorful cylinders and boxes suggestive of gift bags, boxes, rolls of fabric or wrapping paper. It was challenging and time-consuming putting it all together so I was thankful my sister Sue came along again this year to help.  She worked tirelessly without complaint to get everything looking just right. Thanks Sue.

The Show
I think the show had fewer booths again this year compared to last year. But I think the quality of the work was better with more originality and distinct artist styles than I’ve seen in the past when my eyes would glaze over after seeing whimsical woodland animals in booth after booth. The show introduced a new section of exhibitors this year called the Design District which was available to first-time exhibitors only. While I applaud the show for trying to make Surtex more accessible to newcomers, I’m not sure this was the right idea. The exhibitors sat at tiny kiosks that were practically on top of each other (forget about having a private conversation with a manufacturer with your neighbor inches away). It’ll be interesting to see if these kiosks will be offered again next year or if they can come up with a different way to introduce new exhibitors to the show.

Attendance
The show is officially saying there was a slight increase in the attendance this year. I think that was true. And while the aisles sometimes felt pretty empty, I was pleased with the quality of the leads I got. People who stopped by my booth seemed to be qualified buyers and represented quality companies. I would much prefer that over quantity.

Conclusions
I had a really good show this year. I made some great contacts that I’m confident will result in new licensing contracts in the coming months. In fact I’m finalizing one contract already, just weeks after the show. Last year I (and other artists) was concerned that Surtex was on the decline. It’s maybe too early to tell but based on my personal experience I’d have to say Surtex isn’t dead yet! This year saw more fracturing of the art licensing community with the 2nd year of The Blue show and the introduction of a new group called Field Trip. It will be interesting to see how these side groups affect Surtex. It’s possible they could be the demise of the big show but might actually give it a boost instead. If manufacturers have more venues to visit in New York, it may draw more of them. Maybe it will grow into Licensing week in NY much like Fashion week or Design week. Wouldn’t that be great!

A blank canvas — after weeks of planning, it was startling to see how small the actual space is.

Ready to open for business!

Lots of goodies (including chocolate!) on display at my Surtex booth.

One corner was filled with colorful 3D volumes suggestive of wrapping paper, fabric bolts and gift bags.

My little booth in a sea of beautiful artwork at the Javits Center.

From idea to reality: I made a little model of the booth to see if my idea of using 3D volumes to fill the space would work. Photographing it at the eye level of passersby showed me what the sight lines would be. It’s fun to see the model (left) next to the real thing (right).

Enjoying New York — it was great to wake up to this view of the Empire State Building from my hotel room. I love New York!

Mixing business with pleasure – Enjoying a night out with my sister Sue and fellow artist and friend Joan Chamberlain.

I’m pleased to announce I’ll be exhibiting at Surtex again this year. It’s at the Javits Center in New York, May 15-17. I’ll be in Booth 326. If you plan to go, please contact me to set up an appointment or just stop by to say hello and see what’s new!

I’m so excited to share photos of my soon-to-be-released luggage collection! This is just a sneak peek at the production samples, but I think Atlantic Luggage has done a great job. There will be an array of bags in each collection: soft-sides, hard-sides, wheeled duffles, tote bags, etc. And each design will come in 3 different colorways. The collection launches at the Las Vegas Travel Goods Show in March 2016 and will be in stores by next fall.

The first production samples for my luggage collection which launches in March 2016. Look for them in stores next fall.

Halloween costumes are a big deal at our house. Each year the kids come up with an idea and then together we figure out how to make it happen. It’s a creative challenge I always look forward to and it almost always involves papier mache, a visit to Goodwill and at least one trip to Home Depot roaming the aisles for things we can re-purpose for parts of the costumes. This year my daughter was a mailbox! It was a lot of fun to put together (who knew Home Depot sells replacement mailbox flags for just $3.49!) Since she wore it all day at school we had to hinge the post so she could sit down.

This was the first year my son didn’t trick-or-treat (ah, they grow up too fast) so there was just one costume to make this time. But here are some photos from past years.

This year’s costume – the Mailbox. It’s amazing what you can do with some cardboard and silver spray paint!

Star Wars Sand People Costume – My son had so much fun wearing this costume. (What’s not to love when you get to look scary AND carry a big weapon!)

The Mona Lisa – This might be my all-time favorite. The frame was made from corrugated cardboard and hinged to the  background at the top like a sandwich board. The background had elastic straps built in so she could wear it like a backpack.

Book Worm Costume – My daughter came up with this idea and even sketched it out for me. The green fabric had a previous life as a jersey knit bed sheet before I spied it on the clearance shelf at Target. It was funny watching her try to run from house to house in this costume!