Imagine Gallery

This morning I was checking the different blogs of various artist/sculptors that I follow,

one of these is of the potter Margaret Brampton.

Margaret who I have mentioned before is contributing to our ALICE exhibition.

To my delight she had posted a picture of a bowl that she has made for the exhibition on her site. It is lovely, simple, innocent and full of the characteristic charm of her work.

Once I had got over the excitement of seeing something that we will be showing I then started to worry.

Something that now seems to be part of daily life in the gallery.

"That's it"! I thought.

Stop thinking of details and articles for the exhibition in June and then the next in July,

focus on the next exhibition which is

ALICE.

I must admit I would rather do this as I am really looking forward to it.

So today I moved one step closer to making it a reality.

I have over a period of time [since deciding on the exhibition] started collecting various

antique Alice in Wonderland prints.

They range from 70 to 100 years old and are really very beautiful.

The idea is to have them framed to show alongside the contemporary art.

I know that showing "old" work isn't something a gallery should do, but as I have said before

"it's my party".

I suppose that is my ethos for everything that we show, I exhibit the work that moves me and then hope that in turn it will move others. 

I think that this is the only way that it can work for me, because as much as I need to,

I don't try to "sell art", 

I just try to make people understand why I love some things so much.

Sometimes my enthusiasm flows over and as a result we have a sale.

Which as much as I wanted this, it wasn't what I was trying to do.

In my mind "selling" art cheapens it.

Maybe I should just work in a supermarket where I wouldn't have this dilemma.

Whatever, as usual I digress. Where was I?

Oh yes! The old prints.

I really would love to keep them all for myself, but this hasn't happened before so I shan't start

now.

I am really finding it hard to chose what to display and how to go about it.

For instance, should they be in groups?

As an example of what I am thinking here are three versions of the same scene by different artists.

The picture is The Pool of Tears.

The artists are Mabel Lucie Attwell, Margaret Tarrant and Arthur Rackham.

Should they be framed together, or not?

Of course the bottom picture is Margaret's bowl,

no dilemma there.