2021 an art year review

January

The Courtyard Studio opened for the first two days of the month but no sales, then we were shut by Lockdown 3. One commission meant some income came in plus another two grants on the premises.

February

Commissions included original Valentines cards and a valentines picture. Also a commercial illustration piece covered the months bills. Lockdown continued.

March

Lockdown ended by the end of the month. Another covid payment helped but commissions already covered the rent and Mothers Day cards proved popular plus some original pieces also ordered and delivered.

Before the shop reopened I decorated my sections of the shop to match my colour scheme seen on hat and logo. Also vinyl stickers in my windows at front and back of the shop building on my identity / brand.

April

Covid payments continued to provide a safety net but in this month good sales including Last of the Leaves original, which was seen in the shop window during lockdown, and some commissions. Tensions rising between myself and co-tenant.

The pick up in sales this month was very encouraging indeed.

May

Foiling off the Isle of Wight as liked but has not generated the hoped for sales. Tensions reached the point that I wanted to just sell my work and let co tenant sell theirs – I stopped selling their work as imbalance of sales was one of several topics they refused to discuss. They also continued to defy my request too. This could not continue.

I was spending far more time sat outside the front of the shop to engage passers by in conversation on my days. Work on my outfits including vintage work jacket from El’s vintage workwear in Bournemouth.

So, although tensions in the shop u it I was doing what I had always wanted which was to be more involved in the community. Both of these schemes continue to the present.

No Purbeck Art Weeks – postponed to September 2021.

June

Sales continue to develop consistently and lots of positive feedback, some art for fun squeezed in to the shop and outside in the back alley.

A wedding box gift commission sparks me to do some Durlston pieces, an idea put off previously.

July

Rt sales not as much as previous months but the weather was great. Lots of time spent on the water and outside. Art for fun started to draw more people in again.

August

A disappointing month sales wise but I had covid and had to self isolate. Co tenant also shut. After my time out I wrote to landlords withdrawing from tenancy asap. I didn’t have an alternative premises but the work tensions were reminiscent of some of the posts I had held in my previous career – my art is a semi retirement business I am building and is intended to be enjoyable. Three days later I find new premises as friends had not managed to rent their ground floor unit out and it fit my purposes, about the same size as current shop half for about the same Mo et but just mine.

New pieces released this month include ‘Rest and Admire’ from Durlston and ‘Golden Horizon departing Poole, July 2021’. The second piece is now very significant as the ship is now due to cruise in the Caribbean and Med and won’t be seen in the UK in the foreseeable future.

So, yes less sales, but more art, more art for fun participants, covid, breaking one tenancy but a new chapter starting.

September

September 1 ‘AndyKnillArt Studio’ opens and I have moved everything out of The Courtyard Studio so that I do not need to return. Keys returned to landlords – shop has been renamed to other artists name.

This new chapter allows me to build on what I have learnt in 22 months as a local shopkeeper selling art. Now the focus is on selling my art and most importantly for me promoting ‘Art for fun’. I now have a larger area outside the shop for tables for dry weather drawing time. My fellow businesses are supportive and I settle in very quickly.

New works released as cards and prints include: ‘Fishing Boats’ and ‘Durlston Cliffs and Lighthouse’.

New working hours are four days a week and 6 days a week plus Rollington shifts for Purbeck Art Weeks and immediately I have a good sales month.

October

A fabulous month including the sales of both new Durlston based original pieces and also several prints. As we go into half term that includes 97 taking part in ‘Art for fun’. Most old visitors still finding me.

Swanage Trick or a treat saw me give out over 200 art postcards – only two children turned them down. Others left, put off by the queue. Children identifying their pictures on the Art for fun boilersuit or had drawn with me in first sessions at Swanage Primary.

November

That card designed for the Swanage RNLI shop sold out their stock of 2000 cards by the end of the month – I get named as artist and has helped my recognition locally.

‘Corfe Castle through the trees‘ and ‘Prince Albert Memorial’ are released as prints and cards. Also a new 8 x 4 edition of Swanage Christmas card.

A slower month- as November often is but sales still decent easily covering the rent plus.

December

Another encouraging month with lots of card sales, my Christmas card series sales now exceed 2000 sold since Christmas 2017. The new prints and cards this month are ‘Autumn leaves’

Three Christmas commissions that are building related, here are two of them.

Two no sales days in this week betweenChristmas and New Year. Even when visitors don’t buy I am getting lots of verbal feedback on my work and often questions about my media too.

In conclusion

2021 and one month to my fifth anniversary as ‘AndyKnillArt’ business and the fifth month of ‘AndyKnillArt Studio’. I started with the aim of ‘selling some art’, well that keeps happening. My second aim to promote ‘Art for fun’ and seeing if art as a process is enjoyable for all ages continues to grow. Since the new shop opened in 4 months over 215 people aged 2 to 80 have used the ProMarkers and joined in.

I would prefer that the first shop co-tenancy had not failed as it did but it provided a step to my own independent studio and shop with more space to share my love of the process of Art.

Heading into 2022, covid is still with us. I will start the New Year open on New Years Day. January loses two trading Saturdays as I am singing in the pantomime chorus in Swanage. So – linoprinting to be experimented with, more Durlston Country Park pieces to add to the set with ‘Rest and Admire’ & ‘Durlston Cliffs and Lighthouse’. and ….more.

Many thanks to all my visitors at the physical shop, on this blog and to those of you that have bought art and / or given feedback.

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