Affordable Art Fair.

Been there, done that and most definitely got the tee shirt!
Cat Whitworth ( gallery staff and expert picture hanger ) and I, Sarah Wimperis ( artist, van driver and trying very hard to do as I am told) drove a van load of precious art works, carefully up to Bristol on the morning of Wednesday 11th.
The rest of the gallery staff had been working hard organising, cataloguing, wrapping and planning for months and were there to help us load the van but once we set off we were on our own.  We had a truck stop, like all good van drivers should, and managed to time our arrival in Bristol perfectly.
Then the hard work began.
We unloaded 90 paintings, tool boxes and one very heavy desk in just under one hour...

and began to hang.

Cat had a very well thought out hanging plan and by 4pm on the Thursday we were ready for the private view.  The pictures looked beautiful, colours flowed from one to the other, shapes were echoed and even horizon lines appeared to follow from one artists work right into the next.  I was impressed but then I shouldn't have been surprised as each exhibition at Beside the Wave is beautifully thought out.

The following three days were a blur of talking about the artists and the paintings.  Miles Heseltines' work sold very well and had at least two very emotional responses, which is a rare and fine thing.

Our fellow exhibitors were a very friendly and helpful crowd and we all had a thoroughly exuberant party on Saturday night.
Sunday was a rehang and then selling paintings. 
We met some old friends of the gallery and hopefully a lot of new ones and although it was an exhausting way to spend the weekend we both really enjoyed it.