Dateline Boston — Every fall I participate in an event called Open Studios. Local artists show and sell their art. The event is free and open to the public. There are so many types of art to see — painting, photography, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, handmade clothing. You name it, Open Studios has it. Artists either open up their homes or rent a table in a shared space.
Last weekend I was in a shared space, selling photos. I had framed prints, magnets, books and blank cards. Over two days, I sold quite a few items. I don’t do it for the money, though. What I love is talking to people.
My photos draw people in by their cuteness. A lot of people out there are taken in by cute. All my framed photos featured cute animals. I had a bunny, a chipmunk, a baby bird and a frog. People would come to my table and say, “Aww!” I knew we would have a conversation. It’s always fun to meet strangers and hear their stories.
This year I punched things up a bit by adding a sign on my table. It’s a name plate for one’s desk, only instead of a name, it says, “Ask me about my cats.” This sign garnered lots of reactions and sparked entertaining chitchat. If someone liked cats, we took turns showing each other photos of our cats on our phones. If someone didn’t like cats, they either huffed and kept walking, or huffed and asked about my cats anyway. There were a lot of cat people in this particular Open Studios town.
Over the years, I’ve amassed many different images, some cute, some beautiful, some a little strange. Other images just struck me for a different reason. Stranger ones I’ve made into cards.
You Need to Smile
The people who buy them usually have a wicked sense of humor, like I do. This year I had a few cards that, for whatever reason, had not sold in a few years. I ran a special. If someone picked up a card that had not ever sold and remarked on it, I gave it to him or her for free. This year I gave away more of those previously unloved cards than ever before. I gave away the card with an image of a parking sign in which someone had spray painted “Lifer” above it. The woman who got it thought it was funny, given the lack of parking spaces in Boston. Another image that went was a closeup of a plastic water cup on an airplane. Finally, the photo of a doll sprawled awkwardly on the floor of the nursery school where I used to teach. Each person saw something special in these photos, and I was happy to share their appreciation of the unusual.
My favorite part of the weekend came at the end. It was Sunday afternoon, and I had been without children for two whole days, something I sometimes have a hard time with. A little toddler came walking over to me, and I said to his dad, “Kids always know that I’m a nanny.” I gave the boy one of my business cards, which has a picture of a cat on it, and he looked at it. I said, “Cat!” He smiled, and pointed at it again. Then he looked at his shoes. I said, “Shoes!” He thought that was great fun. We played “Cat! Shoes!” for a few minutes, then his dad picked him up and looked at the other art around the room. Soon, little Louie came back, and we played again. The more comfortable he got, the faster he got. Soon he was running around the room, and at one point he ran into my arms. I picked him up and sat him on my lap while his dad shopped. I was in heaven! His dad bought a photo that I had displayed for at least three years, and when it was time to go, I gave Dad another business card and said, “I’m sometimes available on the weekends!” Oh, Louie, you made my heart go pitter pat.
Before it was time to pack up, I got a chance to look at the other artists’ work. What talent! If there is ever an Open Studios event in your town, I encourage you to check it out. You’re sure to see amazing art, and you’ll definitely meet some interesting people.
Ms. Vaillancourt may be contacted at snobbyblog@gmail.com
