Art In The Pen
It was a fantastic experience to be part of Art In The Pen in Skipton. My first art fair, and definitely a bit of a leap into the unknown for me!
Art In The Pen is a well-established and highly regarded art and craft fair, held each year at Skipton Auction Mart, and has become one of the North’s leading art events. To be there alongside so many talented artists and makers was a great experience in itself.
I displayed 16 limited edition prints, which took a fair bit of preparation. I built my own little ‘gallery’ within the pen and, at the same time, had to leave enough space for me to work on a new illustration throughout the weekend.
The live drawing turned out to be a particularly good idea. It gave people an opportunity to see how I work and, more importantly, started lots of conversations about drawing, illustration and the process behind the finished pieces. I really enjoyed chatting to people about my work and hearing what they liked, what caught their eye and where they were from.
And, rather wonderfully, people actually bought some of it! I sold several prints as well as lots of greeting cards, which was a real boost and made all the preparation worthwhile. It was especially satisfying to see some of the illustrations I’ve spent so much time creating heading off to new homes.
Overall, it was a brilliant first experience of exhibiting at an art fair. There was plenty to learn, a few things I’ll do differently next time, and lots of encouragement to keep developing the work.
A big thank you to everyone who stopped by for a chat, bought something, followed my work or simply took the time to have a look. It was great to be part of it – and I’m already thinking about what I might do next!
Leave a Reply