My art fair experience

Parallax Art Fair finished yesterday. This was the largest exhibition I've been involved in as of yet, so it was a new experience, and provided great exposure for my work.
Due to other work, including curating a show, I feel that I didn't prepare as far in advance as I should have for Parallax, and I've certainly realised that something on this scale needs more preparation than other shows. I think taking on other shows and responsibilities since agreeing to be part of Parallax might not have been the best idea, and I've realised that in future I need to be more mindful of the workload that I take on.
For consistency, the organisers of Parallax have very specific requirements for how work should be hung. I was under the impression that this wasn't very flexible, and this was the element of the show that caused me the most difficulties, but upon attending the show I noticed that very few people had actually hung their work in the way described by the organisers. If I exhibit at a Parallax event in the future I think I'll be less concerned about
hanging the work in a way that suits me better.
The show was very busy, and during the private view it was difficult to just walk around because it was so crowded. Not every single person at the venue would have seen my work, but I was pleased with the number of visitors. When I attended the fair yesterday a lot of other artists commented to me that it was quieter than they had expected, but there were still a lot of people coming through. The fair was held in Chelsea Town Hall, which is a great location with plenty of foot traffic.
I was really impressed with the huge variety of work and styles in the show. Understandably, not

everything was to my personal taste, but I feel that anyone could have found something they liked. I really enjoyed being involved in a show that was so diverse. The artists showing encompassed so many different styles, backgrounds, and interests, and for me it was great to be part of a show including artists I doubt I'd ever exhibit with otherwise. I feel that my work was exposed to a really diverse audience, and probably to people who would never normally see, or choose to see, my work. In relation to my own tastes, I really liked that there was so much vibrant, colourful work in the show.
It was interesting also to meet other artists, particularly artists from outside of London. Generally artists were friendly and supportive of each other, but one thing that I found really disappointing is that some artists were perfectly happy to leave their flyers in other artist's spaces, stand in other artist's spaces blocking their work whilst talking on the phone or to a visitor, or leaving their belongings in another artist's space. I noticed this happening quite

a lot, and a couple of the artists near to me were culprits. I think that one person in particular was just ignorant rather than genuinely rude, but I was quite surprised that some artists had so little regard for others. Perhaps they were just very concerned with promoting themselves and ensuring that they were seen, but I feel it's a poor attitude to do this at the expense of others.
When I saw an artist putting her own flyers in front of my work and business cards I quite happily moved them into her own space, and I hope that others who found this happening took the same approach. The fact that this was happening is probably just the luck of who I was placed near to, and may not have been an issue with other artists or in other parts of the venue. I don't think this would put me off exhibiting at an event like this in the future, it's just unfortunate.
Sitting in my space yesterday was great because I met a lot of different people and got plenty of feedback and comments from the public, which was really positive for me. Many people asked

questions about the work and made comments, which made me happy. I had quite a good position in the room as my work was at the very back, whereas there were aisles going up the room towards the back, meaning that some people may miss work in one of the aisles, whereas my space was fairly unavoidable.
The pieces I showed were made between 2011 and 2013, including the paintings made in Iceland, and I don't intend to exhibit the same work again in the near future. I have more recent work that I'm pleased with, and I feel that the work with weathering is continue to develop in new ways, so I'd like to focus on that for now. Furthermore, I don't want every show I have to be repetitive and only show the same work. These pieces have all been exhibited at least three times, and I feel that this is enough.
Unfortunately I didn't make any sales at the show, but I feel this was a really valuable experience in terms of exposure for my work. The fair was quite different to the exhibitions I usually take part in, so it was a new experience for me. I'm really pleased that

I was given the opportunity to take part, and I hope that the exposure my work gained will pay off in the future.
On the whole this was a really positive experience, and I would be interested in exhibiting with Parallax again in the future. I really enjoyed seeing the other work in the show, and will definitely attend future fairs as a visitor. It's exciting to see so much work in one place, and to be exposed to so many different artists all at once. If I exhibit in the future I'll definitely prioritise this show over other work and be more sensible with my preparations. I've been working towards this show since December, and now that it's over I'm looking forward to working on new exhibitions and projects.

Exhibitions this week

"Expression", the show I've curated for Camden Image Gallery, opened on Saturday night, and I got a lot of really good feedback from both visitors and the artists involved. It was a lot of work but I'm really pleased with the quality of the work in the show, and I think it looks great. The show is now open to the public until 1st March, so please do go along and see the variety of work.

I'm also exhibiting at Parallax Art Fair later this week, and am now preparing my work for hanging there. I'm really happy that I was offered this opportunity, and I'm looking forward to setting up and the private view on Thursday night. Tickets are free of charge, and can be ordered here. This is the last time for the foreseeable future that I will be exhibiting certain pieces, including the pieces made in Iceland, as I'm focusing on progressing and developing the work with weathering, so this is a chance to see these works one last time.

Upcoming exhibitions and work in progress

There's a lot going on at the moment, I haven't had time to update this blog for a while. I finally have a couple of days to focus on actually producing new work, which I'm quite excited about.

A couple of exciting exhibitions are coming up for me. I'll be showing at Parallax Art Fair in London from 20th - 22nd February, and I'm looking forward to the exposure that this will give my work. Tickets can be purchased at http://parallaxfeb2014-eorg.eventbrite.co.uk/. This will be the last occasion for now I'll be exhibiting the work I made in Iceland, as I've shown this extensively since I got back to London. I'll also be showing a couple of older pieces that complement this work, it'll be nice to see recent work shown alongside some pieces that were made a few years ago.

