Late evening at Bradpole PO post box – same old thing!
Now that #Letter365 has gone on sale in a low key way I am convinced that most pieces will get sold, but when I do one like today’s I start to wonder about how random I can be about distributing pieces to buyers who have not specified a date. As a parent you are not supposed to have favourites among your children: as an artist it is a bit different I hope and although all must pass my quality control checks I inevitably will have favourites. So today I started thinking that maybe I will make the next 280 pieces as versions of this one in an attempt to make it easy to have random selection.
When doubt creeps in I resort to begging people to buy. Tomorrow’s envelope might bear another begging message: “buy this or I’ll have to have the cats put down”, “buy this before the bailiff comes” or “if you don’t buy this UKIP will be our next government”.
This one has my last Lawrence of Arabia stamp. I wish I had put a comma after DESTROYED.
I am not saying if the contents are in fact the Mutus Liber, but today has been a more encouraging day for my Dorset Art Weeks ordeal. Today saw some people who were really interested in my work and I sold a couple more pictures and another #Letter365. Just a little less tired too and I’m aiming for an early night. Perhaps soon I will be able to do some work on my websites and do some drawing and painting.
I have lots to say about lots of things around this project and art and this day but I am totally spent.
I will just put up this picture of the back of today’s envelope which i have had to seal with scotch magic tape and scribble over because these envelopes are really rubbish.
Another late night posting because of Dorset Art Weeks
After a slow and depressing day of Dorset Art Weeks inactivity, a draining on-edge preparedness, I was composing, in my head, how this posting might go. I was considering that I might have to write on the outside “DO NOT BUY THIS ONE”. But despite being very tired and low it turned out fine – well more than fine, I am really pleased with it. I hesitated about doing it because I knew it would take quite a time to do and it was already late but it paid off. So a more successful #Letter365 than the open studio day!
Well I am going to have to give a clue or two to explain the title! Having opened my house as a gallery for Dorset Art Weeks I have not been able to fit my #Letter365 piece into the day so I am unable to start till after we close. So with limited time available why do I choose something which involves a drying time – a drying time much longer than I thought! And just in case it still had a residual wetness I needed to think about packing it carefully and it happens to be thicker than average so I had to work out a compromise so that it would still be less than 5mm thick and go through the Post Office slot and not cost me more than a normal first class stamp.
Anyway, I still popped it in the box around 10.30pm (serenaded by a tawny owl) so all’s well.
After nights of not enough sleep preparing for Dorset Art Weeks I am so tired. A quiet first day but sold the first #Letter365s and another piece. Sleep now!
There was a temptation to say “epic” instead of “on fire”. It’s interesting how advertising for a price comparison service (if that is what it is) can get through to a person like me who doesn’t have a television (or read newspapers much any more)!
Anyway, buoyed up by kind comments about my work and people parting with their money in exchange for me letting them take my work away permanently my confidence in my ability let me create something really very nice even though I am a bit stressed about all the things still left to do for opening our house tomorrow morning for Dorset Art Weeks.
No77 is ever so slightly damp and I hope there are no snails in the post box
I have been working all day on preparations for Dorset Art Weeks but don’t seem to have moved as far as I wanted. I have got most of my work in position now having picked up the last dozen or so pieces from the framers. They are the biggest ones – mostly the minimalist abstract drawings.
Loads to do still but I am feeling reasonably confident that I am mounting a pretty good show – whether I get the sales depends on getting the right people through. Fingers crossed!
Running close to the deadline tonight because I have been busy with preparations for Dorset Art weeks and was interrupted twice in the nicest possible way for an artist putting up an exhibition. First an artist friend and neighbour dropped in and bought a piece of my work. Then in the afternoon one of my private collectors called in by appointment because she was going to be away during Dorset Art Weeks. She bought 5 pieces and reserved another which she has only seen a photo of because it is at the framer’s still. So a very encouraging start but it has put me even farther behind! Ah well.
That excitement meant I didn’t start my #Letter365 piece till late and I have to say I was getting nervous about things drying (hint). But all is well and I got to the post box with loads of time to spare.
I thought I would make a change and have the envelope the other way up to usual (oh what a devil I am eh?) but now I wish I hadn’t seeing it with the other images. Never mind it’s all part of the process!
An unfolding artwork created a piece each day for a year
