All The Fun Of The (Art) Fair

I’m participating in Bridnorth Open House Art Trail on the 10th of June and it has been on my mind for some time so I thought I’d share a little of the process with you.

The build-up to an art fair is huge, ideas start to ruminate and plans begin to form way before the actual event, preparation is everything and every detail has to be considered from creation of the actual artwork itself including prints and cards to the price tags, packaging, payment facility, table, table covering, business cards… the list goes on!

I’ve enjoyed being part of quite a few art and craft fairs in my time but to be honest they are hard work and can be quite exhausting not to mention expensive by the time everything is set up I have often found myself with a big smile plastered on to my face feeling like a dishevelled wreck and longing for a sit down.

To me prints are essential and I love ordering new prints and cards because it’s a great opportunity to view a collection of my work altogether in a small format, I get to choose my favourite images collected over time especially when they are so small they become lovely tiny artworks in their own right. It’s also a good way to enable people to enjoy my artwork who might not be able to afford or have missed the chance to buy the original.

Art fairs are not just opportunities to make money (sometimes you don’t make any at all which can be a tad devastating) they are also a convenient way to see your body of work displayed together in one place which helps to give you perspective. But mostly art fairs are fantastic ways to make connections and meet people, working alone with just my hairy hounds for company can be quite isolating and I sometimes forget how important it is to interact in real life and not just on line. Exhibitions and fairs give you the chance to see peoples' reactions first hand and engage with potential clients let alone make useful contacts and new friends.

I’m looking forward to taking part in the Bridgnorth art trail this year it’s my first time and it seems well organised, there are lots of artists taking part in the homes and shops all over beautiful Bridgnorth, it’s a short affair running just for the weekend. I’m thrilled to be setting up my stall in the old-fashioned cinema foyer along with two other artists for company, I have made some new sculptures of lovely old dogs and I’ve framed my oil paintings I have also enlisted Mr O to help with logistics so hopefully I won’t be quite as dishevelled this time!