Painting for art exhibitions

As an artist, one of the things I love is exhibiting my art and the process of painting for art exhibitions. My first solo exhibition was back in 2012 in New Zealand and I was a mixed bag of emotions. Thankfully, after 10+ years and quite a few exhibitions, I have become comfortable with the process. As always, when I am painting for exhibitions I do have in the back of my mind to create a cohesive collection that will sit well together without being repetitive but ultimately I select based on what I feel is ready, what the visitors will enjoy and what truly sings to me. Sometimes this means things get left behind as they do not feel truly finished, and I am OK with that.

There is something magical about having a piece of your work hanging in a gallery for people to see and (hopefully) be inspired by.

Will everyone fall in love and buy one of my paintings?

No (if only!).

But, for those that do, I know I have created something that will be in their home and bring them joy throughout the year and that is pretty powerful!

Art is truly powerful

I remember being at an exhibition and a lady suddenly stopped and just looked at one of my paintings. She commented that it was simply beautiful and created a feeling deep inside. After a conversation, she left as the cost of the painting was that of her upcoming summer holiday so something had to give and she wanted that holiday.

She popped by again 2 or 3 times, each time she spent a little longer. On the last visit she came back and said that her holiday would give her a week of rest and relaxation with some memories but this painting would give her a lifetime of pleasure. She had walked past so many times to see if those feelings remained, and they did. She bought the painting.

This is one of the many reasons I love what I do and truly believe I have the best job in the world. I created something that truly moved someone – wahoo.

My Art Exhibitions for 2023

In Sweden we have a lot of beautiful mixed media art exhibitions throughout the year. From fantastic gallery spaces to pop up exhibitions in malls and even indoor and outdoor art trails. I love them all. They attract many different people, art collectors, fellow creatives looking for inspiration and people that would never have gone to a gallery but instead, walked past a piece of art that caught their eye and it called to them.

The first part of 2023 I was super busy painting for exhibitions at Galleri Sjöhästen Nyköping, Hägernässtrands Galleri Täby and Vårsalong, Gysinge Herrgård. These have all now finished and earlier this month I collected the pieces from Vårsalong, Gysinge Herrgård as that closed on 18th June. Sweden may appear small this last exhibition meant a 4 hour round trip! Thankfully, my beautiful daughter is learning to drive so we used the trip as a driving lesson and I got some fantastic company along the journey.

I sold a few pieces, had an enquiry about a BIGGGGG commission piece and of course, I spoke with visitors about how certain pieces made them feel. This is such an important part of exhibiting to me.

Upcoming exhibitions

I am currently exhibiting at Sommarsalong Galleri Roddarhuset which runs until 24th August. This is a gorgeous venue and one I really love to visit. Not only is it a wonderful art gallery space, it also has a relaxed and yummy café overlooking the water. I will often visit, chat with visitors and pull out my art journal as I sit by the water drinking a coffee. I always feel so inspired, and my flow comes easily here.

I have a little bit of break now as my next major exhibition will be Danderyds Konstrunda, our local art trail running 2-3 September. Danderyd's art trail is a recurring art and folk festival in the Danderyd municipality and takes place every other year. This year, 95 artists are opening their studios to share their unique pieces including ceramics, dollhouses, sewing, painting, jewellery, photography, and (of course) Mixed Media Art 😊. I am on the committee for this wonderful project and, although it is a LOT of work, it is such an inspirational weekend.

I am loving being in the studio working on a new collection that will be unveiled at the Art Trail and also available online for international buyers. I will be revealing sneak peeks of the collection in August so be sure to follow my Instagram and YouTube channels.