There has been a dramatic increase in the number of professional artists who are choosing to exhibit and sell their work at country fairs throughout the UK. Though it's impossible to know the exact number, they appear to be growing as crowds turn out by the thousands to buy paintings, sculptures, woodwork, metalwork, glasswork and jewellery and to meet the artists and craftsmen who make them.
At the forefront of this trend is artist Harriet Gosling whose luminous paintings of #Oxfordshire wildlife and her intimate still life paintings of fruit and other inanimate everyday objects are much sought after by collectors. Gosling says, ”For home based artists selling at fairs and shows can provide an opportunity to increase sales and find new customers” She continues “Because you are selling directly to the public, you meet the people who are buying your art. You can test market new work and your pricing.”
Typically, shows charge just a few hundred pounds for a booth and allow artists to maximise a profit on the work they create -- profit they don't have to share with a gallery or shop owner. But as Gosling says” making money at fairs and shows isn't as easy as it seems. It requires research, planning and the ability to keep a smile on your face while standing on your feet for long hours. And that's not for everyone.”
Gosling who works from her home-based studio in the beautiful village of Godington will be showing at the 2011 CLA Game Fair. Last year, the fair held at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire attracted over 140,000 visitors from throughout the UK and abroad. With its focus on such pursuits as shooting, fishing, gundogs, hounds and hunting it is the perfect setting for her work and “a great opportunity for the public to connect with artists”.
The CLA Game Fair 2011 will be held at #BlenheimPalace, Oxfordshire, on Friday 22 July - Sunday 24 July.
