Art Source and other stuff...

Arriving at my exhibition stand at Art Source RDS Dublin...

Hello,

I’m sitting here trying to put into words how I feel after what has been such an incredible and memorable weekend for me as an artist. The culmination of a long-held dream and at least two year’s work. I should of course start by saying if you are new here having signed up from Art Source, then thank you so much for subscribing! Knowing my work resonated with you enough to stop by and join up means the world to this emerging artist.

To say I had an amazing reaction to my first ever exhibition would be an understatement. When I originally signed up to do the show, my expectations were limited. My hopes were to have the opportunity to showcase my work to a wider audience, form relationships with people who appreciated my work, whilst learning from the experience of putting on a show, ideally selling enough to cover my costs! Well, I’m pleased to report I ticked all these boxes and more.

The sustainable approach to my art drew a huge amount of praise. I coined the tagline 'saving the planet one recycled frame at a time' at the show! It seems I’m not the only one who loves slightly gnarly, old frames, which I think, perfectly suit my style of painting. The more contemporary but simple recycled wood black box frames added another layer to the finished stand.

Photo at the show thanks to Conor McCabe Photography Ltd https://conormccabe.ie/

Putting together an exhibition like this is no small undertaking. It's not enough to simply paint some pretty paintings, turn up and hope for the best! You must also put in a huge amount of thought and time behind the scenes to make sure every detail is considered and runs smoothly. I'm extremely grateful then to people who helped me do just that. No artist is an island and behind them is usually someone peddling furiously to ensure the wheels keep turning. In this case I must thank my other half Sarah AKA Retwiggdstylist www.retwiggd.ie , who got all the boring back-end things like websites, email subscribing systems etc working. Her invaluable help with pricing (something I find challenging), deciding what pieces came with me, what I sent to the printers for scanning, on top of all the photography for socials; and the list goes on.

The much talked about rechargable table lamp!

Being married to an interior stylist is certainly very helpful when it comes to putting on an exhibition. She enabled me to curate a gallery wall which whilst full, allowed all the pieces to speak to each other. Adding vintage styling touches to the stand which complemented the work. Her vision for it, validated by the great feedback. Oh, and if we had a € for every time someone asked about the little gold LED table lamps, we’d be rich! So, for any of you who did, here’s the link to buy them:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BJ6QWPBV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Friend Julia Miller Osborn in action...

Also huge thanks to our friend Julia Miller Osborn for helping to curate and hang what was over 50 paintings and for lending me her best drill as well as all her encouragement. To my sister Ruth for lending her muscles and her car for set down; to our kids for holding the forte at home and coping admirably with absentee parents for a week! Lastly, all the friends and family who dropped in to see the stand and wish me luck. If a man is measured on the company he keeps, I’m truly blessed.

Making the decision to offer prints proved a very smart investment indeed. So much so, we sold out and had to take advanced orders. I’ve added a section to the website here https://www.artistgmd.com/prints , so you can see all the prints available to order in one place. We are working furiously behind the scenes on creating an e-commerce section of the website, so you’ll be able to buy online soon. In the meantime, you can drop me an email artistgmd@gmail.com if you’d like to order any.

Prints available to preorder...

Speaking of prints, we ran a giveaway at the show, to anyone who scanned the QR code and signed up to my mailing list. Many congratulations to Aisling Dillon who was our winner chosen at random by Comment Picker (a very handy online app for picking giveaway winners)! I hope you enjoy your print when you receive it Aisling.

Subscriber Print Giveaway winner Aisling Dillon

When I applied for Art Source, I knew I wanted a stand on the upper-level gallery. For me, the main hall can feel a little sensory overload and I liked the idea of a quieter space, giving visitors more time to linger and enjoy the work. From those we spoke to, most agreed they enjoyed the calmer atmosphere too and the opportunity to admire artists work without the push and shove. I loved watching as people took the time to simply lean against the railings and drink in my work!

I got extremely lucky with my stand neighbors’, Caleb Butterly an incredibly talented figurative painter https://www.instagram.com/caleb.butterly.art.2/ and Onyedikachi Onwusor who’s cool, contemporary street art I loved https://www.arcana-art.com/ . Also on the gallery level with me were the incredible Nina Ruminska https://www.ninaruminska.com/ and Julie Potter https://www.juliepotterart.com/ both artists work I adore and am fortunate to own a piece by. Collecting irish art, a passion from before I became established myself.

Fellow artists... from top, left-right, Caleb Butterly, Arcana Art, Nina Ruminska, Julie Potter.

As always the show was filled with amazing artists and galleries I follow and admire, the list too long to add, but you can see everyone who exhibited at the Dublin show here: https://www.artsource.ie/artists-galleries/ I hardly had a chance myself to go round, but for those I did manage to catch up with, I could have spent a fortune, such was the quality of work on display.

So, after all the excitement of my first show, what’s next? Well, I’m adding the finishing touches to a collection for The Doorway Gallery Christmas Show https://www.thedoorwaygallery.com/exhibitions/ A series of ten small paintings, each capturing the essence of my moody still life aesthetic, more on that to follow soon! Also, some commission paintings to work on which were ordered at the show. I probably ought to get back to family life at some point, having taken a slight back seat in the run up to the exhibition. Of course, gearing towards Christmas and fulfilling any orders as my art always makes a great gift - hint-hint!

Thanks again for being here, would love to hear your feedback on the show in the comments below.

Chat soon,

Gavin

Mirror selfie's with the missus on the last day...