h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

On Saturday, seven of my paintings formed part of an exhibition here in Polokwane. It was called 'Art in the Yard' and it was held on the grounds of a coffee shop, and organized by the owner of a small art gallery behind the shop called the 'Small Wall Art Gallery'.

My art teacher Kathryn told me (and others of our class) of this, and I was a bit apprehensive about it, since lately I've been a bit more anxious than usual. But I did phone Leopold the owner, and I did go and pay my entry fee, and I did go and get my paintings from the Eloff Gallery ... well, I got four of them that were hanging there, the other three I took from what I have here at home. And I also borrowed some easels from the Eloff Gallery. Friday Evening I put the stickers with the names and prices on the paintings and put them in my car, so that Saturday morning I could just jump in and go.

I got there nice and early, a quarter to eight in the morning. I set up my easels in a nice spot close to the gate. A couple of folks were there already but my art class friends only arrived later. I did have a chat with some of the folks there, it didn't go too badly. There were many shade trees and some umbrellas too ... I was worried about being out in the sun all day and wore a cap.

My art class friends arrived and the visitors also started coming around nine the morning. I saw a few folks I hadn't seen in quite a while and chatted with them, and also with some of the people I didn't know before. I received many remarks and compliments about my work. But disappointingly I didn't sell anything. Of our class, we sold only three paintings, and another woman who was exhibiting also sold a couple. But most people came in the first couple of hours. After twelve it dried up pretty much completely. Most people don't want to be out and about on a Saturday afternoon it seems.

And there was a bad thing with the arrangements. The exhibition was supposed to continue till five in the afternoon, but the coffee shop closed at one! So from then visitors would not have been able to have refreshments! And because the visitors had dried up, all the other exhibitors decided to call it a day at about two the afternoon. I would have felt bad if I alone remained but I also felt bad because some people who turned up after all in the afternoon would then find nothing going on, and no-one there! But I did leave, it would just have been too awkward to stay alone.

Also it was a windy day and a couple of paintings blew right off the easels, crashing down and their glass shattering! And just repairing the glass is already an expense. One painting suffered damage on the frame also - my art teacher, Kathryn's. She said with the painting she sold and the repairs she would have to make, she just broke even.

But on the plus side I did get 'out' and was about and was talking with quite a few people, and got some practice with socialising and communicating aside from the many positive comments on my work, and a few more people know about me now o I might sell a little more paintings soon.

Leopold also asked for one of my paintings to keep in his gallery and try and sell. It's a baobab painting. What the hey, I said yes ... if he can't sell it soon I'll ask for it back!

But the grounds were interesting as well and in quieter moments I roamed around and saw what I could see. There are lots of succulents and other plants and Jacaranda trees (an exotic here, imported from South America) and what was interesting was that bees were visiting the *fallen* flowers, sucking the nectar out of their bottoms! And I saw this lovely little bird:

http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org...trildidae/spermestes_cucullatus.htm

Or at least one of them! It flew into a Jacaranda and plucked an entire leaf - it was looking very silly with the big leaf in its tiny bill! It fluttered to a Yucca plant and shoved the feathery Jacaranda leaf in between the spiny Yucca leaves where it was making a nest!

But anyways tomorrow at art class I'll speak with the other folks and hear what their opinions are now that they could rest and reflect a bit. I'm not sure I will again exhibit there. But based on this I *have* been thinking of holding my own exhibition here at home, using the house as well as the yard! I would need to frame more paintings, and borrow some easels again, but I think I could put something decent on without too much expense and trouble.

Although there were incidents, it sounds like a nice thing to be able to show your work at an exibition!
I do hope you get to sell the baobab, and that perhaps the gallerist can keep having art of yours for sale!

Well done, you! And I hope you make a sale.

Yes, those things are always more trouble than you thought. But maybe something good will come of it all.

Thanks a lot Milla and Dmitri! I do hope it contributed a bit to my local 'fame' heh heh!