I'm also currently curating a show for Camden Image Gallery, to take place between 15th February and 1st March. It's a lot of work but I'm enjoying the process, and have been sent a lot of really great work. I'm really happy with the line-up of artists I have so far, I feel that the works are going to be very cohesive together, whilst also showing each artist's individuality very clearly. There are still some spaces available at an affordable rate, if interested please email me at tamsin@camden-image-gallery.co.uk. Any style/media is considered.

I also have some work in progress at the moment that I'm getting very excited about. A couple of weeks ago I started a piece on a slightly larger scale than usual, with 10 layers of painting, drawing, and weathering, using a combination of natural and deliberate weathering. After painting the background colour blocks I immediately started intentionally weathering the canvas, and was really impressed by the effect this had on the surface. 

Whilst the piece was naturally weathering outside the frame was damaged quite significantly, and now the canvas is kind of twisted and asymmetrical, which brings a brand new effect into the work. I'm not sure how the work will look when hung, as the canvas isn't straight, but I think this will really emphasise the weathering aspect of the work. I'm ready to start painting the actual portrait now, and I'm really looking forward to seeing this piece completed. 

The effect of weathering the surface before the paint dried has really inspired me, so I'm going to work on some abstract pieces made in the same manner over the next couple of days. I loved the background just as it is, so I think these pieces will turn out well, and will also really emphasise the use of weathering in the work. These pieces, along with the portrait piece, may be exhibited at the upcoming exhibition in Camden.

The final exciting thing at the moment is that my work was featured on the Artpromotivate website earlier this week, which has surely exposed my work to a much wider audience. I'm really pleased about this, and the artist spotlight can be viewed here.

Call for artists

I'm looking for artists for a group show I'm curating, the gallery is spread over two floors and located opposite Camden Road station in Camden. Any style/media will be welcome, you do not have to be London based to participate. The show will take place between 15th February and 1st March. For more information please contact me at tamsin@camden-image-gallery.co.uk.

Upcoming Solo Show - Interior

I'm very pleased to announce an upcoming solo exhibition on 18th and 19th January, titled "Interior". This is a pop-up show in my own home in North London, which will be really different to exhibiting in a conventional gallery setting.
The idea is to provide a more intimate experience, for both viewers and myself as the artist, than a traditional gallery environment could. As my work is quite personal I feel that it makes sense to exhibit it in my private environment. The show will be revelatory, and give viewers an insight into my life. I'm really excited about doing this.
I'll be showing work made between 2011 and 2014, including experiments and pieces that have not been shown before. I'm planning to hang the work like a salon exhibition, and include as much as I can. I'll also be showing some brand new fibre pieces. All work will be for sale.
I'm really looking forward to the show, and I hope to have a good turn out. Refreshments will be provided.

Visit to the Saatchi Gallery

 On Wednesday I went to the private view of "Body Language" at Saatchi Gallery, and really enjoyed it. I always enjoy the shows at the Saatchi, but this one was of particular interest to me, as my own work deals with the human form. I always like the fact that there is so much variety within the show, and there's always a number of pieces that I really love. I particularly enjoyed the gallery with the installation on the left, the images on the wall were of engraved headstones, and the wooden headstone sculptures in the centre of the room really made an impact as soon as I walked into the room. I loved a lot of the work, but I found this installation particularly impressive. Definitely worth a visit, and I think I'll probably go back to see the show for a second time.
I really enjoyed seeing the human form described in so many different ways, and I came away with a few things to think about in relation to my own work.
In regards to my own work and shows, I'm in the final stages of a new piece for the exhibition in Camden, and I'm quite excited       about it. I'm planning to show this piece alongside the two smaller pieces that were made in Iceland, and I'm looking forward to
getting my work into the gallery on Friday. This week marks the start of a very busy period for me, but I'm pleased that there will be so much going on.

Vibe Gallery exhibition and other shows

The exhibition at Vibe Gallery was, I understand, a great success. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend as I was in Edinburgh, but I'm told that the private view was very busy, and there was a lot of good feedback about the show. My friend Alison curated it, and from what I can tell she did an amazing job. I really wish I could have been there, but nonetheless I'm really pleased that I was able to be involved. The space is great, and this was my first opportunity to exhibit the two canvasses I brought back from Iceland.
I have a couple of other exhibitions in the pipeline that I'm really excited about. From 7th - 17th December there will be the first ever exhibition at Camden Image Gallery, a brand new gallery opening in Camden Town, owned by one of my friends. I went to see the space for the first time on Wednesday evening, and I'm so impressed. My friend Elena has worked really hard to get this together, and I'm so proud of everything she's done. I'm really looking forward to exhibiting in this show, alongside a really varied selection of artists, I think it's going to be really successful, and encourage everyone to come along and see the gallery and show. I'm also acting as Promotions Manager for her, so I'm hoping that lots of people come along to see the gallery for the first time. More details will follow soon.
I'm very proud to announce that in January I will be having my very first solo exhibition, a pop-up show in my local area. I'm still in the planning stages as present, but I can confirm that this will be happening on 18th and 19th January. Again, this is a great opportunity that I'm really happy about.
I feel that things have been really exciting, and moving very quickly, since I came back from my residency at the end of September. The residency gave me a lot of time to reflect on my work and how things are going, and I definitely came back feeling extremely motivated. To a certain extent actually making work has taken a back seat for the time being, as I have a lot of work to do in terms of setting up shows, but from January onward I'm planning to get back to focusing on this, as well as continuing to exhibit as frequently as possible. Things are going really well at the moment with my work, and I feel that a lot of excellent opportunities are coming up. My renewed motivation has probably helped to actually bring up these opportunities; yet another benefit of my residency experience!
More details will follow about both of the upcoming exhibitions. At the moment I feel quite snowed under with work, but I have no doubt that it'll be very much worthwhile!