I often wonder what the people are like who buy my work. To me my paintings become babies and to part with them can hurt. After spending so many hours putting love into each individual painting they become very much a product of me. I then wonder who would buy something that is in essence ‘me’. This is very much an issue that I have to fight with when marketing my artwork. If these paintings are ‘me’ how do I promote them? How can I promote ‘me’?
So, who are these people and why do they like my work?
When I first started producing my Sand People paintings I set up a craft stall in my home town of Ludlow, Shropshire. As I stood at the stall I would watch people walk by and I was fascinated by my customers. There was a real 50/50 split between men and women.
The men would come to the stall mainly on their own and would buy the work for their loved one, as the themes were couples and groups of people (possibly families or whatever they imagined them to be). A number of men bought the larger paintings which I often produced of lone figures – I found this really interesting.
The women would often be with other women and would say that the painting would look great in which ever room and would buy based more on the number of figures and the aesthetics of the piece. I was intrigued how the men would spot the piece that they liked and within seconds would buy it, whereas the women tended to select the piece that they liked and would then browse the stall for a further few minutes before coming back to buy the painting.
Ludlow market is in a beautiful setting and the buildings around it all add to the character and charm.
On one occasion a lady came to view my work, she bought one or two pieces and then she vanished. I had commented to my mother who often helped me, what a lovely person this lady seemed to be. I went through a phase of not having the stalls because the weather was too bad and then personal events took over. When I returned to the market a year or two later the lady appeared again. She said that she was glad that I was back and that she had looked for my stall whilst I was away. She bought a painting of a lone figure ‘The Thinker’ and commissioned a large version of the painting.
Above: This is not the actual painting of the lone figure but it is similar.
Roisin (the lady at the stall) and I are now really good friends and I have had the privilege of seeing ‘The Thinker’, my large painting, in situ. It is in a stunning flat next to Tower Bridge in London. It turns out that the painting wasn’t for her, but it was for her partner.
Roisin’s partner, Reza lives and works in London. This painting was bought as a calming, relaxing painting for him to hang in his office and for him to look at and self reflect with. The reason why she bought it for him was because she loves him – this is the reason why anybody buys my work… because there is love in the work and the love gets passed around.
The people who buy my work are all different but love is the connection between the people who buy it. There are all sorts of figures and relationships between people in my work. This is what my aim is, to produce work that connects for whatever reason. I want my work to be emotive.
Roisin has not only turned out to be a really good friend but she also believes in me and my art.
I had an anonymous sale of a couple of large paintings which were hanging at Fishmore Hall a few months ago and it turned out to be Roisin.
Above: This painting is one which Roisin bought.
I went back to the hotel to put up some new labels a few weeks ago and a lady stopped me and said that the painting above was her favorite one and she was devastated that it had been sold. I told her that it had gone to a loving home.
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