Making Your Mind Up!

Hey Good Looking!

The Law of Sod dictates that the minute that you take an exhibition down someone wants to be something that was in it. Fact! It has managed to happen twice this week. my last show as 'Colour' and as I told you I had some great work in that show. So a lady came in on Tuesday and asked to see one of the paintings that was in that show. She was really interested in it. Yep, you've guessed it, that painting was no longer at the gallery.
Today I had a phone call from a guy who wanted to buy Keith's penguin. That's not as surreal as it sounds. It was a ceramic Emperor Penguin and it was really handsome. There had been plenty of interest in it during the show but no one actually bought it. I have now got to arrange to get said penguin back to Swanage so that I can sell it to the customer who wants it.
I am going install a decision maker device on the door. Once you have passed through the door of the gallery your ability to make decisions will improve x100%. If only!
One show comes down and inevitably another one must go up. so today I have been doing all of the minor repairs that are necessary in between exhibitions. I don't feel like I need to tell you what that entails as you all know the drill.
I will have a busy day tomorrow, but for today I will just indulge my OCD and get the studio and office in a state that they are ready to receive visitors because at the moment clutter is the name of the game. I also have a floor to scrub.
I'm off to get my hands wet!

Tumbling Off The Caffeine Free Wagon!

I am having difficulty typing this as one hand is actually busy patting me on the back! I have just had a glass half full or half empty moment and I am going to share it with you as that is the point right?
Ok, I have been super busy this morning, designing posters and updating my website and my phone site. I really have got quite a lot achieved. Well done me! I look up at the clock and see that it's only 12.50, initially I think great I have got all that done in under two hours. Then I think it's ONLY 12.50 how slow is this day going???
Please witness the fruits of my labour. At this point I would like to thank my sister, she pointed me in the direction of powerpoint and I have not looked back. It is infinitely easier to design anything in it. Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself.

The highs and the lows of efficiency.
It is unbelievably dull today and the amount of visitors to the gallery totally reflect that. It is a shame as this show finishes today. It has been a good little show and if you missed it....shame on you. You missed a great opportunity to earn yourself some Brownie points by purchasing a unique Christmas present.
The next exhibition is a true art exhibition, what I mean by that it is much more intellectually challenging and has a bit more depth. You'll get what I mean if you come and see it which I strongly urge you to.
I am enjoying drinking gallons of unsweetened green tea. I fell off my caffeine free wagon a couple of weeks ago. I hit the floor hard but the smell of coffee filled my nostrils so I didn't really care. But I am now practicing restraint and have a midday cut off point and then it's green tea all the way. Apparently it can make you look younger if you drink enough of it. I hope that this is true. I may well be the first grey haired teenager in about two weeks time.
Best get back to it.

Sold Not 1 But 2!

Until They Want You Mind Theirs!

Well 'Hello Monday'! Nice to be back at work! One of those statements is not in fact true? Guess which one.

At the eleventh hour on Saturday a couple came in and I said hello, they said 'We are just looking' which is gallery speak for 'Leave us the Hell alone as we just want to appreciate the work on the walls etc without necessarily buying anything so back off'. Message received and understood. I carried on doing whatever choredom that I had been involved with up to that point. A few minutes later I noticed that they had picked up a price list. I still didn't move, I had been told. Then she says I'd like this one please. I am out of my chair like a rocket had gone off under my backside. Now you want to talk, and we did and they were lovely. I had fully intended to close early as I had stuff to do and they would probably be the last people through the door. No they weren't, she sees her brother across the road and says come and look at this gallery he walks in and about five minutes later he bought something too. Now that's what I call a great end to the day. It does however get better. The guy whose wife bought a piece is an artist and he would be interested in hiring the gallery to show his work. He showed me some pictures of his work and it is great so that could be something to look forward to in the future. He then mentioned his son is a designer and the gallery would be a great space for him to show his work. How exciting!

All of the above is way more exciting than my day has been today. I have spent it trying to design a poster for my Christmas Show. It is tedious as I can't include any pictures as the work won't be selected for ages yet.

I have designed two so far I'm hoping third time lucky. I like them both but I do not love them. But the good news is that I have mastered the whole sizing thing which has been beating me for months.

I'm off to do something less taxing!

Jump In My Jaguar!

My Aspirational Car.......Not

The good news is that the Jaguar car group think I'm doing okay at the gallery. Why do I think this? Because I received a letter from them today asking me if I am interested in 'hassle - free' business motoring. It would only cost me £369 a month. You've got to laugh, well I did. I can't imagine spending that much money a month on a car. If I did I would have to hold all future exhibitions in it as I could no longer afford to keep the gallery on. Style over substance, I think not.
Well I had the pleasure of visiting the Bournemouth Art Club Exhibition at the Peacock Gallery at Upton Country Park. There was some really great work there. It was well worth the drive and the morning off from the gallery. I strongly recommend you visit. It's free and there's really something for everyone at the show.
I am playing catch up today as I have not been at the gallery. Just when I was starting to get worried about the fact that there were not enough people entering the Christmas Exhibition I have been inundated with entries.
It's going to be good, so if you have been reading the blog and thinking that you might like to get involved I am very nearly over subscribed get an application in quick. Just to help you out here's a link to the website to make it really easy.

www.lartishegallery.com

I'm racking my brains to think about other gallery news and I think the truth is there really isn't any. So I'll just wish you a very happy Bonfire Night. Stay safe and enjoy any fireworks that you are lucky enough to see.

