Welcome to the Gallery

Imagine is set in the Suffolk village of Long Melford.
This is an attempt to record the daily trials, tribulation and pleasure of running an art gallery.

Saturday 11 September 2010






It's been a funny old day.
Starting with a telephone call from an old [previous] customer complaining that he hadn't received an invitation to the exhibition.
Considering the fact that I knew he was a collector of Amanda Popham, I checked our mailing list.
With nearly a thousand invitations going out I still couldn't believe that he had been left out,
as I was aware of his interest in her work.
Checking addresses I found that he hadn't been left out.
Or at least, I had sent the invitation but it never arrived, something that worries me as I don't subscribe to email invitations, I feel it is so much nicer to have something in your hand, something that is a physical "memento" of the event, and when I go to the post office with boxes full of envelopes I sometimes think " I hope they get there".
The only reason for thinking this is that as I put them in a sack I often think
"I'm glad I don't have to carry that".
Whatever, I'm sure that it is one of lives little "glitches", but it was upsetting when I felt that I
had sent invitations to everyone who had ever expressed an interest, but someone had been let down
So with a poor start to the day I then went on to check if anyone new was looking at the blog.

It's amazing how even with the worst of days a little ego boost works wonders.

"What a delight", I had my 70th follower and it is someone I have admired for a long time.
Alex Pribnow.
Someone I have often thought of approaching but had always thought was too busy or important to look at a mail from me.
OK, so someone is looking at my blog, "big deal", but it is someone I have been watching and admired for a long while.
Well that cheered my morning up.
After that it was just a friendly day, by that I mean that all of the right sort of people came in.
Not necessarily buyers, but interested people.
It gave me a lot of pleasure to spend time talking about the many things that I love here.
It is hard to describe the "second hand" pleasure that can be derived from the enjoyment that someone else finds in the different art that you are showing.
When someone 'connects' and sees what is being shown it is a real pleasure.

In between talking about the art [which is my biggest hobby] I tried to make a start with getting various things underway to help out Irene and Sam [my son] with the start up of their new gallery.
Playing around with pictures.
I can't think of a nicer way to spend my time, and because it was necessary I had to make a start. So after many variations and "much" playing around I came up with a few business card
designs for them.
I feel guilty already.
I can imagine them thinking "is that all you have done to help".
"Yep, but I enjoyed it".
I'm sure all the simple things like legal papers, insurance, electricity supply, lighting, displays,
signs, telephones, web site, etc,etc, they can sort out themselves.
At least I have helped with the important things, mind you I could do with a few more details
before I get "my" important work done.
Joking aside, it is very important and I do promise to help out.

So here are a few "trial" designs for what will be their business cards.

4 comments:

  1. I quite like the bird and hare business cards... can't decide between them! Now I have TWO Imagine galleries to put on my list of places to visit when I come to England - how cool is that?

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  2. I like the one of Alice playing croquet as well as the owl and hare designs. I also have a question: Why do you have to choose which design to use? Why not have them all -- a minimum quantity of each -- and then mix them all together?

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  3. I hadn't made it clear that they are all going to be cards, over the last couple of days I have done a few more.
    I shouldn't have as there are so many different "much" more important things to get on with, but I have enjoyed the distraction from real events.
    I usually do 9 different cards, which is a mistake as they are postcard size, and I find that people grab the all {anything for nothing].
    I tell them that if they collect the whole set of 10 then the win a prize.

    Valerianna, If you ever made it to one Imagine I would be thrilled, but tell me, who would be looking after that beautiful cat of yours?
    I have never seen such a wild looking beauty.
    Would you do a swop with us for a sculpture?

    WOL, I can see that I am going to have to send you the whole set,
    plus number 10.
    Funny, I have thought of you as we have the most unusual 'OWL' sculpture at the moment by Amanda Popham.
    I think that Jackie morris has shown it on her site.

    Thanks for your comments, it helps make me feel I am not talking to myself [all the time.

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  4. John- that's JUST the thing that keeps me from traveling these days! I can;'t bear to leave Pasha cat locked in for days while I'm off.... I've made a commitment to him to let him out as much as possible if he always comes when called and returns before dusk. This has kept him alive for 7 years in these wild woods - and that he blends right in with the hemlocks. A friend or two over the years used to be able to get him in as well, but now they are no longer in the area. Unless some new friend gets trained in Pasha care, then I'm here for the duration of my kitties time on earth. It may sound a bit obsessed, but he would die of a broken heart if jailed for more than a few days. Just the days he's locked in while I'm away teaching are hard enough on the old wild cat of the forest.

    So, you want to swap a sculpture for Pasha cat? Hmmm... well, tempting, but he's the cat-love of my life, can't do it!

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