I am fortunate to have been invited to present a solo exhibition of my work at the Apothecary Gallery, in May. It might come as a surprise to discover that before the end of February I am already shaping up to the preparations for it. I had an exchange of long emails with the proprietor today, in which we agreed on what needs to be done. The exchange was not any too soon, because when I look at the list of tasks it is clear that a lot of thought needs to go into publicity, apart from anything else.
I have made one significant decision (again!) and that is that it is probably not worth my time to do more than elementary framing of my work. Every now and then I contemplate framing stuff and that great Yorkshire phrase comes to mind. “‘Ow much!?” This afternoon I re-purposed a good quality frame in my store, deciding that it its unlikely that I will want to exhibit the picture for which it was originally made. I have made a reasonably presentable task of it, but really I am not sure whether my time would have been better spent on other activities. So, if I am going to get somebody to make frames for the work I am lining up for the May exhibition, I ought to start the conversation now. When it costs to cost I will just have to grin and bear it.
We have just returned from a book launch for a novel written by a friend. She was talking about the efforts she had to make in order to secure a publisher and get the work into a presentable shape. It does seem that for any branch of the arts talent is not enough, and there is much more to art than meets the eye.