He continued: “Our customers were visiting to update for her works on Highland Cattle, bulls in particular and
equipment and ensure they were up to date on any new animals in general. She said: “We sell my original work and
products or methods. Th e weather naturally had an impact both limited and open editions because we like to cover all
on the week, but our steely customers that made it to the angles. My husband, Sandy does all the printing. With the
show were delighted to fi nd they could wander and speak open editions we go for the High Street stores, naturally the
with staff at leisure. Th ere is always a positive to take originals and limited editions are more for the galleries. We
advantage of.” like to be in control of our own destiny.”
Judi Williams of the Greetings card company Cachet Th e artist Agnetha Sjogren of DOart told me that
UK Ltd told me the company had just launched a rather although she was from Sweden, she was now based in
large fl oral range of cards taken from the artwork of Melissa London. She said: “My background is as a designer, not as
Mailer-Yates. She said: “Th ere’s 30 in the range at the an artist. I started doing window displays and progressed
moment and others are in the pipeline! As a company we from there. I wanted my props to stay a little longer than the
particularly like them because they are bold, colourful and normal 6 to 8 weeks! I completed some dogs for a window
vibrant; just what we want amongst all this doom and gloom. display and they became very popular, people actually wanted
We’re hoping to get them into galleries and areas of tourist to buy the display and that’s where I got the idea. All are
Artreo: Guggenheim by Colin Ruff ell
attractions. Th ey retail at £1.99 and we sell them in packs one off s and all of them come with a nametag, a little collar
of fi ve. Carriage paid is normally 30 packs, either with or and a passport. Each one has a story attached to it. I’ve been
without a spinner and the trade price is 85p. A nice little in business for about two years now. If someone wanted
add-on to the art!” diamond chippings on their dog I could do it, if they wanted
Holly James of Art Garden Studios reminded me that she a logo on the dog, I could do that as well. I work with a
looks after the interests of the artist Claire Frances-Smith. lot of big individual clients as well as corporate clients. I’ve
She said: “Claire concentrates on, and is well known for her exhibited in Stockholm and New York!”
atmospheric skies over the East Anglian coastline although Adam Barsby of Adam Barsby Artworks Ltd told me
this time around we have three small limited editions that with one further day to go at the fair, he had already
zooming in on the people who are miniscule against the sky sold 80% of his original work. He said: “I think that gallery
in Claire’s major works. Here, she is featuring on deckchairs, owners have been saying that they want competitively priced
bathers, umbrellas and kids playing around in the sand, based originals and if they can get them for a reasonable price then
on holiday memories. “ why should they go for a limited edition. If the gallery is
Angela Davidson of Angela Davidson Art said that speaking and dealing directly with the artist, then they have a
she thought it a lot quieter than previous years, but story to tell their own clients. It’s not just being fed through
acknowledged that the current climate and adverse weather another source; it creates interest and hopefully, stimulates
conditions all had their part to play in this, however she did a return for more. I’ve had a good show and it’s onward and
confi rm that she’d made some new individual contacts and upward from here on in!”
with those of galleries too. Angela is perhaps best known Th e artist Sally Ellis told me that she works in acrylic,
Richard Cooper: Dragonfl y
picturebusiness 19
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