Firstly, thank you to anyone who stops by and reads this, wherever you've come from, whoever you are! I have had an excellent year and a record number of sales and commissions along with several art shows and exhibitions across the UK, which have lead me to say goodbye to some paintings which I had become very fond of, alas they have now left me and are off out into the world to find a new home, so thank you for all your support.
A quick rundown of the year?
I have been showing work in Notting Hill with Debut Contemporary Gallery for the last three months and just a few weeks ago was selected for my first art fair with the Candid Arts Trust in Angel. Both of which have been learning experiences for my artistic career. I’ve had mural commissions from Comm-Tech and Age Norfolk in Norwich, both of which had some very nice press coverage. I was even featured on a 20-second filler on the breakfast of BBC Anglia News at 7am in the morning! (THAT was a proud moment, especially seeing my name come up as ‘Jenny Leonard – Artist’)
I had my ‘Debut Day’ at the gallery and at the click of a retweet and a generous mention from John Jones London and Amelia’s Magazine I was a happy little artist making collages in the window all day. Now that’s something. Yes 2011 let me to succumb and join Twitter. Yes it’s useful, but for a moment there I was doing everything in 140 characters or less, even speech, thank goodness that’s stopped now. Yes in 2011 I have become largely more net-savvy. I mean just look at how many clickable and useful links I have inserted haphazardly into this post. I hear that’s good for ratings right? I even have a facebook page you can like, does that even help my paintings? But you name it, I'm trying it.
This year I’ve had time to actually make work and enter all competitions I found at the zap of a tweet. Whilst some hit me in the face with a big harsh rejection in my inbox others were surprisingly lucky and I even got into some great ones. These included Drawing Crowds at The Stone Space in London, Brinkmanship at the Coast Arts Festival in Norfolk, The Eastern Open at the Kings Lynn Arts Centre and Elements, Material Worlds, at The Forum in Norwich where I was happy to see all three of my plaster landscapes sell within an hour of the private view night. (Those little red dots scattered near the things you create really do make the work worthwhile)
Earlier last month I launched my new website www.jenny-leonard.com so please do stop by for a visit and a browse if you haven't done so already. Until the end of this year and probably trickling into the next, my work can be seen in the little gallery space (dare I call it a solo show) in the upstairs of Anteros Art Foundation in Norwich. It’s the one next to King of Hearts Cafe. Maybe my work will migrate down to the cafe next year where actual Earthlings hang out and drink sweet lattes from tall glasses and chat. Miracles do happen.
So what’s next? Well early next year I will be exhibiting in a group show in Norwich, Art at the Underbelly at the Rumsey Wells. The work will be available for sale and opens in January. I have also entered my books into a competition called ‘Turn the Page’ which will be selected soon and exhibited in the grand space at The Forum in Norwich. Lots of exciting work based around the form of the book will be on display, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for that one. I'm thrilled to be saying that 2 of my paintings have just been selected for the self portrait group show in January at the 'Show Your Face' exhibition with the VV collective for emerging female artists at Cultivate in Vyner Street, London.
And finally, I have started on some new painting / collage work, thanks to my fellow artist and friend Beth Nicholas who provided me with some off cuts of her beautiful work which you can see here. Which I have included in some new landscapes. We hope that 2012 will bring some more colloborations for us to make work together. So at the risk of blabbering on in this blog and thinking I have had some sort of artistic epiphany whilst plonking away on my keyboard I shall leave you with a few images of some of my new stuff and wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. All the best... Jenny.
