Festival Reflections
Having now done my first art festival, I reflect on the experience including the fun, the trepidation, and next steps.
My wee little stall at Art in the Park 2026
Leamington Art in the Park Festival
For over a decade, Leamington has hosted a free arts festival in Jephson Gardens aptly named, ‘Art in the Park’. The festival showcases artists from around the country in all forms including painting, pottery, sculpture and jewellery, as well as musicians and performers.
This year, in an attempt to put myself out there more, I nervously submitted an application to have a stall, and I was fortunate enough to be selected; what an experience it was!
Being my first attempt at anything like this, I did not know what to expect. I had well and truly jumped into the deep end and I was going to need to get a lot ready. Months of planning, researching, painting, lots of trials and errors, accumulated in what for me, turned out to be a weekend I shall not forget.
With a jittery run up, lots of trepidation, and huge amounts of imposter syndrome, the sun shone, the vibe was awesome, positive feedback recieved and some healthly sales made. I was also overwhelmed the amount of support from friends and family that came out to see how I was getting on.
What did I learn?
Doing something for the first time is naturally going to lead to lots of learning and there was definitely lots of reflection over the last week.
One of the biggest positive learning experiences is that I felt like I had the real opportunity to learn from more experience artists and everything that goes into leading a creative life but while also trying to make your passion pay for itself. Everyone you spoke to had something to share and it was great connecting with people.
I also learnt that no matter how much you plan, experience is needed. I had very much started from scratch with Art in the Park and the amount of equipment I had was far less in comparison to the more seasoned artist. Conversely, I am not sure how much more I could have managed with the wheelchair. There is definitely a balance in the middle to aim for and will need to do some more research if I decided to do something like this in the future.
Finally, it was really lovely to see how many people were rooting for me, so a big thank you to everyone who came, helped out, or even just offered words of encouragement. It definitely got me through the weekend.
Which Piece Was Most Popular?
Lots of the pieces seemed to peak interest. Due to the local connection, the Kenilworth Castle piece was popular and was one of the painting’s sold.
However, the piece that got the most attention, and which I found surprising was the drawing of the hand and feather, entitled the ‘Lightness of Time’. Originally a drawing I did for the art group on a theme of movement, the drawing was a consideration of our mortality, the delicacy of it, and how ‘light’ time seems to pass before you realise you’re getting old. I think this was something many people could identify which gave some appeal, but also the drawing itself.
You can still obtain printsl if you didn’t manage to pick one up at the weekend by selecting the image below..
This is print from a drawing I did which was part of a project for an art group I am in. The subject matter was movement, and I drew a falling feather. At the time I was feeling emotionally fragile which happens at times. The feather, representing my emotions falls slowly from the air, hoping that wisdom, representing the older person’s hand, will prevail and catch me.
Product Description
Paper: Fine Art Matte 200gsm
Mount: 2.4mm Snow White
Dimensions: 31x41cm / 12x16"
Would I do it again?
In a word; Yes! I think something may have started this weekend and I am keen to see where this adventure takes me.