I Made It, But Only Just

To publise the opening of Ted Coney's Family Portraits I agreed to take the Morris Minor to the Eel Day celebrations last Saturday. The car is 80 this year and of course my current painting uses it as a time machine (but more about that in another blog) and I know that it certainly draws in the crowds. Anyway, the car had a very flat battery, and after several attempts to charge it up, I was advised to get a new one (a battery that is, not a car). I arranged to collect it on my bike as the battery shop was fairly near the station, where I come into after working in Cambridge. Disaster! I realised that the front tyre of the bike had a puncture, so I had to run home to get our modern car before the shop shut. With the Royal Wedding the next day, I knew the race was onto get the car fixed that afternoon.
I drove onto Jubilee Gardens with some panache and all my gallery signs and leaflets and spent an exhausting day talking about Family Portraits. Ofcourse, it's the Morris they will remember but just maybe, this will lead to more folks coming to visit.

Just Popping Up

Yes, I made it into two local newspapers. The pictures were fine and the headlines made great play on my being 'Ely's First Pop-Up Gallery'. One of the pictures was a bit small, but a copy of it fits nicely onto my new clip displayboard. Will it be enough to bring people into
Ted Coney's Family Portraits in the coming weeks? Someone asked me if it meant I was now doing pop art, so maybe I will need to educate the public more, in the coming months. With my new slogan I can pop down (or out) whenever I please and ofcourse I can open at other times, rather than just Sundays, if I get a booking.

See You Later, Trafficator

This morning, just as I was about to leave in the Morris for my talk about my paintings, to the Mepal Friendship Group, one of my trafficators fell off. That's indicators to you, but I wondered if it was a bad omen for the day?! No time to stick it back on, so I sped off (well I was doing 25m.p.h.) in search of Mepal. Ofcourse all the elderly ladies enjoyed seeing the car and that broke the ice immediately. Much as I enjoy doing the talk, I do get very nervous about all the technology but infact, it all went smoothly. I think they must have liked it because they have booked to come to Ted Coney's Family Portraits one morning in June. Will we have enough chairs and will they manage the stairs? I need to get organising.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

I've just had my photo taken twice in as many days, once for the Standard and the other for the News. It is all good publicity for opening Ted Coney's Family Portraits ofcourse, but I wonder which newspaper will produce the better photo? The young lady from the Standard took my picture very quickly and complemented me on how organised I was. As I want to push the slogan ' Ely's first pop-up gallery', both in the picture and story, I had gathered together all my signs and A-board and put them around the entrance to the garden. The chap from the News took considerably longer, wanting to play with the various boards and having me lean in different positions. It will be interesting to see which looks the most welcoming and making me seem less mad. Do look out for them

Getting Ready - Upside Down!

Simon came this morning and we were talking so much he hung my new picture upside down! He also completed hanging the family photographs in the hallway. It's taken four years to fill the entire space, floor to ceiling, on every wall. It's now ready for the first visitors of the season. I collected my new flyers and posters the other day and have been giving them out to shops, museums, galleries etc. I have just written a press release, so hope to get at least one local paper to do something on Ted Coney's Family Portraits in the next couple of weeks. I've also been putting out my A-board and new clipframe out at the end of the lane to advertise my reopening. All I need now are a few bookings, but feel quite relaxed about the whole thing this year.

Keeping Up

I have been going through the Electronic Sketchbook recently, in rediness for the reopening of Ted Coney's Family Portraits. I felt I needed to practise what was on each image, so I could say a description of it, before the image changed into the next picture. Last year I couldn't always keep up! Maybe I should learn how to make it go slightly slower. I'll have another try when I am feeling less tied!

Flying In and Flying Out

Yesterday, I was able to send off the rejigged flyer and poster to be printed, ready for the new season of Ted Coney's Family Portraits. Paul of Honest Ideas had made the changes to the words and very kindly changed the pictures around within the keyhole loggo to give the whole thing a fresh look. I have changed the strap line from ' Five generations in thirty minutes' (which always slightly niggled - did people think they only got half an hour for their three quid?) to 'Ely's First Pop-up Gallery' which I feel reflects more what I do (it also means we can 'pop- down' if we have something more exciting on!). I also got the Morris Minor safely back yesterday and very splendid it looks. It is all ready for the opening on the 17th April and also to celebrate its 80th birthday in July (but more of that later)