Exhibition Time!

If you or anyone you know happens to be in the Fareham/Titchfield area this weekend (30-31st October) then please consider visiting the Fareham Art Group 70th Anniversary exhibition. I will be exhibiting a few popular pieces as well as selling prints and cards along with the other talented artists. WE ALSO HAVE REFRESHMENTS! Some of them have been baked by my own fair hands but please donโ€™t let that put you off.

In other news I now have two new stockists of my Christmas cards this year – Laurence Oxley and The Arlebury Cafe, both in Alresford. Of course you can still buy through this website, and that is very much encouraged!

This Little Artist Went To Market

Another month, another market. Possibly the last one before things start getting properly Christmassy ( I know – I don’t like mentioning the other ‘C’ word when I’m sitting in my garden in my shorts either).

Gosport Makers’ Market was an interesting one as it seemed to be simultaneously one of the first markets to happen at this site since Covid, but also one of the last ones to happen before the building gets a fairly major refurb. Makes it pretty hard to tell (yet again) whether what we experienced was representative of what a typical event would be like here in the future. Certainly we didn’t see the 800-1000 people through the doors that had supposedly been seen previously, but even at a fraction of these numbers we still did surprisingly well with a range of sales from ยฃ2 to ยฃ30, and not just to friends and family.

I was fortunate as always to have Simon with me to enable me to have a wander and meet some of the other stallholders. In many ways this is as valuable as the sales as every connection we can make is another like, another share, another recommendation, and more useful info on the local area, other markets, and advertising tips. There is also a lot to be gleaned just b y looking at how other people set up their stalls, present their wares, and what range of products and prices they are displaying. I now have a shopping list of extra stand and hangers should we do more markets in the future although I am reluctant to invest too much until the sales get a little more reliable.

In the meantime the focus is switching firmly towards Christmas here at PBP. This year’s Christmas cards have already arrived (seriously it gets earlier every year!) Plus the light train prints have now arrived – 20% of the total money taken from these will be donated to NHS charities as a small acknowledgment of the hard work put in my NHS staff (and all keyworkers!) during the Covid pandemic. I know that the rainbow lights were intended by those who created the Steam Illuminations as an NHS tribute and as a (sort of) NHS worker myself it seems fitting that the NHS should benefit in some little way from this image.

Stay safe

Emma x

Emma Trickle – Award Winning Artist!

I’m not sure I can believe it either. First competition and a first win. That’s what you call a very nice (and unexpected) birthday present. Not only did I win a certificate and voucher, but I also received some very positive feedback from the guest judge (a successful wildlife artist). Not a bad start at all, especially as I had nicknamed this pair ‘My Stupid Geese’. They are now ‘My Stupid Prize Winning Geese’. HONK HONK!

Visit the Fareham Art Group page to see the rest of the competition entries – I think there was a lovely variety of work and a very high standard across the board, hence my surprise. https://www.farehamartgroup.co.uk/the-val-carter-wildlife-trophy-2021/

NEW EVENT! 10th July – Alton Craft Market.

It’s taken a while but things are finally happening!

I have spent the last couple of months building up enough artwork to be able to put together my own stall of prints and gifts. I was initially aiming for the Medstead ‘Picnic on the Green’ and art fair but sadly this has been cancelled and I am shifting my attentions up the road to the popular Alton Craft Market.

It might not be the biggest range in the world at the moment, but it is mine and I am proud of it, so please come and visit me if you are interested in prints, cards, bottles, and mugs, or even if you are passing and would like to say hello. It is my first event so I will be very happy to see you!

All items will be up on the shop page soon so if you can’t come and browse in person maybe you would like to browse virtually for a gift for yourself or somebody else. If you can’t see what you are looking for I am always happy to quote for ‘print on demand’ options – canvas prints, other materials, or alternative sizes.

I have also been taking on a few pet commissions recently, something I never expected to be doing. They seem to be going down well so please drop me a message if you are interested in a painting of your pet and I would be happy to discuss it with you.

No photo description available.

Stay safe – we’re almost there ๐Ÿ™‚

What Day Is It Again?

Hello all, and a very belated Happy Christmas from both of us (and the delivery elves) at Posh Bird Paints.

We have reached that weird sort of limbo week in between Christmas and New Year where nobody really knows what’s going on except that they feel very full and that the fridge still has a lot of odd bits of things in it.

It has been a remarkable (and quite frankly baffling) first Christmas for Posh Bird Paints, mainly because despite thinking I’d massively over ordered on the printing, we actually SOLD out of some designs. I don’t really understand it myself but THANK YOU to everyone who has liked, shared, and bought since we went live in October.

I was convinced that I’d have plenty of time to start painting over Christmas what with not being able to go anywhere and all…but somehow the few days I’ve had off work have still felt decidedly busy and it’s back to work already tomorrow…I think.

Bring on 2021! Let’s hope it’s a damn sight better for all of us.

Emma x

Posh Bird Paints is now on Instagram! @poshbirdpaints

Yes, it’s true – I have succumbed and joined Instagram.

I thought it would mean that I could quickly update people with what I was up to without having to write an essay about it but apparently I now have captions and hashtags to deal with, I don’t even think my keyboard HAS a hashtag #dontknowhowtohashtag (I googled it – it’s alt+35 apparently).

You can come and follow me if you search for @poshbirdpaints on Instagram or click on this handy link —> www.instagram.com/poshbirdpaints . Don’t bother trying to google that just yet – I did and it seems I need to sort search engine optimisation for that too as I can’t find me anywhere. More things to do!

If you DO manage to find me on Google, or alternatively you know why Google keeps assigning my Facebook page random unrelated images on the image search then please let me know – I’m intrigued!

In better news I had my busiest day for orders so far yesterday thanks to a cheeky little post on the Alresford Facebook page – happy little artist ๐Ÿ˜€

Posh Bird…bakes?

Well what else is there to do on a weekend like this during lockdown. I did go a little overboard with the the baking first time around, any suggestions for a simple bake this weekend?

Progress!

The first orders are already out the door thanks to some lovely people (cheesy grin). I’ve decided to try and go cellophane-free where possible this year and use some simple paper strips to hold the card packs together. It should be better for the environment without some more single-use plastic floating around PLUS it looks pretty!

On top of that I’ve added two new (old designs) to the shop in the hope of sparking a little more interest. More to be added in due course and possibly a few art prints – the Fulling Mill seems to be a bit of a favourite.

Further painting developments are currently disappointingly slow thanks to a combination of a full time pharmacy job and a lack of daylight. Fingers crossed that will soon change – one of my fellow artists has suggested a ring light to boost what I have in my studio (kitchen!) but I’m open to suggestions. In the meantime hopefully people will continue to buy Christmas cards as the postmen and women will still be working at least, as will I.

Stay safe ๐Ÿ™‚

Introducing … Posh Bird Paints!

Hello from one of the kitchen table tops that serves as PBP HQ!

If you are an Alresford resident you may remember me as the name on the back of the Christmas cards usually found in the local library, or (possibly more likely) as one of the people who makes up your prescription.

I’m not really posh.

Thanks to our mutual friend COVID any plans to sell my cards in the library this year went to pot, so like many people I have moved online, and PBP was born! This year’s Christmas card design is below, and I am selling packs of this, and previous year’s designs on my store page NOW.

Thank you for visiting, please check back soon.

Emma ๐Ÿ™‚