I went to Tamarack in the West Virginia turnpike today for the jury process to be accepted to sell there. I kept seeing people come out upset for being turned down. One guy that I had talked to earlier that made cutting boards got called in. He had some nice looking cutting boards from what I could see but I didn’t see them close up. He came out mad and cussing. I heard him tell another guy he got turned down because the juror found some pin holes in some of his boards. First thing I thought was this isn’t good, this guy is looking everything over with a microscope, and he did. That’s when I started to get nervous. I was the last one to get called in. We introduced ourselves and shook hands. The first thing out of his mouth was ”well the curiosity is over, you are definitely in.” You can imagine the huge sigh of relief. He said some of my pieces had so much detail that he should be able to find a flaw or two. He said he looked them over and over and couldn’t find one flaw out of ten pieces. Told me my work was amazing several times. I left on cloud 9. Now I need an appointment to meet with the buyer. I met her today also and that was positive but they don’t buy on jury day.

You always impress. Glad you made it in.

Absolutely well deserved, Rusty! Your work is magnificent!!!

Thanks guys I appreciate that. I guess we are our own worst critic. I never think of my work being at that level.

I also think basket illusion is something new to them. They were amazed and acted like they had never seen it before.

Your basket illusions are second to none!!

I'll have to agree with all the above Rusty you're always pushing the limits, congrats.

Congrats. You have progressed very fast and looks like you are going far and above,

18 hours ago, RustyFN said:

jury process to be accepted to sell there

Hey Rusty, I have never heard of this, can you please explain what and how this works, and why jury is a requirement to sell? Thanks sir!

1 hour ago, John Morris said:

Hey Rusty, I have never heard of this, can you please explain what and how this works, and why jury is a requirement to sell? Thanks sir!

Tamarack is a large tourist stop on the turnpike in Southern West Virginia. You have to live in WV to get juried in and sell there. The signs advertising it say The Best of West Virginia. The jury process is to keep the quality of the product sold in there the highest it can be. You will not find anything average or below in there. They also have a fine art gallery that the buyer told me she wants to put a couple of my pieces in. Here is a link with more information. It is a really cool place to stop at if you ever go through there.

https://www.tamarackwv.com/

8 minutes ago, RustyFN said:

The signs advertising it say The Best of West Virginia.

WHOA! Thanks for the clarification Rusty, what a wonderful market to be associated with! And accepted to sale your work!

Just now, John Morris said:

WHOA! Thanks for the clarification Rusty, what a wonderful market to be associated with! And accepted to sale your work!

It really is a neat place and good food. They give top dollar when buying from you because they get a very high volume of people going through there every day.

Just now, RustyFN said:

They give top dollar when buying from you because they get a very high volume of people going through there every day.

And a targeted buyer who appreciates finely made crafts and who will show that appreciation by paying your worth, at least that's my website observation. It can be hard to find the market to pay well for your good work, this way the market comes to you. I like this Rusty. Trying not to sound like a snob here, but there are markets for every skill level of craftsmen, this one seems to tailor to the finer qualities.

24 minutes ago, RustyFN said:

fine art gallery that the buyer told me she wants to put a couple of my pieces

I wonder what their commissions are if they sell one of your pieces?

18 hours ago, RustyFN said:

They were amazed and acted like they had never seen it before.

I never had till you showed us here Rusty!

44 minutes ago, lew said:

I wonder what their commissions are if they sell one of your pieces?

If the piece cost $250 or less they just buy it from you. When they put it out for sale they double the price, buy it from you for 200 sell it for 400. Over $250 then they sell it on consignment and take 40 percent. Here are a few pictures I took of what to expect when you go in. The chainsaw is all wood including the chain.

Thanks! Those are some awesome pieces!

Sounds like you are doing well Rusty. The MS Craftsmans Guild does something similar. They do the jury to get in . You determine your price and they get 40% for selling. This means that artists inflate the price of their items. Most art galleries have some sort of arrangement similar to this. his is the reason most do not like to deal with galleries but on the other hand the number of galleries is shrinking.

11 hours ago, Gerald said:

Sounds like you are doing well Rusty. The MS Craftsmans Guild does something similar. They do the jury to get in . You determine your price and they get 40% for selling. This means that artists inflate the price of their items. Most art galleries have some sort of arrangement similar to this. his is the reason most do not like to deal with galleries but on the other hand the number of galleries is shrinking.

Yes I sell at our local art gallery in town. They take 30 percent. Tamarack buys from you and then sell it. They will take 40 percent on consignment pieces but I don’t see myself having very many of those. At least not for a while.

I’m a little late to the party, but congratulations, well deserved acceptance. Your work is always inspiring.