What an absolute rush having your work in a show is!
Missing 2020's end of year show due to Covid made this first opportunity to exhibit my work all the more special. Anticipation built as we made finishing touches, selected works with our tutors and considered how pieces would be hung. Those of you who know me well may not be surprised to hear that I was still pushing to get pieces ready right up to the last minute - but I got there!
Gaining an insight into the prep involved in an exhibition was a great learning experience: preparing and painting walls, hanging pieces (my primary teacher's mental arithmetic coming in handy to make sure things were spaced correctly!), labelling and preparing racks of works on paper for visitors to browse.
It was so exciting seeing the show come together and I was bowled over by the work of the other courses we saw for the first time, as well as by a fresh look at the work of my classmates hung smartly on the walls. Everything elevated to a new level. The standard and attention to detail of the show at Leith is really fantastic and shows the respect they have for their students.
The experience was even more special when I learned I had been awarded "The Painting Prize" for 2021. On opening day I quickly made a sale - and discovered the joy and satisfaction which comes from a little red dot beside your work (quite different to the red traffic light dots in homework diaries of my previous job, I'm sure my ex-colleagues will agree!).
Other sales have followed and it is such an honour to know that my work will be whistling its' way into different homes at the end of the week and taking up a spot on someone's wall. Selling to an unknown buyer has an air of mystery and intrigue about it. Whoever my lovely collectors are, I hope each and every one finds as much joy in owning my art as I have in my time making it!