Art Events

I know people who do nothing but make their living going from one event to another. I just can't do that. For one thing, sometimes Art sells great and other times it doesn't sell at all. Too iffy to make a living that way with the cost of what it takes to get to and from an event.

The other thing of course is that I have this very normal life really and it doesn't allow me with my kids and all too just take off for days on end. I try to pick out stuff I can afford to do and stuff that really isn't too very far away. It is easy to go to LA for stuff, because that is only 6 hours away and there is always Susan we can stay with. The rest just get more complicated except for the ones that are actually in Phoenix that is.

The first event I ever did was the Bobby Cook 1st Annual Erotic Art Show here in Phoenix, held at Apex. Way back in March of 1998. It almost seems like a million years ago now. I didn't sell anything for shit that weekend but I did trade for lots of cool stuff. That was how I got my tattoo and our first big time whip. It is also how I ended up making a bunch of friends at Apex. Spending a whole weekend with them really made me a part of them as it were.

It was a whole other year till I did another event. In the mean time I put up the web page and did other stuff but it wasn't until the 2nd Bobby Cook Show in 1999 that the whole thing really took off. I did a ton of travel time in 1999 but that has backed off again since then. It had mostly to do with lack of money and poor planning on my part. It can be hard to get it all together to go to a show.

Bobby Cook 2nd Annual Show was again held at Apex. It was a crazy month and half before the show, as I worked like mad to have as many originals for the show that I could. I asked my friend Jim to attend this year as well. He is a wonderful photographer and artist that I know from college art classes.

This is a photo print that I got from Jim. I can honestly say that I don't spend much time getting the works of other artists. I find that I am almost as picky with them as I am with my own. And that is even truer of erotic art. I love this photograph. If you really look it you begin to see all sorts of images in it besides what is just in the front. Even though Jim isn't in the "lifestyle" I think he really captured a great deal of the heart in it with this photograph.

The second show went wonderful in more ways than just the cash income. That was pretty darn important though. I was at a point where I wasn't going to work this hard for something that wasn't paying me in anyway. After all it take a pretty good amount of time, and art supplies, and other equipment to be ready for a show. After all that money out, I really needed to see something back. Thank God I did, cause it has been even better since then. But the other rewards were from Master and my friends. My friends came from all over town to come and see the show. I was pretty proud of them, it took guts, after all many of them aren't in the lifestyle, and don't really get it. It made them a bit nervous to be there but they wanted to support me and so they put that fear aside and came. My friend Gia, a total nut case with a heart of gold, not only came herself but dragged her friends along too. And wonderfully she gave me what would become our show mascot. She found this wonderful Torture Me Elmo at a Sci Fi convention and got him for me. Got to love it!!

The other gift I received was from Master. He supported me once again through all the nutty stuff before, during and after the show. And at one point he went to get us lunch and make stop or two at the store. He returned with this wonderful card and dragon for me. What follows was what he wrote in the card.

Anna,

I am so proud of you! You're talent and persistence has paid off. I'm so proud to be your Master. Our ideas and goals mesh so nicely, that I don't have any doubts that our world will continue to blossom.

Take this small gift to help commemorate our success at this show. Keep it close, and know that, like the dragon, I'll always watch over you, protect you, and occasionally burn your ass with fire, when its deserved.

I love you!

Master Lee

3-7-99

There is no way I can express to you how much that card meant to me. And still does mean to me. Master isn't a man for flowery speech or compliments. So when they come, they are so very special! I cried when I read this, and have held onto the card and dragon as one of my greatest treasures.

That same year I met Susan, and it was actually through her that I took advantage of up coming events at the time. First I sent in work for the Lifestyles Convention that summer of 1999. But it really didn't work out at all well because I had to spend lots of time and money to send work, they were going to take a 40% commission on it and dang I didn't sell anything and as far as I know I never got any business from it at all. Here it is 2001 and I had someone else talk to me about doing it again and said nope can't go there. I think if I ever do that event again it will be as a vendor with a booth instead of a displaying artist.

