In this episode of the Artist Academy Podcast, I’m joined by oil painter Chris Abigt. I met Chris at an art show in Springfield and was immediately drawn to her work. I ended up buying one of her prints and knew I wanted to have her on the podcast.

Chris has turned art shows into a full-time business. She and her husband travel around the Midwest and do up to 18 shows a year. But there is a lot more to making art shows work than putting your paintings in a booth and hoping they sell.

We talk about how she decides which shows are worth applying for and how far in advance she plans. We get into what makes a show successful for her and how she factors in expenses like booth fees, hotels and travel.

We also talk about what happens between shows. Keeping up with inventory and reproductions during a busy season takes a lot of planning. Chris also explains how she and her husband divide up the work and make the business work as a team.

If you've ever wondered what it really takes to build an art business around art shows, this conversation gives you a behind-the-scenes look at everything that happens before, during and after the booth.