Sheridan Russell stand at Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, showing 5 of my paintings. Photo © Sheridan Russell Gallery.

March has been another busy old month, hence the delay in posting for a while. Funny how one thing can lead to another in the most unexpected ways. I sometimes wonder whether the time I spend on social media is worth it (mainly looking at/promoting my own art and work by other artists I admire). But a recent development in February made me think again. 

I was contacted via my website by Sheridan Russell, a London gallery looking for another artist for their stand at art fairs. They’d been given my name by an RI artist whose work I admired on Twitter, but who I’d never actually met. She generously recommended my work to them, so I took quite a few works down to show to them and fortunately their reaction was really positive. Consequently they took my work to the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea, London. It’s the first time I’ve had work in the major art fairs and to my delight four largeish ones sold. As the gallery specialises in art fairs, my work will also be going to Art fairs in Chelsea in late april, and Hampstead and Tunbridge Wells in May. 

Strandline. Acrylic/mixed-media on canvas. 100x100cm. Sold at Battersea Affordable Art Fair 2016. © Mari French.

My point is, you never know where an opportunity or contact can come from. I know many artists are worried about losing control of their images if they post them online and are sceptical about social media, but I personally feel an artist needs to spread their net far and wide these days. Apart from financial and exhibiting benefits, there’s the great feeling of ‘meeting’ and networking with artists on social media, plus the generosity of many artists in sharing their techniques and advice online, whether on Facebook, in blogs, in videos on YouTube etc, or just sharing a grumble or concern about some aspect of producing art. I also love coming across and sharing amazing artwork on Twitter and on Pinterest. 

If you’d like to follow/contact me on social media here are my details:

Twitter: @MariFrench12

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MariFrenchArtist

Pinterest: @french1180