Saturday was the big opening day of my exhibition. Thank you SO much to all those who turned up to support me. And thank you to the gallery for the wine and nibbles!
This is me with the lovely Damian Harvey, author of An Itch to Scratch (as well as many other fab books, including the incredibly successful Robo-Runners series).
As well as the preview evening, the Funday celebrations proved a huge success, and the day was really buzzing. I hardly sat down from the moment we opened the doors!
I did storytellings throughout the day, and children played in the monkey's tea party area, based on Stinky!:
They could stick their heads through a hole in the wall to actually be one of the monkeys:
...and on the other side, they could be one of the children the anaconda ate in Class Two at the Zoo:
I am hoping that children might be inspired to try some illustrations of their own, so we created a drawing area, with ideas for things to try, including step-by-step guides to drawing characters from my books, like Giddy Goat (which I will eventually get around to putting on the website - promise!):
There are other silly activities, like stick-the-flies-on-Stinky, the baby warthog:
...and also a quiet reading area (below), with copies of my books for children to look at.
Throughout the day, children made Giddy Goat puppets and had their faces painted by one of the most impressive face-painters I've seen. I SO wish I'd had time to stop and take some pics to show you (these photos were all taken in the brief window, before the Private View really got going).
Apart from the face painting, the children's activities are a permanent part of the exhibition, but I don't want you to think it's just aimed at kids. For adult visitors, I have written a whole series of information sheets which are mounted on the walls between the pictures. These cover everything from why I choose to draw on pink paper and why wording must never appear on the illustrations, to anecdotes like the gorilla nipple debacle!
I'm thrilled by how the show has been set up - a massive thanks to Marie and Katie for all their help with the design, project management and the hard slog. I hope they are as proud of how it looks as I am.
The exhibition runs until November 7th, so there is plenty of time to see it if you missed the preview. It is at Tameside Central Art Gallery, above the library (postcode OL6 7SG). There are directions and details of how to get there here, or you can phone the gallery on 0161 342 2650.
Hope you enjoy it!
The exhibition runs until November 7th, so there is plenty of time to see it if you missed the preview. It is at Tameside Central Art Gallery, above the library (postcode OL6 7SG). There are directions and details of how to get there here, or you can phone the gallery on 0161 342 2650.
Hope you enjoy it!
10 comments:
Wow Lynn! I have one word...Simply AMAZING...well that was 2 words. Everything looks fantastic! and so well organized. I love to see a true genius at work.
Sorry I dropped the E from your name :O) I wish I were across the Atlantic so I could attend your wonderful exibition!
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for the comment over on my blog - not much happening with the wee growing boy just now, I wish I had more hours in the day!
Your exhibition looks amazing, I love all the activities for kids too. Sometimes galleries can be a bit daunting for kids (and their parents!) and it looks like you got the mix just right. I wish it was closer to my neck of the woods! If you're ever exhibiting or doing a workshop up my way, I'll definitely be coming along.
Veronica x
Wow, this looks so cool! I'm sorry it is nowhere near me. I would have loved to visit!
What fun, Lynne! It's clear how much planning and organizing went into making that a great exhibition. I like everything about it...including the fact that the illustrations are hung at a level where little people can actually see them!
Lynne, this so fabulous. I am happy for you. Really good stuff on those walls. Be happy.
I live 10 minutes from exhibition and was so impressed with it's child friendliness. I'm going to arrange for my year one class to visit and encourage the rest of our school.
It would be a real pleasure to meet you - please please can you come to our school I've sent you an e.mail.Liz Markland.
Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement. I'm so pleased (and a tad relieved!) that it has all come together so well.
Yes Liz - I would love to visit and will be in touch.
i some how discovered you..What an inspiration for me ..children's illustrator to be. Love the fact you have these wonderful interactive exhibitions. Such amzingly lovely work::))
Inspired to think about pastel too:)
Just a thought do u scan these or how do u photo them?? I can imagine pastel all over the scanner from those rascal dinosaurs!!
Thank u
Sarah
www.sarahmadsen.com
You're right Saz - scanning pastels would be a nightmare. I have occasionally done it for smaller pieces, but I generally take photos.
My tip if you're considering pastels is to work as big as you can: not smaller than A2 really.
Thanks for the lovely feedback!
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