view from the cash desk . . . .

the Alban Street Festival, seen from the cash desk at our pop-up Open Studios
© Teresa Newham

To everyone's relief the sun came out for the Alban Street Festival last Sunday.  Along with a dozen or so other artists from St Albans and Harpenden, I was in a marquee outside Waterstones - a pop-up Open Studios to encourage folk along to the main event in September - and great fun it was, too!

the HVA marquee, with some of Sandy Andrews' oil paintings
© Teresa Newham

Some of us had set up our work on a gridwall along the front of the marquee -  I managed to cram nearly a dozen paintings and prints into my space, including some old favourites I haven't shown for a while.

part of my display in the marquee
© Teresa Newham

It wasn't just about watercolours and oils though - as visitors made their way round the gridwall they found stalls showing examples of illustration, textiles, jewellery and glass.

artists' stalls inside the marquee
© Teresa Newham

Opal Seabrook of Starburst Glass was working on stained glass throughout the day, while Hillary Taylor was weaving paper for one of her mixed media pieces.  There was also silk painting, and I managed to produce a sketch or two during my stint at the cash desk!

Opal demonstrating stained glass
© Teresa Newham

The Festival itself was an eclectic mix of music (there were two sound stages), some amazingly varied street food, children's activities and much more, all flagged up by the cheerfully painted signs which proliferated the length of St Peter's Street.

signs advertising the various events
© Teresa Newham

Venturing out with my camera, I was nearly mown down by Garden City Samba - that's twice in the space of eight days - my own fault for getting in their way!

Garden City Samba . . . again!
© Teresa Newham

The performance highlight for me - and for many I suspect - was this amazing wheel made from recycled materials, which was moved to music up and down the roadway.

performance wheel made of recycled materials
© Teresa Newham

Fighting my way through the crowds back to our tent - the streets were packed by now - I found our interactive area in full swing, with children making and decorating cut-outs for the I Love St Albans collage.

HVA artists helping children make street art
© Teresa Newham

We had many, many visitors to our marquee during the course of the day and it was lovely to chat with them about Open Studios and art generally.  Well worth doing!

manning the cash desk - with my cards behind me!
© Teresa Newham

forewarned is forearmed . . .

Saturday - two gazebos with home-made bunting!
© Teresa Newham

. . . and we were certainly forewarned about the 'traditional' June weather expected for this year's Art on the Common.  This year more than forty artists were due to spend two days exhibiting just by the Park Hall in Harpenden - it was going to be a much bigger event than usual!

our work: L-R:  Sue, Hillary, me
© Teresa Newham

Three of us were sharing a double pitch - myself, Hillary Taylor and Sue Wookey.  Thanks to Opal Seabrook of Starburst Glass, who lent us a second gazebo, we were confident that we'd be able to keep everything - including ourselves - relatively dry. According to my mobile phone, the Met Office were updating their rain warnings every couple of hours as heavy thunderstorms crossed the whole of Southern England.

colourful costumes in the Carnival Parade
© Teresa Newham

But - on the Saturday at least - we were lucky. Once again, we were running alongside Harpenden Carnival, and our pitch was next to the main road.  So we had an excellent view of the colourful parade which wound its way from Lydekker Park to the Carnival showground onto the Common proper.  There were plenty of people about, and even a heavy downpour at lunchtime didn't deter the crowds - or us!

Sunday - this ceramic artist has everything under cover . . .
© Teresa Newham

The Sunday, however, was a different story.  It was chucking it down from the moment we arrived to set up. Some artists had decided not to turn out but there were enough hardy - or should that be foolhardy? - ones prepared to give it a go.  The weather was supposed to improve, and crucially there was very little wind. So up the gazebos went again.  This time we kept everything well away from the edges, including ourselves, huddling damp and chilly behind a table of greetings cards.

. . . . our neighbours didn't worry!
© Teresa Newham

Our neighbours didn't have a gazebo, but their pottery was robust enough to withstand the constant rain.  Everyone else did what they could to keep their art dry - towels, dust sheets, even a shower curtain - and it was worth it; at first a trickle, then (as the weather cheered up) a steady stream of visitors arrived.  At one point the sun came out . . . I even put up my home-made bunting!

exhibitors stayed cheerful despite the weather . . .
© Teresa Newham

Having recently started to use a new supplier - Moo.com - to print greetings cards of my paintings and photos, I was keen to gauge the reaction, which was most encouraging.  One or two cards of new paintings had slipped into the boxes by mistake (I usually keep them back until the paintings have been exhibited) and proved to be popular!

. . . some just relaxed with their dogs!
© Teresa Newham

All together I believe the event raised over £2000 for Cancer Research (commission and pitch fees).  And there were some excellent sales.  So it was worth hanging on in there!

the rain did not keep visitors away
© Teresa Newham

Special thanks and congratulations to David Whitbread and the rest of the team from Harpenden Photographic Society, who organised this year's Art on the Common.