Wisley was amazing!
I've never been surrounded by so much of my work before and I found sitting there, cutting away at a little piece of lino or using my press to pop another layer on whilst surrounded by my work was a really wonderful experience. I'm really, really looking forward to having a studio in the new house for the immersion experience even more now!
I felt rather daunted but excited by the grey bare walls that greeted me on the set up day. Thank goodness it was a whole day as I needed it! It was so much fun arranging and rearranging all my big framed prints. I was delighted to sell the biggest framed one but then had some serious rearranging to do to get the stand looking vaguely acceptable again. I certainly have a new-found respect for curators!
I particularly enjoyed demonstrating a reduction linocut while I was there. It made me feel I was using my time well during quiet periods and I think people enjoyed seeing the process. I still can't fathom why quite so many people asked me if I was cutting leather, especially as they all then said 'oh I did that at school' when I said it was lino!
The fair was about half as lucrative as I'd hoped, but that seemed to be a common theme. I would have liked to sell a few more of the framed editioned prints. Predictably a lot of the monoprints sold though. I did feel that I added to the proceeds of the fair by being able to print the majority of a reduction linocut whilst there. I printed the first and last layers at home but the middle 3 were all done at Wisley. along with the cutting for all but the second layer.
I was pleased to sell several of the monoprints as sets of two or three which is what I'd hoped when I framed them. I've said before to Jonathan that I think these are really easy to do but he pointed out that they're only easy for me because I've practised! This is true - I do have rather a large pile of the ones that went a little wrong proving that not every one works! I think they have a lot of visual impact and really highlight how amazing and beautiful nature is. They also allow me to explore the colours I see in the forest. When I explain the thinking behind them and the colour hunts I go on the customers seemed to realise that there's rather a lot of thought that goes into each one, they're not just a means to a sale, they're a paper and ink experiment and a forest exploration all rolled into one. I also realised that I hadn't realised everuythig I'd put into them until I explianed it to someone else. I knew I'd done all of this in each print, but because of the gap between the foraging and the colour hunting and the pressing and the printing I almost forgot all the different elements rolled up into each print!
Having spent time with them I'm actually keen to make some more, and was asked by my sister-in-law's sister whether I had any that would make a nice set in green for her newly decorated bedroom. This seemed like a nice 'commission' so I agreed to print some more and went foraging for plants to press for them. This was actually an amazing activitiy as it really made me notice how one week there were no flowering grasses, then I was away for Wisley and suddenly the next week there were lots! The bracken also unfurled and grew large enough to pick and press so I feel I noticed the changes in the forest more accutely having been looking more closely at the plants. I think a project of picking, pressing and printing each month would be a fascinating way to explore the changes in the flora over a year. I've made a note in my diary to start this. I then wonder whether I could produce a calendar, or a set of cards or something to really mark the turning of the year. I think I'd want to see the year put together all in one piece.
Anyway, back to Wisley. Overall doing this fair reminded me how much I like talking to people about how I make my work. I had only booked one craft fair for the autumn as I found having almost every weekend already booked very restrictive last year (and to add insult to injury many weren't worth doing financially). I was so pleased that I hadn't booked lots as just before Wisley started I was contacted by the organiser of the Farnham Festival of Craft (Farnham is an officially designated craft town and has the University of the Creative Arts) inviting me to have a stand at the October Festival of Crafts weekend fair at the Maltings venue. I remember seeing this last year and being gutted that I wasn't taking part. I also thought they probably wouldn't have me (typical me and my imposter syndrome!) so I was absolutely thrilled to receive the email saying they'd been following me for a while and would I like one of the few stands they save for new exhibitors. I replied with a very big yes please! I'm really excited about doing that one as Farnham is fairly local to me and I've always wanted to explore the festival of crafts events but never quite been brave enough to apply.
I emjoyed Wisley so much that I've applied for another event at Hever Castle in September by the same organiser. Theres a waiting list so we'll have to see whether a space comes up. I hope it does!
Overall I think Wisley was a really positive event. A few local people on my mailing list came to see me which was really nice and I noted a few things I think I could do better next time:
Take more advantage of the demo by handing out contact info telling people to sign up so they know when it's released (I only really did this over the last couple of days and several people did subscribe).
Have things that could be hung in series in frames that are the same size rather than framing for each print so the frame sizes vary.
Have a sign pointing out the demo prints and saying they'll be released soon and to sign up for emails.
Take my own nice wooden stool to sit on for lino cutting - the provided white plastic chair wasn't very pretty and got in the way.
Do more promotion in the run up to the event online (hopefully I won't have a big unit 3 hand in due the following day next time I do fair!!)