Thursday, April 29, 2010

Why?


Over on  ‘Things Handmade' there is a bit of a reflection as to why the author is making, pricing items , exhibiting etc.; especially when she believes she is making work to satisfy herself and not primarily to sell.

I must say I was delighted to sell one of my two Cyrus Cylinders in ‘The Made to Fit’ exhibition. I had priced them both but with no real thought of either of them selling. I was pleased with both pieces, both the thinking behind them and the execution. When I heard one had sold I was genuinely surprised, but as I said delighted that someone literally loved my work enough to pay good money and give it a place in their home. It is still a strange feeling, as unlike selling items on a craft stall I have no idea who the piece has gone to, and there is a certain sense of loss – but that is only minor.

Here is a picture of the Flare Magazine display at the NEC recently.  It was worthwhile entering to get myself into action; I like to be motivated by exhibitions, competitions etc.






I have over dyed the pieces of cotton and silk, manipulating the fabric again and immersion dyeing. I also made a stencil in the Jane Dunnewold fashion and used this with opaque fabric paint on some of the pieces.





6 comments:

  1. well done on selling some work. I make a point of using the money to buy a treat, a piece of cloth I had though too expensive or a new book. Hope you have the chance to treat yourself with yours.

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  2. visitors to the studio sometimes ask me whether I make a piece because it sells & I say I make a piece because I've been inspired , because I have to. If I put that piece into my studio & it sells, even tho I'll miss it, then that gives me permission to carry on making that kind of piece, for as long as i want to. Yes, it is a compliment!

    I just found your WoW piece on dying & I must have skimmed over it when it came out (I didn't know who you were then!) as I'm afraid of the process & therefore afraid to invest in all those wonderfully named procion dyes. It was so easy to understand, thank you, so I will invest one day & carefully go thru the w/s bit by bit.

    Love this post!

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  3. I love how your dying has turned out. Could we do this in class?

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  4. I think its very flattering that someone is willing to part with their hard earned cash to own a piece of your work. I don't think there's any shame in wanting to sell. Its an exchange. Is it any different from say a band wanting to make an album and sell their particular skill?

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  5. Oh, I meant to say how much I love the work in this post.

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  6. I always have a sense of loss when something of mine sells. Especially if it sells quickly after I have just finished it. Or in the case of my latest commmission that I worked on for five months. Sending it off was a double edged sword. Like letting a child go. But the good edge is the feedback when the person who asked for it and then loved it in the end tells me this. That is true satisfaction.

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