Salamanca Market started off with a bang, several bangs actually and literally. While setting up, before getting the gazebo bolted down, a massive gust of wind came out of nowhere and tried to pick up the gazebo for a re-location exercise. Lucky a few passer-byers grabbed the escapee and circumvented its travels. A card stand and both print shelves blew off the table. Fortunately, there weren’t prints on the shelves yet but they suffered significant damage. With some repair work and extra elastic around it, it was more or less holding together until another gust of wind came later in the morning, sending a card stand and one shelf of prints crashing to the ground. The shelf sustained damage beyond my ability to repair, but meanwhile, with all this chaos going on around me, I was serving customers flat out. I thought it would be quiet in the afternoon because it was the AFL Grand Final day (I actually thought I would get some sketching done!) but it was busy the entire market day. (Just in case you haven’t heard, the Richmond Tigers broke a 37 year drought by a 48 point victory over the Adelaide Crows.)
I had to phone for help because the wind was just ridiculous. There was a stall further down the market that a gust of wind got caught underneath and tried to take it with it but because it was bolted down, the internal poles got twisted, bent and snapped. That was the end of their market day and gazebo.
Hobart is hosting a girls’ 16 years and under national water polo competition this weekend. I met girls from all over Australia: Perth, Queensland, Adelaide and more. One, from Canberra, bought a whale print titled ‘Sea Life’.
The 2017 Australian Masters Hockey Championship, with teams from 35 to 70+ age groups, is finishing up this weekend. I met somebody whose team is playing in the finals against Tasmania today. He’s been playing with torn knee cartilage. A Melbourne couple, the first time away from their three children, ages 7, 5 and 3 looked for a print with threes and settled on the ‘The Three Amigos’.
A young teenager spotted ‘Surfing Clifton Beach, Tasmania’ and asked his Mum if he could please have it. His mother bought it for him and he gave her a thank you kiss on the cheek. He’s a keen surfer and surfs in the Melbourne area. An adult daughter and mother told me that they bought ‘Café Paris’ four years ago and didn’t frame it until their return from Paris. Now they’re planning to go to Uluru, so they bought ‘Outback Glamping’ and said it won’t be framed until after their trip to the Northern Territory.
Several prints are travelling to New Zealand and ‘Serenity’ is off to Washington, USA. He’s Australian and has been living in Washington for about 15 years. He’s a gallery curator. He said that every curator he has networked with in the USA knows of MONA. He had a job interview this week with MONA. Fingers and toes crossed he is the successful candidate.
To say that I was surprised and stoked to see one of my whale paintings in the Saturday’s Mercury’s September 30 – October 1, 2017 tasweekend magazine is an understatement. The Sea Shepherd is celebrating their 40th anniversary and is having a week-long Artist Showcase/Historical Display at the Waterside Pavilion, Hobart from Oct 3rd – 8th. I am displaying six large original paintings, prints and will be working on a whale painting at the Pavilion on Wednesday, October 4th from 3:30 – 5:30 pm.
With all of yesterday’s wind activity, I had a hard time tracking prints. I think the whale prints were probably the best sellers. Now I’m off to do some urban sketching. It’s still rather windy out there. I hope I don’t get blown off my stool!
Wishing you many happy, creative moments, from the Pjpaintings stall #30 at Salamanca Market
Thanks for reading!
Pjpaintings prints are available at http://www.pjpaintings.com
The Unfurling Artist: journalising creative journeying 