Fall Exhibition and Sale

After a month and a half of no activity melo-duckworth originalz will once again have an exhibition and sale on November 14. This time we will have about 21 frames available.

All of you my local family and friends are welcome to show up, this time it will be in the Melo household once again. With Christmas around the corner, these frames can make excellent gifts for either yourself or a loved one.

I hope to see you here.

Our California Exhibition

The site for the exhibit.
It was a birthday party but it featured our Photo Exhibition. We took 20 framed photographs and they were well received. We have tried not to repeat any of the images we have framed therefore really making them originalz. We do carry the small prints just in case someone wants to order one of the ones we have done but for the most part they look at what we have in inventory at the time and buy from there.

This one was an outside show and I must admit the frames looked really nice under the daylight. Only four frames sold but two of them were big frames so it was worth our while.

Setting up the display area.
Now that I've done five shows I think I know what works and what doesn't and it's time to start applying all that learning experience into future shows. So far I am having fun doing this, it is rewarding to see our frames hanging on our friends and relatives homes but it's time to take this to the next level and maybe start attending church fairs and arts and crafts shows. That is going to be my next goal. I'll keep you posted.



And in the images above you can see how the whole thing looked once it was set up. I was very pleased with the way it came out and we did get very good reviews again.

Upcoming Exhibition in California

Finally, after a long month of inactivity and funds shortage we finally were able to raise the frame count to 21 pieces and we are now ready to travel this coming weekend to the beautiful City of La Puente, California where we will join my younger sister in her birthday celebration which as per her request will feature a melo-duckworth originalz exhibition and sale.

I really do have high hopes for this one but then again I always do for all exhibitions. It will be interesting and fun to mix it up a bit, being featured in a birthday celebrations has it's pros and cons. The worst thing that can happen is that I don't sell anything which to this day has not happened yet but on the other side of the coin we don't lose anything since we'll be having fun at the party anyway.

I think my sister's idea of featuring us at her birthday party was a good one and I guess we'll soon find out if the idea is going to pan out or not.

Wish us luck.

Photo Exhibition at Vane's

We will be holding our fourth Photography Exhibition and Sale hosted by my lovely niece Vanesa Romero. There's always high hopes and good expectations when we do this exhibitions that some frames will find a home in some body's wall, but even if they don't we still get the chance to get together as a family and have a great time.

Do wish us luck as we know money is tight and everyone is holding on to it like dear life, but still so far we have made a few sales and so far they have all been profitable. I continue to learn and to explore different ways to market our frames. Sooner or later we'll come out of this bad economy and customers will come knocking for some cool original photographic art... OK, that is just some wishful thinking, but hey there's nothing wrong with that.

Exhibition at Elena's

And so we continue to learn while we also collect feedback. We got to my sister's at around 4:30 pm and started to set up the frames. Michelle and I arranged the as best as possible and we even got three existing nails on the wall that we could use for the bigger frames.

At the same time, mu chica and my sister did all the finger foods, mi chica had taken a salsa from home and my sister did a second salsa. How two green salsas can taste so different is beyond me, but they did. Mi chica decided to use orange in her salsa (Did any of you that tried it know that?). My sister Elena is known for her great salsas among other things then she went one step further and made "rajas con cebolla y crema" and used the blender to puree them creating a great tasting chilli dip. Mmmm it was awesome, or should I say, "Que rico"!


Finger foods and chips and salsa, delicious!

Two of my sisters friends showed up and it was fun explaining to them about the images in those frames. One of the two told me where each picture was taken before I even told her. She is just that knowledgeable about places in Arizona. They also told me we should be displaying these works at the fairs and street bazaars, something I am interested in doing except my average of 17 to 20 frames is not enough for that, we really need to have at least 50 pieces in order to offer variety.

We will also be offering prints only. Prints by themselves can make a good profit but would have to sell a lot of them to see the difference, I believe that for many the hard part is getting a frame that compliments the image and put it together. I have already heard the "I have some very nice pictures at home and want to see them framed but don't know how to go about it" line. Some people rather pay to have their keepsakes framed.


