Aquamarine Blues

I spent today in the studio working on these little butterfly jewels.

 The red kite is an experimental piece from a couple of days ago.

 The butterflies are destined for this exhibition at the Jam Factory in Oxford in August. I'll be taking a road trip to deliver the work and I'm looking forward to spending a couple of days exploring Oxford.

Highland Affordable Art Fair: the verdict.....



Well, it was a success! I did put a lot of hard work into preparation which meant a few late nights working before hand but it really made a difference to setting up my space and making it look interesting. I think if anything I had a bit too much on display because a lot of people looked at the work on the table and never glanced near the artwork on the wall or the free standing board! I sold more than enough to make it worth while even  though the turnout was pretty poor really, so it is actually very encouraging that I sold as much as I did. The quiet spells gave me a chance to chat to other stall holders and check out different methods of display on their tables and sneak away for odd cups of tea.... Every one was super friendly, especially Kate Tweddle, her jewelery is fabulous so I just had to buy one of her necklaces as a little treat for myself once I'd made a few sales of my own. Interestingly,the items that attracted the most attention on my stall were my painted beach pottery and sea glass pieces. It was really good to hear the feedback from potential customers and I  now know that they will sell even better as brooches and necklaces, which means a bit of research and time experimenting with jewellery fixings and a power drill. It's going to be fun!





My necklace made by Kate Tweddle



Feather pottery painting-sold









 

I've had an extra nice weekend, the weather was good, we cycled, walked, visited a sculpture park, shared meals with family and friends and I fitted in painting in the afternoons. The owl from one of my previous posts sold within a day when I listed it on etsy so that made me happy too!

New work...and a new Art Fair.

I have been photographing and uploading images today. I put a big order into MOO for greetings cards this morning ( there's a healthy discount on at the moment) so I am looking forward to having them delivered in time for my first art fair.

Highland Art Fair

 Friday 5th October 17.00-21.00

 Saturday 6th  09.00-18.00

 at Nairn Community and Arts Centre,

 King Street, Nairn IV12 4BQ.

There's going to be be a wide range of art and crafts for sale from contemporary to traditional, including a cup cake stall so I won't be going hungry. He he! There will be refreshments and some entertainment on Friday evening so please come along and join in the fun if you live locally.

Working holiday

As it appears to be raining almost all the time here, I have been getting on with some work.... These fellas will be in my shop next week. I like working on watercolour blocks , it saves the tedium of stretching paper and I often work on two paintings at a time on the same sheet. It wasn't deliberate but the owl has his eye on the shrews- they look nice and plump, just right for  a tasty owl snack!

Bug collection

Do you like my bug collection? I'm enjoying having time to paint again and it's good to be able to update the shop more regularly too. Sales have taken an upward turn which is encouraging! I recently signed up for my first art fair- the Highland Affordable Art Fair which takes place in Nairn on the 5th and 6t of October so I will be hard at work  in the studio over the next few weeks.  I need to make some display boards, plan the layout of the table, pricing ,labeling, packaging, more business cards, order more greetings cards.... oh and make more work to sell of course, lots more work!

Busy days

I had a big list of "things to do today" and for once I have managed to tick off the lot!
1- post office run
2- be nice to grumpy postmaster
3- design greetings cards
4- order greetings cards
5- check I have enough cash to cover order (got that the wrong way round, but it was ok!)
6- order art supplies
7- order packaging supplies
8 -photograph some new pieces
9 -catch upon e-mails
10- update some details on etsy
11- new post on blog

and as an added bonus I have gained a new follower today, Yah!