I landed my first Art Show!
I’ve never displayed any of my art work physically anywhere before, so this was huge for me!
The place itself is off of the beaten path and it is normal for artists to not sell anything, however it didn’t dampen my spirits.
Above: A selection of my paintings at the art café.
The cafe is ran by a lovely women called Emma who is also an artist herself, so I knew I was in good hands. It’s a really inclusive place of lots of artists and different styles & mediums.
My work was on display for 2 weeks.
The Process
I didn’t have too long to prepare. I was invited to display my work back in February with the display going up for 2 weeks at the beginning of April.
So work quickly began on preparing and selecting the art work that I was going to display.
I started flicking through my folio of completed work I had done over the years. I often feel attached to many of my pieces as I paint for myself rather than a potential buyer in mind. This was tricky. I selected some pieces that I wouldn’t be too upset if I had to say goodbye to. Do other artists have this issue?
I wanted to show at least 8 pieces of art work and I had only managed to select 6 pieces that I had already done. Dilemma!
There was a piece I was half way through of a Hellebore which I knew I could knuckle down and finish ready for the exhibit.
While frame shopping I found some nice metal green frames and felt a yearning for something leafy. I managed to do a illustration of my Monstera plant too just in time. This gave me 8 pieces for the show.
Extras
Now I’m not clueless when it comes to selling yourself. Being predominantly online I am no stranger to the world of self promotion and having to fight to have your voice heard.
Knowing this, I wanted to give this show all I could. I put together some art prints that could also be sold. Let’s face it, we live in tough times and most countries are finding inflation and hard financial times. Not everyone is going to have the budget for original art, however they may impulse buy a print. It was worth a try, right?
Conclusion
So my show as of today has come to the end. I’m waiting to head back to claim any (probably all) pieces that didn’t sell.
Am I disappointed? No, I don’t think so.
I knew what I was potentially getting in for. While I was hopeful that I would sell some prints I knew it was unlikely that I would shift any original paintings.
Having this foresight was actually good for me to have as I was able to focus on delivering to have a good exhibit rather than worrying about sales. I was also able to think “what can I gain from this?”
There are many lessons to learn and this was one of them. At the end of the day, whether I sold or I didn’t I won some experience. My foot has been shoved into the door allowing myself to wiggle my way in. I now have an entry on my artist CV/Resume that I can use to launch myself with into other exhibitions of which I’m already trying to do.
I had a great time and a lot of fun putting together this one and it’s something I’d love to continue doing. Emma was a fantastic host and I really enjoyed the experience. It was so surreal seeing my work on someone else’s wall. It made me feel like a real artist. Hand on heart I would do it all again and would recommend anyone else debating whether they should take the plunge.
If anyone is interested in any of the prints or paintings (framed or unframed) please get in touch as I’m still looking to sell them to a loving home for others to enjoy.
That’s so exciting!!!!