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| Doors thrown open in welcome... |
Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios 2014 has proved to be an enjoyable affair and, even if not in monetary terms, I consider it a success. It was the first time I have opened up my home studio and did wonder if I would get any visitors at all as I am tucked away in a little village so far out. After a slow start on that first Saturday (the torrential rain in the morning may have played a part) the remaining days saw a steady trickle of family, friends, neighbours and a few new curious people from further afield who saw my entry in the brochure. A very big "thank you" for your support and interest, it has been much appreciated. The feedback on my studio and artwork has been very encouraging and sales of greetings cards plus a few items from the browser has been a boost.
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| Trying out drawing techniques with Quink ink and dip pens... |
I had laid out a table with two work stations and encouraged visitors to have a go with the dip pens and Quink ink. Whilst this medium is not suitable for wall hanging work as it is not lightfast, it is perfect in a sketchbook. When diluted out into a wash with clean water the black ink separates out into delightful blues, greys and sepia - all by itself, like magic.
Will I do an Open Studio event at home again? Definitely, although maybe the year after next as it will give me time to build up a new body of work. What would I do differently? I was very happy with how I had the studio and felt the cards/postcards/browser and bargain basket were worth having. I enjoyed taking the artwork off the walls and rearranging (curating) into a new configuration - it helps to see the work with fresh eyes. I wanted to display some of my collection of found natural objects and felt having them dotted around amongst the art created coherence and added interest. I think next time I would splash out on advertising with personal invitation cards, and post notices in the 'What's On' free sections of local papers/online.
I shall leave you with some more images of my lovely studio and a few views of the work I had on my easels during the period...
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| Bringing the outdoors in... |
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| Artist in an Acre 2014 display |
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| Some of the natural objects I collect... |
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| Information about art classes |
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| Dog portrait in pastel - the underpainting stage |
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| Work in progress - camel in charcoal |
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Pencil drawing (from specimen) on white Bristol board, candle wax added to
dandelion seed heads to act as resist during next stage |
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Varigated watercolour wash applied,
plus some spatter |
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| Colour and detail added with coloured pencil |
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