Thunder in the Mountain, 1999 and 2000

Summer of 1999 I did my first Thunder in the Mountains! Oh wow what a weekend that was, I didn't really sell much but we had a super time! On top of it all I forgot my printer at home and couldn't even really sell prints. The people there were great though, everyone was so nice. At this first show they had some of the vendors doing it out of rooms off a court yard and others in another room. Susan and I shared the vending space that first year. Master was there too and we had such a good time we just plan on doing this event for ever. There were problems that first year with the space. The dungeon was in a different location and was actually a gym so there were problems with people being able to play and not run over each other. The hotel was supposed to be our for the weekend but then they still rented out rooms to people with small children...which made us cringe a bit. It mostly was all logistics stuff that kind of messed some of the stuff up.

In the Summer of 2000 they moved the event to another hotel out by the old airport in Denver. The space was way nicer, all the vendors were together. The Dungeon was amazing! It was in this huge ballroom space and they even put up a big scaffolding where folks could do suspension work. Everything about this second event was perfect. Except again we were sharing the hotel with folks that weren't in the lifestyle and it made some of them uncomfortable. We actually didn't get to do it that time with Susan, she had another event to attend so she asked D'mitri and Sheila to come and we spent the weekend with them. I have to say it was some serious fun!! We heard after the fact that the staff of the hotel had some problems with us, it had something to do with the maids not liking what they saw in the rooms, LOL. Guess they didn't want to see toys and what not.

This year they are going to be holding it in another hotel and this time for sure it will be only the kinky people hanging out together. I am pretty sure I will be there...Not sure at this point if Master will get to go with me since he is starting a new job soon and doesn't know if we can afford to have him go or if work will feel okay with it either. I really hope he can go...it would seem strange to be there without him.

Other 1999 Events

In the late spring early summer of 1999 we went to LA to visit Susan and at the same time they were having the LA Fetish Ball. The trip is that Fetish events aren't anything like BDSM events. They are all about the fashion show! If you are looking for kink...stay home and skip these but if you looking for pure eye candy and wild outfits and people then you will love doing this sort of thing. For both Master and I it was too hot, too crowded and too loud to be really enjoyed well. What can I say we aren't the clubing party people. We like to stay home and like peace and quiet more than noise. I did meet some very cool people though. I didn't work this event, we just went to it. Not sure we will have the urge to do that again but I am glad we did it at least once.

In Oct. 1999 I also went to the Tom of Finland Event. We did have a good time and would like to do the event again. But that first time there were only a few people selling art that wasn't homoerotic work. Everyone was great...and the event and dinner and what were wonderful but for the whole weekend I made all of $40 and that just wasn't enough for all the work it took to be there or the price of the space even. I know they are working to try and make it a more Pan Sexual event and I am sure I will look at going back there again in the future. I will say this though I am so glad the Tom of Finland does the work it does to help artist and preserve the erotic art out there. They have also been a big help when ever they have been called on to help with erotic art stuff. Really a super bunch of folks!

In Nov. 1999 I went back to LA again to hang out with Susan and do Thresholds, Bizarre Bazaar. Master stayed home for this one day event but dang it was a very long day. I did get to meet and hang out with JD. I got to see some very cool toys and even sold some art along the way. It was pretty cool and I would probably go back again some day. Not sure when with how nuts life gets come November for me but I think it was worth it.

Events in 2000

Bobby Cook moved his show to another space than APEX and I wasn't invited to attend the show, heck I wasn't invited in 2001 either but oh well and what the heck. In 2000 the first show of the year was the Alwun house exotic 2000 show. This is held in this great old house in downtown Phoenix. A ton of people show up to see the erotic art of a bunch of different artists. They have tons of entertainers and just seems like a million people all at the same time in a very little space. But hey they are all there to party and have fun! I got brave and wore a leather corset to the event that I borrowed from Lori. Let me tell you, you know you are dressed well when drag queens tell you, you look great!! Moving up in the world! LOL I even got a piece of my art on the 10 pm news in town. Course it was mostly because it was one of the few pieces in the show that didn't have naked people in it. But hey I like it! I even sold one piece out of the three I had in there. They did have this amazing belly dance troop there that night too...I can only say I have never seen belly dancers who were so incredible since then or before. One gal picture here did her stuff topless and danced with candles, it was so beautiful. And wow you watched her and I would have sworn she was in this whole subbie head space up there.

