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Art weeks are a well tested and popular way of promoting artists and their work in their own locale. Bronwen Bradshaw describes Somerset Art Week.
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Bronwen Bradshaw, 'Hellebore', screen monoprint
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Somerset Art Week, a biennial open studios event, is nearly upon us. I've distributed the guide, put up posters and venue markers, sent out invitations, tidied the studio and hung the work. Enter the public, with any luck in large numbers - that's what we've come to expect.
This is Somerset's fourth Art Week, and visitor numbers, sales and general visibility have been steadily growing, sometimes doubling, from one event to the next. The reasons for this are simple: if a large number of artists agree to pool their mailing lists, and if word gets around that this is a hugely enjoyable, regular event not to be missed (which it is), then you start to develop a loyal and informed public.
All of this is conducive to sales. People love meeting the person behind the work: they can ask questions which would not be possible in a gallery context; they can rummage through whole plan chests looking for 'bargains', and - the biggest trump card of all - they pay little or no commission on the work.
I tend to see the event as an opportunity to show new and maybe more challenging work alongside what I know from experience is likely to sell. My belief is that the work will speak for itself, and I therefore never attempt to persuade when someone is clearly getting interested in buying. I do try to ascertain whether they need time on their own with the work, or more information and encouragement. It seems to me to be a question of sensitivity.
As for payment, I don't sell often enough to have credit card facilities, so I take cheques and hope for the best. So far I've had no problems, and I feel it's a fair enough risk. I also take instalments - in this case I ask for post-dated cheques.
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© writers, artists, photographers and [a·n]. All rights reserved
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Bronwen Bradshaw, 'Reel', etching
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| Bronwen Bradshaw | Bronwen Bradshaw has a printmaking studio in a very rural location near Glastonbury, Somerset, known as Dove Workshops. She has lived, worked and taught there for over twenty years.
Her main techniques are etching and silkscreen. She is a member of Spike Island Printmakers and Somerset Printmakers, and believes in the power of 'group'. She is also an area representative for Somerset Art Week.
Her work concentrates on line, colour and movement; she is also a professional musician, and music underpins all of her art.
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