For open studios / the art trail and beyond! Although I moved into my new studio six months ago, I’d been waiting for the VOA to make a decision about merging the two units and what the address would be, and then trying to figure out how best to create signage for both my businesses together. Don’t even get me started on changing the Google profile, although that has now been updated after some quite stressful conversations and an escalation to a specialist team (!).
And that’s why I’ve been so quiet about it, although clearly that’s about to change.
Getting proper signage sorted was a surprisingly complicated, but very happymaking job – and here it all is, ready for the May Wivenhoe Art Trail.
The big sign above my stairs:
my lovely A board:
I have a whole series of posters for this so I can change it up as needed for both my photography businesses, when I’m open, and also when I’m not here but still want people to see my stuff! Printed on outdoor vinyl so they don’t need a cover and should be fairly weatherproof and actually didn’t cost that much to do. Print still baffles me with how much cheaper it is to get 10 of something than 1.
And my big banners on the stairs heading up to my studio – I had these already for events, but this is a nice permanent home for them!
Next up was the signs for the front door – I’d ordered some lovely hanging signs from HL Designs who I’d met at the Shop Small event in April, and also knew I wanted an open/closed sign, and somewhere to hang the various hanging photo frames I have. Sometimes they have a welcome message, sometimes info, sometimes just a photo I want to display.
I looked at some bog standard hooks, and then remembered I’d bought a beautiful mermaid tail one in Cornwall last year, and had been indecisive about putting it up. As everyone knows me as the mermaid, I figured it’d be a great talking point for the front door.
Turns out hardwood doors are surprisingly difficult to put hooks into, but I did manage it in the end, and with only a tiny bit of swearing. Here’s the result:
Outside the front door I bought two A3 frames and printed brief explanations of each side of my work to go in them; added QR codes and hung them. These can change if needed depending on what I’m doing during the year or even what the studio is being used for.
Inside, I also printed a two page A3 document which briefly explains each of my art series. I always try to have this up somewhere during open studio events so that anyone who is interested but I don’t get a chance to speak to can see, and also because some people like to have the background of an artwork, even if they see a different story to the one I created it with. These just get blu-tacked to either the cupboard or the inside door, as they’re event-only. Each series and project has (or will eventually have) its own page on this site, where all the details will live.
And for now, that’s all my studio signage – but it feels like a massive achievement to have got it all sorted!