Just Call Me 'Super Sharon' or 'Not So Super Sharon' You Choose!

What I thought would be really great to do this morning would be to drive around town at least five times. No, really I did. Okay, so I might be lying. I don't know if there is something happening in Swanage that I do not know about but town was crazy hectic this morning. I was trying to park my car and at one point  I even contemplated driving it home and walking to work. It's not that far but it was raining. There were no spaces to be had anywhere. I found one eventually but was late for work.
I have got a couple of super powers that I would like to share with you all. In fact I have more than two, but I'm only sharing two with you today. The first one is my unbelievable ability to misread the dates on a calendar. Really, I have got this down to a fine art. If you get anything with a date on coming from me I strongly urge you to double check it against a calendar. If it's correct I'm obviously having a good day.
(Having just read what I've written I wonder if I might be being too hard on myself? I will readily confess to anyone who will listen that numbers are not my friends could this just be an extension of this?)
My second super power is even better. I can incorrectly label documents without even thinking about it and then attach them multiple times and send them to the wrong people.
I know you are sat there being envious of my talents. Don't be. I am such a perfectionist that these errors cause me actual physical pain. That might be down to me banging my head against the wall repeatedly when I realise that I have inadvertently used my super powers. I know I have mentioned my other super powers before but it would appear that with every year they are almost developing lives of their own.
Feel free to share your special powers with me. If you're sat there thinking that you don't have any I DO NOT believe you.
So the working title for the market on Saturday 10th December is 'Eclectic Market' as that is exactly what it is going to be. Tables are only £5 so if you are hoarding a stash of saleable goodies then now might the time to get them sold and make some much needed cash for Christmas.
I hope that you have made lots of fun plans for this weekend. I know I haven't as fully intend just to stay in and be really boring. My bank manager doesn't think I'm boring and that's all that matters.
Have a great one!

For Whom The Bell Tolls!

Look Pretty But Do They Work? In A Word...NO!

Oh the stress! I have had one of those days today. Jam packed with things sent to try you. I firstly received an invoice for twice of what I thought I owed and then my printer went into some never before seen meltdown which resulted in nearly two hours of fiddling and turning on and and back off again. I think the actual problem is my internet connection but I really do not think that today is the day to talk to Terry from Mumbai, as friendly and helpful as he may well turn out to be. I am far too tired to be bothered.
After a midnight bird rescue that didn't end too well for the bird my nights sleep was plagued by surreal dreams of the bird coming back to life. It didn't. I have to say I am a feline lover, but their predatory nature does upset me. If my cats had any more bells on they would be able to audition for 'Britain's Got Talent' as one cat bands. But still they keep catching the birds even though they are kept fed up to the whiskers they cannot resist the challenge of live prey. They all have E.L.S.S* which is unfortunate.
Gallery news, there are a few more bookings on the horizon that I am excited about that. Next year is looking quite promising already.
I have had my first enquiry in response to my new advert which is good.
If you are someone who watches 'Kirstys Handmade Britain' with relish and make your own arts and crafts items/objects, I need you!!!! Not just art and crafts vintage clothes, records anything you would hope to find at a good market. Food too if that's your thing.
I am hoping to help organize and indoor market before Christmas. If that's something you'd be interested in doing then you know what to do. Contact me at the gallery on 01929 425050.
It will only go ahead if we get enough takers so let me know.
I have to confess that I have now written as much as I think I can actually write without droning on. So I'll do us all a favour and stop right here!




*Evil Little S**t Syndrome.

Hallowho?

How About This For A Pumpkin Carving?

Hallowhat? I am not sure it was meant to happen but it did! I donned my face paint and went to a really good Halloween party on Saturday night. Multiple face wipes later, face paint is soooo difficult to shift, I figured that was Halloween done and dusted for another year. What I failed to realize was that it was in fact yesterday. I did not buy any tooth rotting sweets for the Trick or Treaters I was lucky not to get my car egged. Apparently having totally forgotten is not a valid excuse for not having sweets. I offered courgettes but they were politely declined. I hope that you all fared better than I did.
Today is a day for ultimatums, put your money where your mouth is scenarios. I have fired off emails and I am checking my mailbox every five minutes for responses. I am being proactive.
I'll let you all know how that works out for me.
I have just had to write another missive about the gallery, I will be really glad when I can pay someone to do this for me. It is just line after line of uber positivity and how incredibly great the gallery is. I am not denying that it is great because of course it is. It's about trying to word each one differently to make sure that I do not sound too repetitive.
Is anyone else struggling with the whole clock thing? I have a question. If you are supposed to eat before 7pm how does your body know the clocks have changed? I only ask this as I sat down to dinner yesterday in a room where I had forgotten to change the clock. Can you see where I'm coming from? Maybe it is just me but I really don't think so.
I am hoping to spend the afternoon drawing as I have been very swiftly working my way through my list of things to do.
What are you up to? Obviously reading this right now but what else?