Day One of Thirty

Today is the first day of September. An obvious statement but never the less, one which sees a new chapter in my creative career, as today is also Day One of 'Thirty Days hath September', a project which will see me take part in a different artistic activity every day for the whole month of September. I actually started a little early as yesterday was the grand opening of my new working studio at my home in North Dorset. I had such a fantastic day and was given so much support from my family, friends and clients that it really made me feel very humble. As an artist, you tend to get used to working on your own as it can be a very solitary career, however when you organise an event and people take time out of their own busy schedules to participate, it makes you very grateful for their support.

So Downend Farm Studio is now open to the public (for opening time please see Alison Board's website) and my classes officially start on Wednesday with a FREE taster session for Beginners who would like to have a go at Watercolours. It will be wonderful to be teaching again, as well as being able to do it from the comfort of my own studio.
Today has been a much quieter one, I have been at Walford Mill Crafts where I am lucky enough to hold the post of Gallery Shop Manager and myself and my assistant (the talented Jasmine O'Hare) have been plotting what our Christmas displays might look like. I realise that the 'C' word shall not be mentioned before November, but sadly my team at the Mill have been putting together our exhibition 'Inspire' since May! I have always found being part of a retail establishment very useful as an artist, as it gives an insight into how early galleries and shops expect work from you for their busy season.
Today I have also been planning for a great adventure! Tomorrow myself and my father are making a trip up to Nottingham for me to be able to take up the Society for All Artists (SAA) on their offer to film me for a webclip. I am very excited about the prospect and very nervous all at the same time. Dad has kindly offered to drive me so that my fiance Richard can keep the Thirty Days programme of events in check at home and I think he was taking pity on me driving for four hours and turning up disheveled and stressed - not a look you really want to adopt in front of a TV camera! So watch this space for more news on how it went and I will write again next weekend.