Coming up in May - the 3rd to the 27th to be precise - is our Affordable Art Exhibition. We know that there are lots of occasions when we all fall in love with a piece of art only to look at the price tag and realise that it's out of our budget, so we've come up with a cost-of-living-counter plan.
We've asked many of our incredible artists to submit pieces of art that have a price tag of under £100. From next Wednesday we'll have original works, numbered prints, framed and unframed pieces all on display for you to enjoy, safe in the knowledge that nothing you see is beyond that magical number. You'll have 4 weeks to browse our fabulously affordable art that we know you'll love.
But before that...
We've got local artists Kay Lucas and knitwear designer Pamela Hatswell with us for the rest of this week. You can come and enjoy their work until Saturday at 4pm. We'd love to see you if you're in town.
On that note, Manningtree has a makers' market in the Market Square from 9am to 2pm on Friday - two great creative opportunities in one fantastically dynamic little town!
In the area...
I'm delighted to have sponsored the printing of Manningtree Business Chamber's event list for this year. We may be the smallest town in England, but we sure do pack lots in.
As you can see, our Affordable Art Show features, as does Art Around the Walls art trail, our Summer Exhibition and our Christmas pop-up shop.
Flyers will be available in the NaviStitch shop, and in many of the other businesses throughout Manningtree. Get one to stick on your fridge and never miss all of the amazing things happening in and around the area.
Never miss a NaviStitch exhibition or event - keep an eye on our Sail Loft calendar too.
In other news...
We get asked quite often whether we sell postcards and so, with a partial collaboration with Tazzy Bro Photography I've created a series of 6 postcards that are all available in the NaviStitch shop from today. So, whether you want them for yourself, or to send to a friend, we think that the postcards below depict our beautiful town and the local area - and they're just £1 each!
Looking ahead...
It may seem a little premature but Fathers' Day is only a few weeks away. The reason for an early reminder is that, for those of you that would like to present your old buoy with a piece of bespoke, nautical stitched art, commissions do have to be placed early, to allow me time to research, find the right chart, map out the design and create your special piece - it's never to early to have that initial chat!
Talking of commissions, here are a couple that I've been working on recently - as you'll see from the note that accompanies my work, you'll know exactly which chart your piece is taken from and a little bit about the age and origination of it.
Take a look at how easy it is to commission a piece of personalised art that will conjure up the best memories for someone special.
Until next time, I wish you calm waters and plain sailing
Sam