I genuinely still feel a little overwhelmed by just how positive my experience of Bucks Art Weeks 2022 was.
This was my first proper art event, and the first time in around a year and a half that my work had been seen by a wider audience (outside of a few lovely local village events). To say it pushed me out of my comfort zone would be an understatement — but it turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I’ve done.
Before anything else, I need to say a huge thank you to my family. With two young children, committing to something like this isn’t straightforward, and I simply couldn’t have done it without their support. They made it possible for me to open my home studio for eight days across the two-week event — and that support meant everything.
For a bit of context, Bucks Art Weeks is a county-wide celebration of creativity, where hundreds of artists and makers open their studios or shared spaces to showcase their work. I opened my own home studio to the public and ran it entirely on my own, which was definitely a little nerve-wracking at first.
So… how did it go?
Much better than I ever imagined.
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I welcomed around 70–80 visitors through my door. Considering I was exhibiting solo and very few people knew I was there before the event, I was absolutely thrilled with the turnout.
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I sold 16 paintings, along with a stack of greetings cards. Some of the sold pieces are shown in the photos from the event — and honestly, it still feels a bit surreal.
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I’ve already had several follow-up conversations about commissions, which is incredibly exciting.
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I made so many new connections with local artists, galleries and wonderful new customers, and I really hope those relationships continue to grow.
I also have to say how impressed I was with the organisation behind Bucks Art Weeks. The signage, brochures, maps and promotion were all incredibly professional. It’s an event I feel genuinely proud to have been part of, and I’d wholeheartedly encourage any artist who’s thinking about taking part to go for it.
Finally, a massive thank you to everyone who came to visit and to everyone who bought a piece of my work. After not putting myself out there in a real-life event for quite some time, this experience gave me a huge confidence boost.
And now for the best part…
I get to go and make some more paintings.