Art Source 2023
“The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.”
~ Friedrich Nietzsche
It’s the day after an incredible long weekend at Art Source. I’m extremely tired but also immensely grateful. I’m grateful to have been asked back to display my illustrations at the RDS by Ballyfermot College, and for the wonderful customers and passers-by who supported what I love to do, and who shared friendly chats with me. I was back at the show this year after a few years hiatus to represent my former college course Graphic Design which I studied at BCFE - a brilliant 2 year course which helped me to find the path which I travel today. Myself and former graduates of BCFE were located upstairs on the balcony level where we showcased our work at Ireland’s biggest art fair.
As with the beginning of all great projects - a plan was conjured! I do this before each show to get an idea of how my products can be displayed to their best within the dimensions of the assigned stand. It makes the set-up day so much easier, as well as deciding on what stock to bring with me to the show. We saved the wooden shelves from my previous shows and arranged them to suit each wall space. I find using shelves to be an advantage as once they are level on the wall, then the prints and cards can easily be displayed without the need to check if they are themselves level.
And here was our blank canvas! This year the organisers used a warm grey cloth for the wall covering, instead of the usual white. I wasn’t sure if my work would look well against a grey wall, but as you will see below, it surprisingly helped to make my artwork look more colourful and impactful - as well as helping the gold details to really shine!
With the help of my amazing Dad and his DIY skills, we completed the display in about 4 hours on the Wednesday night.
The left-hand wall displayed my A3 and A4 prints, while the right side was used to show how my prints look when framed. For the first time I also used new gold wire paper holders for customers to rifle through my smaller prints at their leisure. These new additions worked out really well during the show, and I’m glad I found them online a week before the show!
My new business cards were postcard-size to allow them to become miniature prints. My contact information and story were printed on the reverse. I re-coloured my popular ‘Le Grá’ print for the front of the card in my brand colours of peach and emerald green as a collectable little token of the day.
The lovely people from BCFE also provided me with these cute little promotional cards featuring my ‘Rainbow Cottage’ illustration - they proved really popular at the show, especially with the younger wee folk!
Before the doors opened to the public each morning, my Dad and I would enjoy the quiet and wander around the dazzling pink aisles gazing at all the amazing artwork on display. I particularly loved these huge sculptures which were taller than myself!
It’s quite a lovely thing to know that I was exhibiting in the same venue as iconic artists such as Andy Warhol. It was such an inspiring place to walk around and absorb all the colours, shapes and textures on display.
It’s sad that the show is over, but I had such a great time and made so many special memories. It also gave me a much needed confidence boost as an artist. To hear the public at my stand saying things like ‘wow’ or ‘your work is so different and distinctive’ is really heartwarming. Others said my art was like a fairytale, or it was enchanting, uplifting, and imbued with warm cosy colours. Another person mentioned my stand was like walking into a cute little art shop! These observations mean the world to me and will help me to continue creating illustrations to share with those who love the things that I love.
Thank you to everyone who visited me at the show; to BCFE and Art Source; and to my amazing parents for helping me at the show and for encouraging my creative soul all through the years. ~ Rachel x