LITTLE GEMS EXHIBITION

Thanks for the encouraging comments Jeremy

The exhibition closed Sunday after running Thursday to Sunday for two weeks.

This was my first solo exhibition, planned to be rather low key, not too much risk or outlay on frames and exhibitipon costs. I received much support with hanging from the "Friend of Ellis House", particularly from David. I could not have managed the hanging on my own. David also lent me about 20 frames on the basis of sale or return which was a great help.

I have recovered all of the exhibition costs with a some left over to cover some of my previous investment in frames. During the last fifteen months and with the two exhibitions I have probably recovered all of my selling costs, investment in frames and art material over that period. However in my view that is long way from being professional.

Anyway I do not have expectations about making a living from my painting sales. Probably left my run a little too late (74yo). Never the less I see this exhibition as part of my learning process.

For a number of reasons, I decided to have an OPEN DAY rather than an OPENING EVENT. On reflection, I think a formal opening could have sold a few more.

I attended the exhibition with easel up and paints out on the palette as a sort of artist in residence every day the exhibition was open. I managed to paint a little in between talking. I enjoyed the opportunity to relate with visitors. Not sure how it affected Derna Johnson who was actually finalising all of the sales for small commission for Ellis House.

I invested $200 in small coloured image of "Lemons" in a Subi Post advertisement. I also manage to get almost one third page free promotion article in the Western Communities paper with a coloured image of me and the "Toodyay Homestead" plus one other smaller version of the same article in Bayswater Local paper. I thinks I did well with promotions. I received many comments about the article. I would have has at least 150 people attending overal and many, were my friends associates and ex business colleagues. I knew everyone who purchased paintings. Same as the previous three man exhibition a year ago at the "Old George" where I sold fourteen paintings, mainly to people I knew. I expect it is a big step to reach the point where buyers are members of the public.

The exhibition provided an opportunty to see and review my nearly all of ny recent work at the same time, and to plan my painting direction for the next year. It will probably take a few more days for me to to come down from the high and start planning and painting again.

Cheers
Bob

Hi Bob

In my experience the opening of an exhibition is critical as most of the sales occur then. I like to have a preview although not all galleries support that. The advantage of a preview is that serious collectors can come in and spend time looking at the paintings before the rush and crowds of the opening. The disadvantage is that many of the sales have taken place so there are less buyers and more hangers-on at the opening.

It takes a long time to establish yourself as an artist. The more paintings you have on peoples walls the more people that see them and come along to exhibitions. I have had huge amounts of publicity in the past as the papers are usually keen to promote art, although they tend to give each artist and each gallery a turn. Good promotion is essential. I try to give out media releases with a story in them that the journos and use as copy with lots of images of course.

Despite all this publicity over the years I am sure that most people in Perth wouldn't recognise my name, so it has to be something really dramatic for it to stick.

I was in my early 50's when I started to take the whole art thing seriously, but I always take heart from Lloyd Rees. Reading about him I saw the paintings he did when he first visited Italy and I thought how wonderful to have worked as an artist as a young man and painted in Italy. Then I worked out his age at the time and he was in his sixties (from memory). Many artists paint into their 80's and even 90's and we live a lot longer now. I think painting is good exercise all that walking backwards and forwards to the easel. My father is 96 and my mother 92 both fit as ever, so I have high hopes, but you never know, tomorrow any of us might experience that final exhilarating last breath. That's what makes life interesting.

Jeremy

From: "Jeremy Holton" <jeremyholton@gmail.com>
To: "Bob Abrahams" <boab@iinet.net.au>
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2005 6:47 PM
Subject: Re: Little Gems Exhibition
> Looks great Bob, I especially like Pink Vase, Claremont Beach, Blue> Flowers, Finnerty Street, Twilight Sailing and Winter Water. You are> getting reasonable sales I see.> > Good luck with it. Nerve racking isn't it!> > Jeremy> > > On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 17:38:22 +0800, Bob Abrahams <boab@iinet.net.au> wrote:>> Hi Jeremy>> Here is a summary of my exhibition >> Bob >> >> http://bobexhibition.blogspot.com/>> >> > > > -- > Jeremy Holton> http://www.jeremyholton.com/