How not to do things!

Yesterday I went to see the selling exhibition of 23 members of London Potters at Redlees Studios in Isleworth.  What a fabulous environment in which to work!  The studios are based in a wonderful building converted from the Victorian stable block of Redlees Park, complete with clock tower!  The studios are arranged in a horseshoe around a lovely cobbled courtyard.  The sun was shining and I spent some time sitting in that courtyard soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the ambience of the place which, if it hadn’t been for (frequent) interruption of planes approaching the runway at Heathrow would have been quite blissful.  The exhibition was interesting.  There was some great work.

I particularly enjoyed the work of Lindy Barletta whose thrown porcelain forms had a strong landscape interest not dissimilar to my own and also of Caroline Winn whose work reminds me very much of that of Gillian Lowndes with her inclusion of metals and other materials and her use of clay.

I also thoroughly enjoyed chatting to some lovely makers about both their work and mine.  So what did I do wrong?  Well, a number of the makers were kind enough or interested enough  to ask about my practice.  ‘Oh yes!’ I announced, proudly.  I am doing a ceramics diploma at City Lit.  I finish this summer.  So they wanted to know what I make – could I describe my practice intelligently? No!  They wanted to know where I had my studio.  ‘Oh yes!’ I declared.  ‘I have a studio in Wimbledon.  It is a fabulous set up behind the dog track.  We are having our Open Studios in three weeks time.  You should come along.’  So several times I was asked for information about either my work or about the up coming Open Studios at Wimbledon and I suddenly found myself in the position of 1. Not being able to remember the exact date of the Wimbledon event, 2. Not having any o f the invites for said Open Studios in my bag, 3. Not having any of my own business cards in my bag. 4. Not having any kind of a note book for writing down things that occurred to me as I was chatting to people.  But it is ok.  I have not finished the diploma yet.  I still have 9 whole weeks to become a professional.  It’s fine – I can relax for a while longer, can’t I?

No!  I feel a very long to do list coming and at the top of it is that I need some kind of a ‘Grab bag’ of essential kit to take to exhibitions of other people’s work so that I never again miss the opportunity to promote myself as an artist.  Time to pump up the ego, I think!  Oh, and by the way, in case you think that I have missed another opportunity – Here   is the invite to the Wimbledon Artists Open Studios which takes place from 14th – 17th May and where I shall be exhibiting my work in the Blue Building, studio 403.  Pop along and have a chat! Poster May 2015 Open Studios