So Wednesday, my first one on shift in this fortnight ( it is how we split the shop hours equally between the two artists). Today was a good day for more extended conversations with visitors, some of whom became customers and others who didn’t. I really enjoy this interaction with visitors.
Today I met two gents from Lichfield on a coach tour who both favoured watercolours and were sure that my work was watercolour media and had to involve brushwork to create. We talked about how I use the markers to produce certain effects and the use of white gel pens to help with depth in stormy sea pieces like ‘Rescue’.
A lady artist from the Welsh marches selected one of my original pieces to purchase – ‘Anvil Point Lighthouse and Tilly Whim Caves’ which is also available as a card. I mentioned my namesake hamlet of Knill which she lives within walking distance of – I have never met someone else who knew it before. She has been visiting Swanage for over 50 years and it was interesting to hear he comments on how particular views of the Purbeck landscape have become entrenched. She likes my approach to the local scenery, it was very complimentary to hear aspects of my work that she liked – I didn’t know some of the terms she used, with my lack of art education, but I understood the points she made.
Other sales included cards and an original postcard produced last Tuesday June 8 for World Oceans Day.
Today I drew a commissioned greetings card for the client’s wife’s birthday. It was a topic I had an immediate idea for and drew confidently and he had approved it with the photo sent later.
I have been asked to design a greetings card for another client, IG has taken longer to finalise the idea and today I just went for a design which I completed by the end of the working day and have sent a photo to the client for further discussion – I am very pleased with the outcome.
So three days in the shop and in that time I have drawn 5 new A6 original postcards, 2 greetings cards and an A4 landscape on Monday evening’s sunset. This is the sort of creative flow that I really enjoy getting into.
Yes, some of the pieces are small but each represents noticing something and translating that into a drawing. It means that in the last two years I have gone from selling about 20 original pieces to now being over 230 original pieces sold – I take that as a great compliment to my drawing interpretations of what I see.
Two days of being away from the shop. I have one greetings card commission to draw to a specific brief to be ready for collection on Saturday as it will be gifted this Sunday. I also have a larger tree piece in mind to start planning for and possibly even drawing as the forecast for Friday may be an indoors day.
Thank you for the many visitors and feedback this week it is all gratefully received.