Pop Up Gallery

Here I am, in my current joint venture with fellow Commercial Square Studio artists, sat in our Pop Up Gallery reflecting on the adventure of the past few weeks. 11 of us have taken an uninhabited shop and turned it into our own little gallery.

No one imagined the amount of hard work and dedication it would take to get to the point of opening, but we did it. Making contact with the letting agent, agreeing our length of lease and getting the keys to the place was only the beginning of the journey. Building false walls to cover unsightly electrics, not to mention installing a whole new lighting system were still tasks that lay ahead. It took a Bank Holiday weekend but a team of artists grabbed hold of hammer and drill, roped in spouses and transformed our empty unit into a gallery. 

I hope you agree that the hard work was worth it and we have created a professional looking space. 

Next was the task of manning it for the following 6 weeks. 

We are now half way through our stint and I am pleased to report our gallery has been well received and sales are being made every day (much to our relief!). 

We are open until the 5th October, Tuesday-Saturday 9:30-5:30, Sunday 11-5, closed on Monday. Please come along and visit us at 27 Spittal Street, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, SL7 3HJ. See the website for more details www.commercialsquarestudios.co.uk

Constant creativity

It is coming to that time of the year again when artists in Buckinghamshire throw open their studio doors and invite the world and her husband in to view their work. The event runs for two weeks and with over 300 artists participating this year it would take the most dedicated of art lover to get around everyone. 

I am participating with my studio group, Commercial Square Studios, and with 9 of us producing varied styles of work we are hoping to appeal as somewhere a lot of work can be seen without having to travel between venues. 

As a run up to the event I find myself producing a constant flow of work in order to have a new body of work to show. The event always creeps up on me, despite this being my 6th year. It's a good thing I work better under the pressure of having a deadline. 

This year I have been working on texture and trying to incorporate more hand stitching, beads and sequins into my work. I am still evolving this side of my work and I like talking to visitors about my works in progress (sometimes they have the best ideas!)

If you would like to come along to view some work we are open on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 21st and 22nd June. Please have a look at the website www.commercialsquarestudios.co.uk for more details or like our Facebook page. 

New Year, New Focus

So now that the business of the festive period has passed, it is time for us all to sit back and reflect on the previous year and make resolutions for the coming one. Some of these resolutions will be upheld all year and some won't last beyond the first few weeks (or even hours in some cases!)

In my case, I have a to do list.

 

 

 

OK, on a serious note, it's not that simple, it will take a long time and some serious effort but in the end it will all be worth it. Especially as it is something I am so passionate about. It brings me back to a quote from my previous post,

Do what you love and love what you do.

This is my mantra for this year.

I already have a website (www.helenjenkinsdesigns.com) and a Facebook page (Helen Jenkins Designs) so the next step is an Etsy shop. Selling online is something I have never tried before and it will put my work on show to the world, and that is a pretty scary but exciting prospect. I will obviously keep you updated on how this venture goes.

In the meantime I will continue to make work by playing with fabric and trimmings, working on pieces to bring a smile to a face. Still constantly searching.