Luckily my sister has a huge table and with the two extra additions it was more than enough.

So far we have made it a habit to come up with a frame to offer our host or hostess. From day one, my sister fell in love with this piece and really wanted it, except she had bought other pieces already so it was our pleasure to present her with it. I know she was really happy to receive it and it will be a great addition to her growing collection.

Thank you Elena, not only have you supported us from the beginning but your comments and your input is greatly appreciated. I am lucky to have you as a sister and you must know I love you a lot.

Maybe the 115 degree heat we are having here these days made some people stay home. I for one don't blame them but after all was said and done I did sell three frames for a total of $105.00 and some bowed to buy one later. The overall consensus is that they all love the frames, they like the images in them, and we continue to receive motivation to keep going.

The next show God providing will be late August or early September in California. My sister Chely tells me she is already working on advertising it as she will be my next host. Obviously traveling to California will have to double as vacation time so I am really looking forward to that one.

Our Third Photo Exhibit

I am proud to announce that this coming Saturday will be our third Photo Exhibition and sale. This time my sister Elena has graciously accepted to be the host.

So far it's been a good experience to put our work out there on display for our friends to see. I always enjoy taking pictures but really didn't know what to do with them. For three years I've been displaying them in my "Arizona... But it's a dry heat" blog and have received hundreds of good comments.

Now by selecting some of those images and putting them on frames, it's a good way to share them with all of you. What a rewarding feeling to see some of our frames finding their place on your walls.

For Saturday's exhibit we chose a Mexican motif. Why my daughter chose "mortys" for the invitation is beyond me but I liked it. Wish us luck, I'll let you all know how things went on a future post.

Exhibition at Jen and Juan's

The photo exhibition pretty much didn't happen as planned or expected but it happened and that's what counts. We got to Jen and Juan's house and immediately started setting up the the frames for exhibition. Our folding table has proven to be very handy, we also used her dinning room table and hutch.

As in our previous show, we served mini sandwiches, rits with cheese, lemonade, and this time I made a killer green salsa which was eaten with chips until there was no salsa left. The salsa was a hit. As a matter of fact if the frames don't sell I may just start a salsa business and see how that goes. But so far we are just beginning and the frames seem to be moving slowly but surely.


Jennifer, our host sent us some jpegs and offered them to us. She said "Use them or not, it's up to you". Well see the frame with the flowers, that was one of them and as you can see it looks pretty awesome. I think we need some more floral images. Thanks Jennifer for sending them to us.

The gathering turned out to be all family and so it turned into a pool party. We just kept watching all the guys out in the pool giving us a diving show and waiting to be judged. We are in the middle of June and the water was cold, very unusual for this time of year in Phoenix. No, I'm not complaining, Mother Nature is actually giving us a break this year and we are loving it.


The Rocky Point Sunset was our most expensive frame at $50.00 and we wanted to keep things at that price range or under but we couldn't resist and we did the one right on top of it. We still don't know what the price will be but that frame came out so nice we fell it will sell at around the $70.00 mark. The image of "Morty" on the right bottom corner was sold.


"The Cuernavaca Cathedral" image (left bottom corner, "Chuck and DC" (right bottom corner), and the set of "Jardin Borda" images displayed in the center all were sold too.


Here is another big frame, this one was the favorite of more than one during the exhibit. Too bad the economy is affecting everybody otherwise I guarantee you this one would have been gone.

Jennifer was our host and we presented her with a frame of an image she had privided to us. We decided to frame it and give it to her as a toke of our appreciation for holding the exhibition at her house. She couldn't help or stop the tears rolled out of her eyes. In the end we did have a nice Sunday with all the family having good fun.


Thanks Jennifer.

Welcome to the Team Nikki

This is the invitation to our second Photo Exhibition designed by the newest member to our team. Nichole Duckworth.

