At 2:00 am, the wind was howling, driving rain was pounding the roof of the house with accompanying loud claps of thunder and lightning that lit up my bedroom. Not what you want to hear on a Friday night, despite Hobart, Tasmania, really needing rain. But that is another aspect of Hobart that I really like, most of our rainfall falls during the night. That’s good for many reasons, including reducing water being lost to evaporation, as Hobart is the second driest capital city in Australia, so we need all the water we get!
I drove up the driveway in darkness, with mild and dry weather, arrived at the market at 6:40 am and got stuck into setting up. My first customer was a lovely couple from New Zealand. They purchased a “Salamanca Fresh” small tote bag. Later in the day, they returned and added a “Duck Crossing” tote bag to their purchases.
Then a regular dropped by to buy another card for her father who lives in New Zealand. She had sent him a “Duck Crossing” greeting card, which was a big hit. When she had phoned him, he answered by saying ‘quack-quack’. This time she chose “Helping Hands” to send to him.
A lady, originally from the UK, now living in Toronto, Canada, is taking a “Bunk Beds” print home for her daughter. A gentleman from the Isle of Man, who works in a trauma unit, told me about this mad car race that takes place on the island each year, where people drive the dangerous circuit at crazy speeds in about 17 minutes. There is a history of unfortunate fates with this race but it continues to run. He’s heading home to this race and not looking forward to it. I hope it all ends well, with everybody safely crossing or not crossing the finish line. He’s taking back with him “Salamanca Fresh”.
Then I met a big fan of mine, Mel and her husband, from Sandy Bay, Tasmania. They bought earlier in the year “Surfing Clifton Beach, Tasmania”, and this is where they regularly surf. It’s hanging in their house and giving them and their visitors much joy, so they have decided to add “Family Outing” and “Beachside Chatter” as accompaniments.
A lady bought two prints featuring emus riding motorbikes, one for her daughter-in-law and one for herself. She said that she has just returned from visiting Vietnam. I asked her if it was humid and hot? She said it wasn’t, that it was just perfect and proudly told me that she rode a motorbike for several days in Vietnam. Good on her because she was of a rather mature age.
A family from Texas, USA, that have been living abroad for six years because the father of the family is in the military, who are currently living in Japan, loved and raved about “Afternoon Siesta”. She said she almost bought the original that is hanging in the Artefacts Inc. Gallery at the Salamanca Arts Centre, a centre to support Tasmanian artists. She said that in Japan that the ‘in’ thing right now is learning how to create tranquil art, and she said it’s like I’ve taken lessons from Japan with the white space left in the picture, the pose of the wombat and the gum leaves being gently caressed by a breeze.
At the end of the day, I met a Belgian young lady. On average, I only meet one Belgian per year. She spoke Flemish.
Earlier in the day, two French speaking, Swiss young ladies visited the stall and we had a short conversation in French. They are taking home with them a “Hanging out” print. While they were in the stall, a dear, used to be my neighbour when she was living in Tasmania, friend appeared and purchased prints from the “unfurling” series.
Before my former neighbour had arrived, I drew the initial drawing of another ‘unfurling’ idea. I can picture so many ideas in my mind. I have a friend who says she can never see pictures in her head. This astounds me because my brain has so many ideas and pictures banking up against each other. I’m going to have to soon find another brain to rent because this one is filling up fast and is going to overflow.
Thirty-two greeting cards went today, possibly more because it is easy to miss a few when trying to track them on paper. Guess what I’ll be doing tonight?! I hope more arrive before next week’s market otherwise the card selection will be a little thin.
The most popular prints today are: Afternoon Siesta, Bunk beds and Hanging Out
A thought to ponder: “I think being different, going against the grain of society is the greatest thing in the world.” Elijah Wood
Take care and I hope that your upcoming week is great,
from the Pjpaintings stall #30 at Salamanca Market.
P.S. Prints and tote bags are available at http://www.pjpaintings.com
The Unfurling Artist: journalising creative journeying 
She looks like a real Flemish girl! Thanks for sharing your marketing day ! 😊
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You always meet lots of fascinating people at the market, but not many Belgians. Thank you for reading and your comment. 🙂
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