Original Art Expo 2024 Coverage
Welcome to our coverage of the first OAX show! In case you have been living underneath a rock, we have been blessed with a new art show, which very well may be the largest collection of original comic art and comic art collectors in one room since…..well ever. Organized by Bill Cox of caf/cal fame, this event is sure to be a milestone in our hobby.
I start this article on my flight to Orlando. When this show was announced I went back and forth several times on my decision to attend. Ultimately deciding on going for a few reasons, main being that for us who love this hobby I felt it was important to support the endeavor. Many of us want to see the appreciation of this art form increase, or at least not be lost to time in our current increasingly digital age. How could I not go?
The show started with a reception with dinner and drinks on a warm humid Friday night, although I arrived fairly late Friday so no coverage of that. A warm front moved in right before the show and left literally a few hours right after the show. The weather couldn’t have been better for this time of the year.
Walking into OAX was very surreal. The line actually was very small until maybe 5-10 minutes before the doors opened. Then I looked again and it was long. We had all been to cons so there was familiarity, yet it was also a new feeling as you weren’t sure what exactly to expect. People were excited and it was easy to strike up s as everyone there had something in common.
Then the doors opened and off it we went to everyone’s excitement. The size and organization of the room and crowd overall was pretty much perfect. It never felt crowded even at its busiest. People spread out pretty evenly around the room seeking out whatever appealed to our tastes. The prepared ones of course plotted a course on the map before the show. I myself hopped on one commission list and then moved around the hall checking out what my favorite artists had brought for art and flipping through the portfolios of the collectors who had set up. Lastly I made my way to the big dealers, but there wasn’t a lot of art there that you can’t see online on their sites or at other shows. At this point my want list is fairly specific. So after combing through the hall and realizing there were none of my biggest wants their. I took a break and relaxed. Day one I managed to get 1 commission and pick up one other piece.
There was a lot of art here. Prices are what you would expect some reasonable some not so much. There were multiple something’s for everyone so if you wanted to buy you could. There was a fair amount of fresh to market art but not quite as much as I expected/hoped. If you were efficient you could scour the whole room in a day, but it would take some effort.
The big day one event was the art six and pizza party. Pizza started to be served at about 5 and the auction started at 6. I was pretty tired from the show, traveling and a poor nights sleep so I only stayed for the beginning of it. The 2 biggest highlights for me were the Mike Allred Silver Surfer painting and the Gerhard/Hughes Red Sonja piece. I was anticipating maybe one of the most highly contested show auctions ever considering the crowd, but apparently bidding was in general slow from what I was told. I think after working out a few kinks the auction will be great in the future. I walked backed to my hotel room to a beautiful sunset and prepared for the next day.
Day 2 for me was much more enjoyable attendance was maybe 2/3rds of Saturday and the room was even easier to navigate. I met about half a dozen collectors with similar interests I see myself staying in contact with. I managed to get one more piece of art, Sean Gordon Murphy had decided to do some sketching a bit more detailed than he has at shows recently and I ended up getting an amazing Darth Vader sketch by him.
Overall takeaway thoughts
The show was very good and after ironing out a few kinks will be phenomenal as long as they maintain a similar ratio of artists/vendors to collectors.
Most collectors were very happy with the show, even though many I talked to didn’t pick up much if any art. It may sound cliche but the best part of the show easily was meeting new collectors and forming friendships.
The biggest missed opportunity other attendees and I found was the collectors lounge. It was meant for collectors to gather and show off and potentially sell/trade art , but most collectors didn’t locate it until the end of day 1. Day 2 there were more impromptu portfolio sharing and some of the best art I saw at the show was at these. You would have no idea what you were about to see and inevitably blown away time and time again by what you saw. Another thing that I’m sure will improve next year. Everyone wanted to trade or sell with other collectors but most were unsure how to approach it.
5-10 percent of attendees were card/sketch card/card art collectors. I talked to several who had only recently….or literally at this show took an interest in comic book art.
The attendees overall were very pleasant and courteous to both other attendees and the artists. Easily the most considerate crowd I have ever been part of at a con and like I said earlier being with them really was the best part of the show.
The artist whose work blew me away the most at the show that I had never seen in person was Manix Abrera. His work is incredible in person and he as well as the whole next gen comic art team were incredibly friendly.
I think the artists at the show as a whole were happy, felt appreciated and did well. Me and other collectors agreed that a higher than average level of sketch/commission quality was delivered. The lower attendee count and lack of people asking for signatures/photos etc. let the artists work much easier and gave them more time.
The funniest thing I noticed this weekend…in the Metropolis collection the Wrightson House is Secrets 92 cover(pretty easily the most amazing piece of art in the building in my mind) and the Gabriele Dell’Otto Amazing Spiderman 667 variant cover were on display next to each other. I viewed Wrightson cover several times as it is just astonishing, but clearly watching others come into the room most were far more interested in the Dell’Otto. That may say something about the future of this hobby.
Overall I am very glad I came and this really is a must do for anyone who loves to collect comic art. Being off season prices for flights and hotels were very reasonable and there is tons to do in the area, whether you come alone or bring your family. I finish this article in my hotel bed the day after the show waiting for my flight. Thanks for reading and I hope the coverage satisfies those who couldn’t make it.
If you enjoyed the coverage and want to make you donations to support and improve this site they are greatly appreciated.
Happy collecting!
