Craftseller again... and some new work

I had an idea I was going to be in Craftseller magazine again this month (you are never quite sure, because you do the writing months in advance), but when I strolled into WHSmiths to be confronted with my pasty complexion on the front cover I very nearly said EEEK!

I am no where near as pale as my nordic looking daughter, but for some reason whenever I am photographed, my skin tone takes on a 'just crawled out of the grave as a zombie' hue.

They also put me in the index, so the editor obviously likes 'pale and interesting and looks like a zombie'.  

Although I am a shameless seeker of publicity, the sight of myself on the front cover led to a sudden and unusual attack of embarrasment. The weather being rubbish I had no sunglasses to hide behind, so I sidled up to the checkout, said 'I don't need a bag thanks' and shoved the magazine in my art portfolio the second it had been scanned. The checkout girl ignored this odd behaviour and I scuttled back to the car park to look at the article:

Half the stuff I wrote wasn't included, but that is the way it goes, and I was happy with the publicity, and happy to see some other 'internet' friends (Folksy sellers) I chat to online too.

Enough about me. I should talk about my work (!)

Here is my latest painting, a watercolour and gouache still life. I have had prints made because I have found seashells to be a popular subject before. And the starfish smells BAD, so I need to get my money's worth for putting up with the fish smell in my studio. If anyone knows how to stop starfish smelling please share. I have already tried bleach, drying in hot sunshine, anti mould-spray and bicarbonate of soda. I am considering microwaving it, but this could be a disaster in several respects...  Anyhow I was pleased with the painting:

 'Beach-Finds' Limited Edition Giclee Print 

My new lino print card and tag sets have been selling well locally, so it was time to start the time consuming process of photographing and listing them online, starting with the blue lighthouse set:

 'Lighthouse' Linocut Card and Tag set

I also decided to re-list some ACEO's I made a year or so ago. An ACEO is a minature artwork, always 2.5 by 3.5 inches, they are collected worldwide, people put them in albums. They are also a good way of offering a lower priced item and getting your sales and feedback scores up. This one is my 'Rich Kitty' design, I also put it on cards and it is usually popular with people like me who are owned by cats:

 'Rich Kitty 2' ACEO Original Lino-Print with collage

The next couple of weeks are very busy for me, time to plan my September art classes (I know), more work on the press release for the Sudbury Summer Art Show, and I am getting ready to demonstrate at 'Art Sunday' at Layer Marney Tower on July 1st.

I leave you with this snippet. Last week in Lavenham, a lady looked at my gift tags and said "Do you have any Christmas ones?" It begins...

Exhibition Photo Diary

Have you ever wondered what to do with that teenager who is lounging around your house? Well as part of my occasional 'Uses for teenagers' series, here we have the teen at 'Prints in St Peters' exhibition in Sudbury acting as a useful display stand. Teenagers are very good at displaying artwork as they get to stand still, something they enjoy far more than moving, which is exhausting for them.

Here is the rest of my work on one of the display stands. Sadly I didn't sell any framed pieces at this exhibition but did sell quite a few cards. You win some, you lose some!

Next up it was the private view of the Colchester Open Exhibition at the Minories Gallery and despite the poor quality of my photography, my boat painting has a good position in one of the front rooms near a nice big window.

Quite proud of getting into the Colchester Open as the selection committee were very thorough, and apparently spent over 11 hours scrutinising the submissions. Fingers crossed for a sale...

Next up it was 'Potters and Friends' an art exhibition/fair in Little Hall Museum, Lavenham:

Just off the main square, this bright yellow 15th Century building owned by the Suffolk Preservation Society was the venue for a selection of pottery and other artwork.

Many of the Potters were in the garden, but myself and my students were sharing the library.

We also had a little space in the hall, to lure people in. 

The desk was in a pleasant position by the window, although what you can't see is the group of 'death masks' of the hall's previous occupants that I spent all week looking at. 

The first weekend was warm and sales were steady, mid-week is was quiet and I froze, my feet being like blocks of ice by the end of each day, returning home to a ton of emails and work I had no time to deal with.

Jubilee day saw the square being decked out with food stalls and tables, but the weather was just appalling, raining all day, and a big sales opportunity was missed with visitor numbers down hugely. 

We were all cheered up by this very amusing full size model of the Queen, made for the jubilee by the local school children and installed in one of the museum rooms:

By the end of the exhibition I had sold 23 Cards and Tags, 4 Mosaics, 2 Monoprints and 2 Giclee prints. My students sold 14 Cards, 5 Giclee Prints and 3 Paintings. Of course we had to pay for the room rental, but nevertheless made a good profit, and considering the recession and the weather, we didn't do too badly I think!

I did spend about £25 on Pottery mind you, but that is the danger of exhibiting with people making such beautiful items...

More exhibitions are lined up later this year, but for now it is time to catch up with other work :-)