Making a selection – work on show

Art space reading to hang!

It’s always exciting to see the empty walls of art fair stands transformed during the day into a show with a rich variety of colour and styles as artists hang and arrange their work.

It was my first time exhibiting at Windsor Contemporary Art Fair and it didn’t disappoint; I found it to be a welcoming and well presented art fair – exactly as promised! There was a happy buzz on Friday preview evening and steady visitors throughout the weekend. Many people enjoyed flicking through the pages of my pocket ‘walking’ sketchbook and seeing the transition of drawings done outside, often quickly while on the move, and how these begin to inform the paintings as they evolve.

You can never know in advance who will be drawn to each painting. As I hang them, I may have my favourites, but that is often a result of the relationship that builds as I make them. Viewers are seieng them fresh and this allows me to see through their eyes too. Commercially it may be tempting to find a style which sells well and stick to it, but the constant challenge involved in questioning and developing each work is a source of great enjoyment when it comes together. So it’s always wonderful to hear when this approach is recognised by people who enjoy looking at my work.

Often as people are looking you can feel if one person is interested and the other is a bit ‘meh’ about it – which obviously makes it hard to arrive at a decision! Many people just choose art as treat for themselves, but this time I was interested to see much agreement between partners together. Perhaps these new paintings appeal equally to a masculine taste with their slightly sharper more graphic edge? Who knows, but it’s good to see when both parties are pleased with discovering work they know they will both enjoy having on their walls.

This week I have been busy having a selection of framed prints made and delivering them to their new homes. Original paintings are being hung and enjoyed in new surroundings and the paintings are now all shown in the SHOP section if you would like to see them before Christmas….

‘Cloud Watching’ original painting on wood framed size 50cm

The other recent show has been The Discerning Eye which is a unique opportunity for showing work in central London. Work is selected by six prominent figures from different areas of the art world: two artists, two collectors and two critics. Each person curates and hang their own choices within the gallery so it has a very personal feel and is different each year.

There were over 3000 entries in this anniversary year so I was thrilled when my painting “ Spaces Between” was selected. When I went along on the opening night it was fun to discover it was chosen by Celia Imrie who had clearly enjoyed putting her display together.

Mall Galleries – on The Mall!

The other thing that makes it special is that all work must be under 50cm in size which means a fabulous range of affordable work and an Aladdin’s cave of choice.  In their own words “It provides an unusual opportunity for works by lesser-known artists (that’s me!) to be hung alongside contributions from internationally recognised names.”

It was so busy on the opening night it was impossible to take photos so I will be going back myself over the weekend for a proper look.

This exhibition is open to the public from 17th-27th November 2016 and is free entry so pop along to The Mall Galleries if you can make it and maybe I’ll see you there!

Spaces Between is the painting which was chosen, original size is just 20cm but it has been popular as a ;arger print as shown here, available in two sizes…  > SEE OPTIONS

Now, after all this excitement, I’m back in the studio and getting on with new work and planning events for next year!

I’d love to know how you find art for your home… is it through galleries or friends? Do let me know below…