3 things I learned about my art from exhibiting at The Other Art Fair, London
A couple of weeks ago I spent late nights in the studio frantically finishing, framing and packing work to be hung at The Truman Brewery for the 100th edition of The Other Art Fair. I was excited and a little nervous. Even though I have shown my art many times before, I had new pieces to hang for the first time and a larger and more discerning crowd of art lovers than ever before. This was an event I had been eager to show at for years.
So after the long days on my feet and countless conversations fuelled by the finest East London coffee, what did I learn about my art?
1. People get it...finally! There is a stereotype of being a misunderstood artist, which I have struggled with in recent years. It's taken a long time to understand what I want to say, and how to say it so that people can recognise the message from my work, without a supporting explanation.
Each piece is a different mood or feeling, but the paintings I am making reflect the complexity of emotions, thoughts and consciousness - embracing the chaos of the human mind and finding moments of beauty and peace within it. During the fair, for the first time, it felt as if this was clear to people who were seeing my art for the first time. This was very validating as previous collections and works have attempted this but didn't resonate as strongly with others.
2. I can't do this alone! They say perfect is the enemy of the good, and trying to make an artwork perfect before showing it only hinders my growth as an artist. I have also found exhibiting my artwork is a vital part of the creative process. The more conversations I have about a piece with many different people help me understand how what I make is understood. Art should be shared. The conversations sparked by a piece help me see my work in a fresh light and shape new collections and ideas.
3. I'm on the right track. Most of the works sold were the newest paper and canvas pieces, created in the weeks and days leading up to the fair. The biggest piece to sell was finished 24 hours before hanging the exhibition, a massively exciting achievement for me! This encourages me to keep on this path and explore this avenue of creativity.
After many weeks of work leading up to the show, I couldn't be more pleased with the results. There is always room for improvement and I learned many details about setting up and preparing for a larger fair that I would do differently next time.
The most heartwarming and exhilarating thing was how easily people understood and were excited by the latest pieces I've created, and how apparent the message of each piece was to them - not something I have felt so strongly after a show before.
It's down to people like you who make this possible, those who connect with and support my work whilst wanting to follow my creative journey. So thank you for being here with me and helping me make Art.
Want to come to my next event?
Wimbledon Art Fair 14 - 17 November @ Wimbledon Art Studios, London