I’ve been preparing for the exhibition of Prism work at Hoxton Arches, which I blogged about last time. As you’ll know if you read this blog regularly, I’m what could best be classified as an enthusiastic amateur. However, I’ve come to realise over the last few months that I’m going to have to up my game and approach the business of exhibiting with an appropriate level of professionalism. I’m definitely ready to do this, but I do need some help and guidance. I met up with Julia Triston in February and she gave me some very useful advice about exhibiting: presentation and pricing etc. This is the kind of thing you really don’t seem to be able to find in books. There are loads and loads of books about techniques, and even a few about creativity, but there’s very little that deals with how to exhibit your work. Last week, through a mutual friend, I met Fiona Rainford, also a Prism member, whose work I like very much. She also gave me some excellent advice, especially about making and pricing smaller items for sale.

I do hope to sell my Cochineal Dream pieces, and with that aim in view, I’ve had them professionally framed. I did consider doing this myself by buying ready-made frames, but couldn’t find just what I wanted of the appropriate quality. We have a picture framer locally and I dropped in there one day but didn’t really like any of the frames on offer (too ornate; too naff; too plasticky; too, well, just nasty). I looked up lots of framers on the internet, looking for somewhere reasonably local where I could get some decent advice about the best frame for my work. I rejected all those whose galleries show framed sports memorabilia or artwork that I think is hideous – a bit snotty of me, I suppose. Then I remembered Kendal, where we once had an expensive (for us) oil-painting framed and where they seemed to have a good appreciation of what works and what doesn’t work. It’s Youdell’s Art Shop. I looked it up to make sure it was still in business as many businesses in Cumbria have been hit badly by the recent flooding. Yes, glad news, it is in business, so off I went one Thursday afternoon, only to discover what I could have found out beforehand, that Thursday afternoon is early closing day in Kendal. Having driven a considerable distance I was rather disconcerted by this. But I remembered another picture framers, a bit further up the street, and traipsed off in the forlorn hope that they might be open. Well, they were. It’s the Signature Gallery at 16 Kirkland. The man in there was brilliant. He gave me good advice and then quoted what I consider a very reasonable price for framing all three pieces. And then he did it, called me, and I went to collect them a couple of weeks ago. I’m very pleased with the results, and so pleased that I decided not to try to do the job on the cheap.

If the pieces do sell, I don’t expect to profit much by them, once I’ve taken into account the various costs. However, I am just starting out with this, so can’t expect to be making megabucks out of it. Or even any bucks. I know, because of knowing some artists, that it’s well-nigh impossible to support yourself through art. Fortunately, because of the day job, I don’t have to do this. Just as well.

I’ll write a bit more soon about the other work I’m doing for the exhibition.