Then as I said went to Thunder again! This year I finally made it Folsom Street Fair, Sept. 2000. And OH WOW!! I hadn't actually planned on going to this event. But when I was at Thunder that year I met a guy from San Fran who puts out a magazine. He wanted me to come up there and take pictures of his model and then do a drawing from them for the magazine cover. You know all these months later and I still don't know what happened with the artwork but heck I got to go to Folsom. Since I was going to be there anyway I brough some artwork along with me and put it out in Susan’s Booth...yep that is her booth there...where it says Passion Play Products. Now the cool thing was that of the artwork I brought with me I sold a bunch of it! Since we weren't for money at that point I actually got to use the money to do some toy shopping! hehehe I got us a wand and a bunch of other goodies! Folsom itself was really a trip. I have never seen so many kinky people in one place in my life. I read up on it a bit before I went and I found out that the street fair is the largest event in California (of any kind) only second to the Rose bowl parade. Oh MY GOD! So the morning started with me being able to take a look around and see all the other vendors stuff but as the day moved on and more and more people got there...there was no moving. It took me only a half hour to walk the fair first thing in the morning. It took me hours to do it in the afternoon there were so many people there. It was quite a day!! I was hoping to make it back for 2001 but right now I am not sure there is even a shot at that but some day I will go back and do the whole deal...can't wait! It all happens in one long crazy day at Folsom.

Events in 2001

2001 started out a bit different for me. I was working doing stuff for Apex Erotic Art Show but what took up the larger part of the first couple months was doing the design and sewing for a wedding that took place at Apex. Being able to sew can be great...but how anyone does that for a living all the time I just don't know. Cause let me tell you...doing 30 costumes for this wedding about killed me. The brides family has a middle eastern culture so the wedding was straight out of a 1000 and One Arabian nights. Belly dancers and the whole bit. My job was to do two things. Make the costumes and do the artwork of the wedding contract. I am actually very proud of how it all turned out. You wouldn't believe how many people it took working their butts off to turn Apex into this tent with a wonderful banquet for one and all to eat. It really was a very special time and I was happy to see all the men and woman of the huge wedding party dressed in costumes I spent months putting together.

May of 2001 brought me a whole other headache. Back in November we started to work on putting together an art show at Apex itself. It would not be though an artist this time but belonging to Apex itself. It was more work than I can begin to tell you. I was working on it hours and hours every single day. I found the artist and got it all arranged and did more than I even want to remember at this point. Everyone left me alone to do this and as we came up on it, others at Apex took up the ball and ran with it. I knew come the end I couldn't handle the last of it and still be doing my own artwork. Thank god for those others, Carmen, John and Jaders. That doesn't even count all the others who helped, entertainers, and people who came down to schlep all the stuff out of apex and get it ready for the weekend. As for the event itself, really there were some parts that were so cool. Namely getting to meet people I had been talking to forever. Soft and her Master Paul, and the other artists who I had spent months getting to know over emails. There was getting to hang out and talk shop with them. There was lots of pleasure in the company we were keeping. For all the work we did though, we really didn't feel like we got the crowd we wanted for the event, as in we wanted way more people to be there! I think next year there will be changes to make it more profitable for one and all. But the nice part was that most everyone there will be invited to come back again, and they all had a good time.

As you must of all seen by now, there hasn’t been much updating to the site since 2001.  Besides the financial issues we faced with Master’s job issues, the art industry got hurt really bad after the events of 9-11.  Nobody spends money on art in that frame of mind.  Since then survival became a much more important issue than going to events.  In the years since we did go back to Thunder and it was great as always.  In the 2008 and the beginning of 2009 we went to the Apex Kinky Karnival and to the Southwest Leather Conference. 

While the people at these events are always wonderful to spend time with, business wise this is very hard for me.  This isn’t a hobby after all and I have to invest money to be able to participate in an event.  When I don’t sell much product it is very difficult to justify going to another event.  I am praying our economy gets better and I can again build up enough customer base to keep Anna’s Art going.