Yes, my daughter Nikki has join the team and is jumping on the band wagon. Nikki's talents are of the graphic design kind. To date she has designed our logo, our business cards, our exhibit invitations and is the provider of the vector art images as well. She will join Michelle and I as a full partner as soon as she graduates from the Phoenix Art Institute in about two or three weeks. I am excited to have her on board and I am sure between the three of us we'll come up with many great and exciting images.

Right now we are planning our second photo exhibition, my son and his wife will gracefully be the hosts. In our first exhibit we had about 12 available frames for sale and three for display only. Our goal was to have at least 20 for our second one and we have met that goal thanks to the profits from previous sales.

This is a learning adventure in process and we are having fun doing it. As always I encourage you to leave us comments on what you see here, your suggestions and critiques are always welcomed too.

If You Build It...

OK, that worked for Fields of Dreams but in my fields of dreams when I put it together a few came but in the end it was a fun time for those who came and a good day for Michelle and I because we did sell a few of our frames and got a few custom orders too.

It wasn't until 6:30 pm that my sister, my niece and my mom came in. Before this I was thinking no one would show up. A few minutes later my other sister and my other niece came in. Hey not a total bust, then my sister in law, her two daughters (my nieces), and a friend of theirs showed up, and lastly Michelle's best friend came in.

My gardener got a private showing as he was here doing my yards and he was quite impressed with what he saw that he wanted to buy one on the spot, then he told me he really loved a certain image we had but wanted it on a darker frame to fit the decor of his house, needless to say he placed the order and we are already working on it.

How amazing that we can make some money out of something we have always done for free. If you know my clan we are all always carrying our cameras, a hobby passed down to all of us by my dad. So, without further ado here are some of the photos I took from last night.

Elegant and inspiring, this limited edition collection is mostly filled with one of a kind original images captured by either Michelle or me. We put a lot of love in the process of framing the images. These are perfect for mother's day and also as casual gifts. For any questions plese do not hesitate to contact us.

melo.duckworthoriginalz@yahoo.com

"The Angel" my sister in law snatched this one right away as she really loved it. This is one of Michelle's images.


Our artwork on display.


The church in the photograph which my daughter nicknamed "The Castle" was bought by my sister. The Angel was bought by my sister in law.


At $50.00 the frame of the Rocky Point Sunset was the most expensive picture on display. Michelle's friend liked it so much that she bought the print only and paid a pretty good price for it, she wanted it in B&W and it came out really nice. She picked it up at the show and was very pleased with it.


"Rocky Point Sunset" won a first place out of over 800 images in a Internet photo contest on bix.com, "The Old Lady" and image I captured last year in our trip to Mexico was a favorite. Everyone that sees it seems to fall in love with it. The little frame holds a regular size photo and at $20.00 dollars is our best buy.


These two frames belong to mi chica and obviously are not for sale, however the concept was. The frame in the left showcases all of our grandkids in a fun collage. The one in the right is a picture of my daughter Nikki as she photo shopped it and made it look pretty unique.


Three images featuring water.


Definitely a pair of crowd pleasers.


This is the Dominique ex-convent of the Nativity in a little town named Tepoztlan in Morelos, Mexico. View from afar it totally resembles a castle so my daughter named this "The Castle".


One of Michelle's favorites works, she calls it "The Pretend Winter", my mom fell in love with it but wanted the image to be bigger, then she opted for two different ones.

So, there you have it. All in all we had a good show, only a few people showed up but it made it for a more intimate gathering. Once everybody got here I put my camera down so I could answer whatever questions they had and I had no chance to take pictures with people in them.

My niece Alex whom also loves photography has asked us to please include her in our next exhibition. This will bring an added variety to the two very different styles from Michelle and I. I am excited to work on another one, now I just have to find a new volunteer to host it in their house.

My daughter Nikki does a lot of our graphic designs. She created the wonderful invitation for the exhibition, and currently she is working on our logo which by the way came out really nice. She is doing the final touches to it. So, for her help Michelle and I presented her with a surprise frame of "Ducky". I believe she loved it (Click Here) and it now hangs in her leaving room. It kindda looks lonely so baby you need to buy some more frames from us. lol