My first Gallery Exhibition

Had you asked me 6 months ago whether I would be confident enough to even think about creating works to hang in a gallery exhibition, I would have said you were crazy. For such a new artist I didn’t even think that would be possible, assuming that they would only entertain seasoned artists with established portfolios of work.

However, after talking to a good friend, who is also an artist, she convinced me to look at small local galleries. During my online search I came across a lovely village based gallery, West Ox Arts (WOA) about 20mins from where I live, and was pleasantly surprised that they mentioned supporting new artists.

Their response to my initial enquiry was quick and very friendly and they invited me along to the opening of their current exhibition. So the following weekend I headed over to see them, by which time I had already submitted a membership form to them. The gallery itself was lovely, lots of natural light and the works on display were incredible. I paid my membership and made a purchase from the 3d series that they display. I asked them about member exhibitions and how they work and they were more than happy to talk me through things and mentioned their next member exhibition is the Winter Festival.

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Now the hard work begins, actually making artworks that I will be happy to showcase. Fortunately I have a lot of ideas and concepts which I want to work on so I picked a number of those to make and see how they finish. With the max submission of 3 pieces, I wanted to make 4-5 to give me options. So I shortlisted the following to see what I could create:

• Blushing Ferns – a medium-large size fluid art painting of soft sage green, rose gold and pastel pinks, bringing to life my botanical bloom palette.
• Frozen Reverie – a medium sized fluid art piece focussing on introspection and reflection utilising a cool blue and grey palette
• Violet Ascension – a large vertical painting designed to draw the eye and harnesses passion, power and rising up with the bold violets and shimmering golds of the Berry Tango Palette.
• Fissures Between Realms – a small mixed-media artwork utilising fluid art and texture to create a dark ethereal piece full of contrast.

This combination of paintings gives me the opportunity to showcase the variety in my works and to give the collectors a diverse collection to peruse. Together they offer a glimpse into the range of emotions and energy, each piece inviting its own interpretation and connection.

Next was to plan materials and tools etc required to make these possible. Whilst sourcing the materials I also completed tests for the pouring sequences and paint quantities etc. on my smaller test canvases. Before moving on to the real pieces.

Once the materials were in, next came the game of studio Tetris balancing and utilising the space I have (which is limited) to be able to work on the pieces needed as well as finalising a couple of commissions, its definitely a juggling act. There is also the reality of not getting too excited about things, trying to remain level headed as I go into pours but feeling that pressure of, this needs to work or I wont have a piece to submit.

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In this section I will keep updates on progress all the way upto the Exhibition date and submission of my works. I will then provide a write up of the collection being on display.

Right now I have two pieces drying and two pieces ready to be varnished. A couple of days and we should be ready to get them all under the curing tunnel. There have been some ups and downs balancing things and its all a learning for future planning.

Fissures Between Realms will next have the gloss resin applied and an issue with the frame means I have had to source another one.

Blushing Ferns is awaiting varnish coat and the Oak Floating Frame has arrived and looks amazing, cant wait to see what it looks like finished.

Frozen Reverie is nearly dry, next steps are to paint the sides ready to be framed, the devil is in the detail. Then it will be varnish and mount in its soft grey and silver frame.

Violet Ascension has been a huge challenge, firstly its the biggest piece I have ever worked on and secondly the canvas I purchased gave me a few niggles, however it is currently drying so I keep my fingers crossed. The huge caveat with this piece is that it is over the dimensions for the exhibition, however, the gallery have said they will see if it can fi, so we will see.

So as the last countdown begins to judgement day, the day that I have to take my works along to the gallery and hope that they do not reject them for any reason. Whilst its not an actual judged submission, the gallery do reserve the right to turn away any works they deem unfit or not up to standard for submission. An email came out last week to arrange drop off times for the works ahead of the exhibition opening on 8th November and the countdown below is the countdown to me taking my works to the gallery as that is my deadline.

As a new artist and this being my first ever exhibition, the nerves are definitely there and even though I am always critical of my own work, it’s different when you know others are going to be looking at it and maybe critiquing it. I know not everyone is going to like my style of work and that’s ok, I create pieces that speak to me and follow my imagination and intuition with each piece. Even items that have otherwise not worked out can still be transformed into something beautiful and something to be cherished.

To be hones this is train of thought is really going to lead me down a path that requires deep contemplation, as it has always been my view that “art is subjective” and one person can look at a piece and love it, whilst others hate it, some people see sadness where others see light, therefore how can we expect people to “judge” art other than to say that it is to their taste or not? But anyway, thats a thought for a different post…

So, getting back to the update, and what an update I have.

Huge progress has also been made on the 2D wall art items and we are nearly at the finish line, though it hasnt been without its last minute challenges. Last weekend I was applying varnish to two of the pieces but it just wasnt giving the finish that I really craved for these pieces. The metallics and shimmer that I had worked into the designs were muted and barely even visible and it left me in a real quandry.

Knowing that galleries generally prefer varnished works, I was torn between going along with the crowd OR getting the finish that I really wanted. After much deliberation, I decided that I wanted the finish, the depth and I need those metallics to shine through. Also, I considered that I am a Mixed Media artist and as such this is part of MY process and hopefully others will see the value in that too.

So, I set to work with resin coating the artworks and making them ready for framing. I hope it doesn’t come back to bite me in the butt, however, now I have seen the results I am much happier. When I look at Frozen Reveries, I can see the pearl shimmer from the grey base, and on Blushing Ferns the rose gold is finally peeking throgh and showing itself off alongside the iridescent gold. Yes, resin is not easy to work with, but it was the right decision to make for me.

Fissures Between Realms is now complete and only waiting to be wrapped ready for travel. The resin coat has given the beautiful glassy depth and high contrast against the matte texture that really wanted. Now nestled in its black float frame, I am in love with this piece and as much as I want my work to go and find their new homes, I would not be sad to see it come back to me so I can hang it on the wall.

Blushing Ferns is now complete and waiting for wrapping for travel. The oak float frame has absolutely finished this piece off perfectly and I love the frames I have got for these. All hardware has been installed and the provenance added to the back. This piece hasn’t always been something I have loved, but the resin finish has transformed it and it now sings to the story it tells.

Frozen Reverie is complete, all hardware and provenance installed, wrapped meticulously in acid free tissue and bubble wrap ready for its journey to the the gallery. This piece I absolutely love and the winter blues palette I used with the composition and structure, really leans into the meaning of reflection and introspection bechind it.

Violet Ascension has been withdrawn from my submissions. As per my previous update, this piece and the canvas gave me some real challenges and the drying gods were not looking favourably on it. The canvas was loose and unfortunately gave as the paints dried which led to cracking in places and so I wasnt happy with the overall finish. That being said, even though it wont be for the gallery submission, I do have a plan for it, as there is still beauty in the painting it justneeds harnessing int the right way. So, I am going to do some experimentation and transform this piece into something quite beautiful.

Next on the agenda is to top coat Turtle Waves, wrap Fissures and Blushing Ferns for transport and box up the 3D items. Right now I am going to update the product listings for the Gallery Submissions and if any of them catch your attention, they will be available to purchase via the West Ox Arts Gallery, see product listing for the exhibition code etc…

So there we have the update, only a few das left to go before I will be travelling over to the gallery to hand the pieces over, hoping that they are up to standard. Keep your fingers, toes and everything crossed for me.

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