secretplanet

..and quickly!
The last entry (this time last year) was when I won the big prize at the Hobart Show, and as a result, I'm the feature artist this year, with two panels all to myself, & an opportunity to have an artists' statement explaining my strange works!
In the year that just passed a lot of things changed. Just before Christmas, my younger sister died in a car accident & threw our whole family into turmoil before we emerged as very different people, with changed views of life & each other. There's a big piece missing now; a piece of myself too, in that my sister & I were close in age, and there are a lot of things only we knew about. The work I've done since then has been focused on life, sentience, making meaning, what we leave behind, & family (which includes non-biological family!). There's been a lot of thoughts & discussion about what family means & what should be important.
I spent the first 3 months of the year drawing seven pictures in a series about Sinbad the Sailor, my husbands favourite childhood stories, because I could think of no more meaningful thing to give him than my time & effort.
My daughter finished school & became a real adult, & my baby became a teenager, (and I'm so proud of them!) so I see a future vastly different from the last 20 years of my life! Then in May I got my dream job as Nurse Educator in the dialysis unit where I work! It's hard work, and I've had to find my way a bit: I spend a lot of nights awake & planning or worrying, but I think it's a good job for me, & I hope I'll eventually be good at it!
And in between all that is the art itself, and the awesome people I get to meet through it. Cheers to all the mad folks I do life drawing with: I love hanging out with the people & eating the Tim Tams as much as the drawing!

..Is more of a little winding dirt track, full of rocks & holes to trip the unwary. But if you take your time & treat it as a rejuventating stroll, you notice it goes through a lush & picturesque landscape, full of inspiring scenes & occasional new friends & guides! I'm all inspired & excited!

It's been a while coming for me, but I feel I've found the path again, & now I've had some exciting rewards!
I've just won first prize in the professional artist category at the Royal Hobart Show! Then to my surprise & great honour, I came runner up overall! 

If you want to see a pic of me too excited to stand still for a photo, here's the link to my facebook post! It was just the confidence boost I needed, & I'm so grateful to the show, it's organizers & judges for giving this opportunity to our community! Putting art into an agricultural show is a great way to bring it to much wider audience, & introduce it to people who might not normally have a chance to look at original art works.

 Hobart Show

If you happen to be in Tasmania, Australia this week, take some time to check out the show's art pavillion: the art from the hobby artist categories is just as high quality as the professionals (it was a hobbyist who won the overall prize!) and it's a great opportunity for collectors as we all keep our prices in the community spirit category! 

Pricing art is so hard!

I use how many hours it took to create a piece (not counting research time) as a guide, and sort of figure out a rough hourly rate. I've never factored in the cost of canvas, brushes, varnish or paint, only framing (mine are usually framed), so i think my buyers & the gallery owner are getting a pretty good deal! In fact I end up making less per hour than a 15yr old working at McDonald's!

But I still have to suffer surprised & often indignant reactions to the prices! I totally understand that times are tough & many people can't afford great big oil paintings (I can't either!) but many artists are happy to discuss other options, like a smaller drawing or a quality print! Why are people so annoyed when an artist wants to be paid for her time & skill?

I work 3 days a week as a nurse, & my art is supposed to supplement my income. I often feel pressured & guilty for asking sensible prices, as if it's wrong to make money from something that others see as a fun hobby. If it's that easy to paint a decent picture, why don't people decorate their walls themselves? 

finally finished all the shopping, wrapping, & most of the pre xmas parties & cooking, & decided it was time i gave myself a present. something i've been thinking about for a while now: an "Art by Ria Gilham" facebook page! 

First "reclining Goat" fav.me/d5dialz sold about a month ago, which excited me because while i've sold plenty of works myself, i've never had one sell through a gallery before! Now 2 more - "The Nocturnal Ones" fav.me/d41h76v & "The Discovery" fav.me/d38i2b7 have sold in just over a week!
This is so exciting! I don't know what's happening out there to make buyers suddenly discover my work, but I'm thrilled to pieces! And I'd better get back into my studio & get working!
In the meantime, the other works are in the Nolan Gallery www.nolanart.com.au/ in the Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart, Tasmania, if anyone asks!
I'm always so delighted when somebody else finds something to love in a work I've poured my heart into!