AOH at Pretty Neat Gallery

 

Well, the diagram of what Pretty Neat Gallery & Studio will look like, has now become a reality! The gallery has been open for a couple of months or so now, and kicked off with Artists Open Houses which is no mean feat. 

I first met Paula, the owner and founder, at a workshop at Made & Making where I was hosting an autumn themed workshop which didn't end up being very autumnal at all! (You can see the blog post about it here.) She was one of the participants and we got chatting and she mentioned that she was planning on opening a gallery studio in Kemptown, Brighton, selling artist's seconds or work which they didn't feel they could charge full price for but was still eminently sellable to the right people (and for a slightly more budget friendly cost). It would also have workshops on all kinds of different creative subjects, some of which Paula would teach and some she would have tutors come in for - and was I interested in being one of the tutors?

I said yes but then there were complications with the initial location, and then the second location had to be done up so things kept changing but finally it was move in day, and within a week or so of getting the gallery space ready with furniture, painted walls and signs above the door - it had filled up with artwork and was open to the public as part of the AOH trail! Amazing work on the park of Paula and her team. 

We weren't able to get to the open evening for the gallery which was a shame, but went to visit it at the weekend instead to see my work on display alongside several other local artists, all using different mediums. (The above photo has been pinched from one of the other artist's who went to the open evening.)

The set up is a real mix of table displays, wall and shelf displays, with the artists all mingling in together rather than being in a block. Which is interesting because often galleries keep work all together rather than muddle it up but it works surprisingly well in this setting. It's the first time my work has been in an actual gallery though (apart from pop up exhibitions) I think so that's amazing! 

There was apparently lots of interest in my pieces and a few little bits sold, I'd taken cards, prints and framed/hooped originals. I didn't make any major sales though until the day after the AOH exhibition ended and then I sold an original hooped Stitchscape! Woohoo!

I wonder what it is about people not seeming to want to buy textile pieces. At several events people have purchased painted art without really thinking about it, but the textiles - although it earns a lot of discussion and chat about methods and mixed media etc - is a much harder sell. I'm definitely in the wrong industry. 

I really hope that the gallery continues to do well. I know they have lots of different exhibitions planned throughout the year, and I have lots of different workshops booked with them as well, all of which you can find on my events page, or on the PNG calendar page. 

If you don't know where it is, the gallery is in Brighton Marina which has a surprising amount of other things going on there! There is free parking, for starters, and you can also go crazy golfing, eat at a variety of restaurants, go on marina tours in a boat, there are little cafes, a selection of shops....all sorts of things! So definitely make a day of it - we did, after visiting the gallery we took a hungry Fin for lunch at Nandos across the road and did a little wander around the marina. I did try and convince Reece to do a boat tour but he wasn't having it...I'll work on him!