Two years in this studio and one year working at Cass Art－the time I needed to warm up and face the world… I just wish I was diagnosed with autism sometimes. That’s how bad with people the other side of me is… but London is a magical place to me, a place where one is welcome to open up and will be embraced. So somehow I just manage greet people with the better side.

What am I even talking about??? This year I had a little bit more planning because last year I just show roughly cleaned up and showed my work randomly placed on empty spaces on the walls and leaving no space for myself to do anything. There was also not much proper space for visitors to view my artwork closely and have a conversation. So, getting awkward at one point, I ended up spending half of the time wandering around in the two buildings on the site.

This time I took time to plan the space, moved around things and carefully curated the space, such that the mere 5 etchings and 6 canvas in which only 3 finished paintings seem to have become two mini-exhibitions worth spending at least 15 minutes in looking and talking to me.

It was quieter than expected perhaps due to the carnival in town centre, or protests in central London, or some other open studios on the other side of the city. But early on a close friend surprisingly popped by on her secret trip to London (travelling from Oxfordshire), and bought Peel Street Trial Proof 3/5! Later on, Peel Street Trial Proof 2/5 (framed) was sold to a fellow artist who paints a lot of urban landscape. (Learn more about the etching)

The studio was open from 12-6pm, which was actually quite a short window. In between talking/selling sessions in my space, I managed to talk to more people and made more acquaintances than last year, making use of the people skill trained from working in retail! Oh dear the tiredness was so manifest when I drank the beer later in the evening! But the socialising was also essential for such a community and the more people I talked to the more inspired I became.

Up to now, my life in this year’s first three quarters have been filled with dramas and funerals. And I have two oil paintings at home, waiting to dry or to finish. So with what I can show, I have to consider this open studio a small success. Hopefully next year my space will not only be filled with more art, but also more character that I have yet to express to the fullest. Stay tuned!