Live painting experiences: Kunstmarkt Hoorn

On a Sunday morning in early September, I packed my cargo bike to the brim and set off to the city centre of Hoorn. It was my first time participating in the annual art market of Hoorn, where there would be nearly 200 vendors from Hoorn and the surrounding areas.

I set up on my own, which was an experience... it was windy, and setting up a 4 metre wide table with paper tablecloths on my own was not ideal. However, I finally set up my table to my satisfaction, and decided at the last minute to leave out my card builder (which required me to search for the organisers who had promised me electricity at my stand, which was nowhere to be found). I had brought my laptop, tablet and printer at a pretty big cost to my space and peace of mind, but sometimes you have to make hard decisions. I also figured that with the live portraits and studio portraits, as well as the ready-made paper goods, there would be plenty enough going on at my stand.

Just before the market officially opened, Rik showed up. He would be the main contact person for anyone who enquired about portraits. We hoped and expected that I'd be busy painting all day, and so would not be able to attend to customers.

I'm so grateful that he was there, not only because I'm better at painting than I am at explaining my work, but because it gave me a way to come out of my own bubble whenever I felt the pressure mounting. Painting may seem therapeutic, and it is, but when you are doing it for customers and in front of an audience, it can turn into a pressure cooker.

Rik had questioned me if I'd really needed to bring my paper goods with me – the stickers, art prints, birthday invites – as they took up a lot of space and wouldn't be bringing in much money. To be honest, I created them out of love of designing and making my own things. It was never completely about profit, but naturally, I need to make back my expenses, and I need to clear up space in my storage :) Hearing people pass by and tell their kids that my € 3 sticker sheets were too expensive was expected, but disappointing. Many people don't stop to think that these are made in small batches, not just designs ordered and produced in bulk by big shops.

However, I received so much positive response for my live portraits and studio portraits. I was indeed busy for the full six hours, and I painted 14 portraits in total with my new mixed media method created just for my live painting.

I also received a commission for a studio portrait on the spot, which was wonderful. This was the main purpose of having a stand at the market – to be seen, to be understood, and to be remembered. Plus many others took my business card and prices back home with them, so hopefully it results in more post-market commissions.

We were very fortunate that the weather was fantastic that day. We received plenty of visitors and I got to practice telling myself: You got this. You know what you're doing.

Now I've been doing this full-time for two years and I'm still working out what the best marketing strategy for me is. And it seems that after two years, I've finally stumbled upon the physical presence of a market. It involves so much time and effort, but if this is what it takes, then I've got to bring it.

Thanks for reading!

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