Open Studios with Simon Hodges VPPS
Open 4 - 6 May 2024.
11am - 5pm
12 Hillview Road,
BATH
BA1 6NX
www.hillviewstudio.co.uk
Also on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@SimonHodgesart
Simon Hodges PS at Hillview Studio
For fourteen years I have opened our house and my studio to locals around Larkhall on the eastern edge of Bath, Somerset. For the three days of the first May Bank Holiday, Larkhall has a Festival at which was originally formed by a small group of artists who wanted an art trail. Now it has a garden trail and many other events. I was lucky to be part of the first one and for the next 6 years took the lead but since then simply enjoy the pleasure it gives to all sorts of people. I have accepted that not all come to see paintings because some like the chance to see a garden, which I also open on the garden trail and some just like to see how the other half live. I love it because other people love it.
So, I write this not so much to tell you what I do but hopefully as an aid if you are thinking about doing it yourself. I don’t have all the answers and I don’t make a fortune out of it. But that is not the reason I do it and Helena allows me to do it. Whilst I sketch from nature, I avoid contact with others for the simple reason that I cannot concentrate very well with others, partially because I love to chat with like-minded people. I am also a studio artist when it comes to most finished work. I sell essentially through galleries and exhibitions. So, to meet people and let them see how I work is a treat. It is an honour to sell work but I love the painting process.
Our trail is reasonably well advertised by others but I try to make sure that every free opportunity to advertise my event is used. Websites, Instagram, my wife’s Facebook account, besides a small fee for a brochure or feature in our local newspaper, keep expenses small and the main outlay is time; 11am to 5pm each day. Now I don’t frame unless the paintings will be shown again elsewhere. Use temporary spare frames if you have them, but not all great work needs a frame because at the end of the day this is the most subjective demand which cannot be anticipated.
If this makes sense for you, firstly think how practical it is to allow strangers onto and into your property. We have no children or are open to pets, but occasionally a small dog is allowed in on a lead and children and their curiousness is always welcome with parents that have some control of the excitement levels. But having said that, each year our ‘jungle’ garden encourages excitement and hiding. There is sometimes a small amount of plant damage but nothing that causes a problem. Contrary to this, adults need some guidance as to where they can go just for peace of mind.
I don’t like losing money and the fact is that three days of holiday can become quite exhausting with all the talking and even more tiring when it is just two of us looking at each other in the quiet moments. These happen; especially at lunch time. But despite all the ‘me, me, me’, it is a team effort and my wife Helena is essential. On your own, confusion can reign and can sometimes be misread as rudeness when you are pulled in all directions at once. But I love it because people are generally very complimentary and the event is as much about the future as it is the present. Many more sales and opportunities have followed than happened at the time. So have contact details ready or make sure they are given before somebody disappears out the door. But I am never pushy. It is their choice.
As for guidance to where everything is, I have tried posters or leaflets but people do not like to read too much when making several brief visits, so be willing to follow ‘welcome’ by constantly having to repeat where everything is. You have heard it all but they haven’t. So, unless you suddenly realize or they remind you that they have been before, be patient. I also have a repeated mantra with people that keep coming back, ‘you know where everything is but hopefully it will all be different.’ It may not be but like myself, we don’t see everything and something you missed last year can become a revelation the next.
To price or not to price? I have done it both ways and never win. Pricing everything can make it look like a car boot sale but don’t price and people are worried that asking comes with a large £ response. I gave a guide this year with various sizes and this seemed to work. But it is essential to remind people that whilst I love to find a compromise, I will not treat any gallery I work with unfairly by offering paintings at greatly undercut prices. Studio discounts are an acceptable practice over a short period but it is something I treat seriously. However, a studio is full of half-finished, old and discarded paintings and is therefore a treasure trove for images that when seen by others can lead to interesting sales. Because the artist may treat something as an unfinished work, it doesn’t mean the buyer does!
As to payment, I am old school still. No card machine at the moment but also no longer cheques or cash (but taken if offered) and if someone wishes to take it away, a bank transfer can be achieved. Otherwise, I work on trust, a contact, a local address and I will accept COD. This allows me to make sure that unexpected sales are up to scratch before they pass to the buyer.
Finally, a word about the ambience. Walking into a stranger’s house is particularly daunting. I have done it many times as a visitor. An odd look, as I got on holiday because what I thought was an open invitation simply wasn’t, is not a nice feeling. Quiet and appropriate background music and a welcoming ‘please come in’ from a distance is followed by the amazement at all the opportunities that are there to be seen with no one looking over your shoulder. It all breaks the ice!
This year went quicker than most despite the economic plight we seem to be in. Not the biggest sales but the experience was as great as ever, nothing was lost and the diary is already being kept clear for next year.
Simon
