The number of people who call to offer us IT services, accounting services, alarm systems, insurances and changes to our energy supply is just ridiculous. Why anyone would bother I don't know - if I wanted any of these services I would simply find them for myself. That is why God invented Google!. The man from the accounting company asked to speak to Sam Kamleh, when I said that Sam was not available and we already had an accountant we were happy with, he said "....but I have already spoken to Mr Sam and he said he was interested". Caught out the little so and so. Perhaps it isn't fair to pretend to be my own Secretary, but serves the sexist toads right for presuming that if you're a woman you must be the totty and not the top dog!
I've become quite sharp with them which I don't like to do because of my brother in law who does a similar job. Hey ho. Someone has to take the stress and its best that the phone sales people do - why pay for a therapist when you can be cured on their phone bill?
Now to the Fragile Landscape exhibition. The private view was great and very busy, I'm delighted to report. I always see it as a nice social evening and was delighted that we had some sales on the night. Martin Goold's work sold very well and so did Alistair Tucker's.
Sue Knight's exquisite Fragile Landscapes paintings are just wonderful and look amazing in the space. Combined with Miles Bodimeade's Lycanthropy sculptures the gallery looked like it had been lifted from Cork Street (in its hay day). Teddington IS the new Cork Street!
There is such a high standard of work in this exhibition that it really does set the tone for the gallery's future. Suchi Chidambaram had painted two new paintings especially for this exhibition and they are wonderful. Others had been on show at The Royal Academy Summer Show 2007. I'm delighted with all the work and rather honoured that these wonderful emerging and established artists want to exhibit at the architect's gallery.
Getting everything up on the walls is entertaining. I hadn't arranged time slots for artists collecting and delivering work, so at times it was like Clapham Junction and it might have been frustrating for artists who'd come a long way. Richard Watkins and his friend Morgan helped move the steel hoops to the garden, Kate came all the way from Cumbria, Barry from Manchester, Sue's very large canvases needed a truck and Miles had come from Bath. Alexander from Brighton and that's only some of them. Various works coming in and out, various works still at the gallery to be collected later some are still there but I'm not sure why. Jon Adams fantastic works arrived on Friday morning requiring a reshuffle of the hanging. Luckily, not only are they just beautiful they were also beautifully packaged, nicely framed and ready for hanging. Whilst I like all the artists I'm working with one can't help the moments of irritation with them when we start having to string everything - its incredibly time consuming. New rule no. 4 - state that we will charge for any works we have to string or prepare for hanging!
Then there are the large works - I tried to hang Sue's by myself and although they are relatively light for their size, they're not designed for holding up with one arm whilst trying to get the hook in the other. I also had to wear gloves and keep the bubble wrap on to avoid staining or damaging them. The largest one could not have been done without Kurt. Standing at the top of the tall ladder trying to get the hook in whilst I was on tip toe holding the other end up invited a goodly amount of expletives from Kurt - some more X-rated than others. Nonetheless, the stretching was a good substitute for exercise and helped flatten my stomach for the evening.
Without Kurt there is no way this exhibition would have come together on time - in fact, there are still labels missing on a few paintings and all of the sculptures. Miles had to write them by hand at the Private View! Kurt didn't stop picking up cardboard boxes and packages, clearing up the space, mopping the floor, ordering wine and glasses, clearing the garden, taking irritating phone calls, moving paintings up and down stairs, going to the shops for various missing bits and pieces helping with the hanging, helping Max Jacquard bring down the scarecrows from the window and then serving drinks and clearing at the Private View. He didn't even swear that much and only lost his temper once or twice.
Without Glenda though, the labels and biographies - which are incredibly time consuming - were not completed. My beautiful friend Elizabeth Healey came to help but it's tricky to learn photoshop in 10 minutes. I was delighted that she and Philip came to the do in the evening. The actress and the poet - excellent duo. You must watch her film real on http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2195416183453095626.
As for the Fire Poet http://www.thefirepoet.com/ I'm planning something interesting for him at the gallery. More as the idea develops!
The opening then started with the children arriving with Mirka - my amazing nanny - to help with serving the drinks. I carried on doing labels until my daughter called up "mummy the posh man who came last time is here"!. So I decided to abandon the remaining labels and go and greet people as they arrived. The posh gentleman was Councillor Martin Elenghorn - the design champion in the Borough - who has been very supportive of the gallery and I am delighted that he comes to the Private Views. But as I am slightly in awe of his intellect I, of course, venture to sound like an ass every time I speak to him. Of course, it isn't nice or decent to wish that someone would develop Alzheimer's just so that they would forget the idiotic things you said and now that I'm reading The Secret (again) I am making a conscious effort to only thing positive and loving things about myself and other people.
The week was made more special because of Suzanne's visit with her rather improved fiance. They make a fantastic looking couple and the wedding is quite soon. I don't know who will look after the gallery on the day but am mentally assessing various candidates. Suzanne is a former employee and a very good friend.
So, now that Private View no. 3 is done and I only ache in two or three places I need to tidy up the labelling. I tried to do this and to design a poster for our new external board on Saturday but it was very busy. I must rearrange the set up so that we don't have the invoicing in one room and the card machine in another. This would also help any future employees. More tidying up next week when Kurt is there. We do need someone else, but I haven't found them yet. Several people have applied for positions with the architecture practice and with the gallery, but none that possesses all the skills necessary. Some have been lovely ladies but the technology would probably be quite tricky, others are quite young and would not be appropriate sales people for the gallery. Others are skilled in some areas but don't know how to use design programmes or how to update the website. As the architecture practice is now picking up we'll definitely need someone there and I would prefer to employ an architect - they tend to be better all rounders with skills in several software packages - than the many who have applied to the gallery because they "love art". If only Vincent was here.
So, now for the preparation for exhibition no. 4 - the Summer Exhibition. I already have a list and have contacted several of the artists and one has even delivered her work already! Our invitation list is improving although its still a bit messy, and using the Post Office on line has helped us collate the postal list in one place.
Next week also sees the start of the painting and life drawing classes. At the moment it is largely defeating its objective and we're rather going backwards having underestimated the costs and the fees charged by life models. So, we need to update the prices which is always a little awkward yet it has to be done for it to be a viable enterprise. I have no doubt it will be. All is in place - easels, space, screen, teachers, life models and the coffee is on order! We have two students per night at the moment and our break-even is 8 per night. But, you can't move forward unless you take the first step, so step we must. I'm very much looking forward to it - although for a while I'll need to be there late every night to lock up and clean up. Eventually I'll arrange something else - probably with the teaching artist - to lock up. It does make more sense.
Its exciting and rather non stop. We also have the sculpture competition to launch and I need to chase up Cleve West.
All good things to come.
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