My 1st Cambridge Open Studio - part one: PREPARATION

This will be my first year taking part in Cambridge Open Studios and I thought you'd like to share in the experience. In part one I'll talk you through what I've done to prepare (publicity, artwork and exhibition space) and then part two will be the event it's self (how it looks, how it goes and whether I'll do it again!).

It all started in December 2016 - the deadline for becoming a member of Cambridge Open Studios 2017, when I signed up and paid to exhibit the following July. £60 to join & £140 to participate.

I started filling my artist page on the COS website and making plans to maximise my investment in this adventure. I was limited to only doing 1 of the 4 weekends, as my 3 daughters all have birthdays spread across July but  I decided that 1 is better than none and I'd just have to try and make the most of it.

Publicity

COS

• COS put on an evening for newbies like myself offering a mentor, introducing the publicity team and giving us a list of 'Golden Rules for holding a successful Open Studio'. One of the suggestions was to write a blog about my run up to the event!
• Social networking connecting with @CamOpenStudios (Twitter & Instagram) and @Cambridge Open Studios on Facebook has been useful for getting the word out - remembering to use #Camos17
  
• I've got involved in COS publicity events - the Town & Country Show on Parker's Piece and outside the Guild Hall in Market Square, creating live art demonstrations on both occasions
• I've agreed to any publicity they had going - being featured in the Cambridge Evening News, the Cambridge Independent and booked for an interview with Breakfast radio 105 next week
  
• I've put together a flier with details and a map of those artists exhibiting in my area 'Arbury Artists Trail' which I will give to people who come to my event (and hope that the other artists will use theirs to send some people in my direction)

My own advertising

• I have had some fliers and posters printed for the event, which I plan to put through doors and visit local shops/community facilities with next week. I have asked friends and contacts to help me in distributing these to various places they have connections to.
  
• I've painted live in Cambridge city centre (extra to the COS events) by way of increasing interest for my Open Studio
  
• I've been sharing about my prepartions on social media and have created a Facebook event for my weekend.
  
• On the actual day I plan to put a sandwich board at the end of the street with yellow balloons and poster, and to decorate my house/garden with balloons, bunting, posters and a sunflower wreath so no one is in any doubt which house to come to!
  
• I have decided to organise a Private View on the Friday evening beforehand, to which I am personally inviting gallery owners and a selection of close friends
  

Preparing my work

Because I paint live regularly, I create a lot of paintings, so I have no worry about having enough work to exhibit. Infact my challenge will be working out where to display it all!  A few weeks ago I got all my pictures out and spread them around the downstairs of my house, working out a plan. This helped me to think about practicalities of lighting, hanging, furniture, the state of the windows, signage etc. I then had some decisions to make about what and how many prints to get made. I am keen to provide visitors with a good range of price options so that my work is accessible in some way to everyone. When only exhibitting for one weekend and not having done this before it's hard to know what number of prints to get made up. I have decided (rightly or wrongly) this time to provide examples of each size and to take orders rather than spending a fortune on what might not be sold.

• I have had a few pictures scanned professionally and made into limited edition giclee canvas & paper prints by PhotoArtGB, having my huge floor pieces professionally photographed by Focus 5 Photography before being printed
• The rest of my work I've photographed myself and will get some poster prints made by Plan-it Reprographics. I've also used Hello Canvas to print some of my digital art and Vista Print to make some postcards
• I've purchased the tools to have a go at learning to mount my paper pieces and aim to varnish all my canvas paintings.

I still have a lot to do to get ready and I'm sure there will be things I learn through making mistakes this time, but I'm actually really excited about taking part in my first Cambridge Open Studios!