First Time Exhibitor Nerves!

I was so nervous about attending the viewing but my nerves where quickly eased by the very friendly reception I received. From being given my exhibitor’s badge, finding my drawing and discussions with fellow exhibitors every one was welcoming and enthusiastic,  all were keen to help and very willing to talk about my work and the work on display.

The exhibitors were varied with several well experienced hands who’d exhibited before, while there were quite a few newbies like me. The latter being recognizable by their very big smiles! All in all, all the exhibitors seemed to have been delighted, having been selected.

There was  as slight panic when, at first, I couldn’t find OK despite its catalog entry.  I was relieved to find that the exhibition was on two floors and I was on the wrong one for OK.

I found OK on the first floor, in a linear hanging with a number of other drawings creating a very pleasing, balanced group.

As the shows title indicates – Open All Media – there were oil paintings, water colours, gel pen works, charcoal and pastel drawings , ceramics, stoneware, oak, ash graphite. To my eye the quality was consistently high. There were many beautiful figurative and landscape works, I was particularly struck by the quality of the seascapes – a subject close to my heart.

And prices varied from a few tens of pounds upto £4,000, for the record OK is £1,000.

As to why RBSA accepted my work , I can only quote (with a little smile :- ) from the exhibition catalog:

The criteria [the RBSA] uses to assess the work submitted includes its impact, originality, technical skill, effort and presentation, items can also be accepted as being ‘good of its type’. [The voting Panel made up of RBSA Members and Associates] sees all the works submitted by each artist together before voting on an individual work.

OK made it while Serene or Storm ? didn’t

So what next ?  The wait for the phone call to say it’s been sold? I await that call with very mixed feelings!  And now my home is becoming settled, to get on and complete a great body of work.