I am now operating as a freelance artist. My income is a combination of ‘Carers Allowance’ and ‘Tax Creditis’ with a discount of sorts for ‘Council Tax Benefit’. The advice I have recieved is to earn only £5k or £25k as if I earn anything inbetween I will loose money.
I have been offered a month’s exhibition space in Oxford as part of Oxfordshire’s Artweeks’ 2012.
http://www.artweeks.org/
So I have spent the year painting towards this end. I should have around 25 new works for this show. I am now musing over prices. I know what will sell in the local Art’s Club exhibitions and what sort of prices … low!
Well the ‘Eynsham Doors’ installation has come down from exhibition. I have sold half of the individual pieces on it which is a plus; that means I have covered costs and made a profit. It was very popular and I had loads of nice words said about it. So my tail is wagging. I am surprised about needing the validation from people even those who explained that they could not buy the one they liked because it did not match the decor!! Copies of my illustrated artist statement (complete with contact details) where taken away to send to friends and families.
I have three old paintings up for sale in another exhibition. Two are based on the local reservoir and have been up in the sailing club house for a year before being returned unsold to me. I was shocked to discover when removing the details card which had been stuck on the glass to discover that the mounts were not light proof. I have told the guy who frames my work but considering the discount he offers me his apology was all I got. Happily one of them has sold.
The last piece ‘The Ascension of the Malingerer’ large size is a difficulty. The complaint is always about it’s size. It was a commission but when the drawing was almost finished it was declared too big. So I re-drew the picture for the client and went on later to finish the original drawing. So fingers crossed that it sells on it’s third outing.
The ‘Eynsham Doors’ are in the last two days of exhibition. It’s interesting that the people who purchased the paintings were divided into those who owned the actual doors and those who wanted to have my vision of the village.
Lots of nice things have been said about them but I feel some what confused. I have only sold a few of them.
The doors are all arranged and I think they look grand.
Back to the Ashmolean for another life drawing session. I decided to expand the drawing this time and finish the next time. These gods are in the bottom of the atrium and I viewed them looking down from the ground floor. Whilst paying particular focus to Apollo’s damaged godhood, a primary school teacher took up her position next to me and started teaching her class about Apollo being amongst other things the god of the arts. I think I was about to be a ‘teaching aid’ but then she clocked what I was drawing and slid at speed away from me!!
Quelle horreur!
