For a few
years in the mid seventies Annette exhibited her pictures for sale at a site by
the Dee against Chester Walls on a Sunday afternoon. Looking at a Liverpool
outdoor exhibition she found out about the Chester one which suited us much
better. Following a successful Saturday exhibition site outside Bluecoat
Gallery on their railings in Liverpool artist John Green persuaded Chester
council to permit the exhibition. The arrangement was that he supervised and
collected 10% commission for the council.
John Green
was a former factory worker who had given up his job to become a full time
artist. He was an amusing, larger than life character. The exhibition area
outside was open to all although in practice there was a core of artists. On a
nice summer Sunday it was a delightful area by the river, bustling with people and
traders..
John was busy
selling his own work but he would spare the time to come and have a few cheery
words. On one of our first visits Annette said she couldn’t decide how much to
charge. John offered his own experience. The first time he said he brought 20
pictures priced from £1 to £20 in £1 increments. He then said he sold one at
£11 so the next week he priced them all at £11. He then walked off chuckling. I
never knew if he was serious.
John was a
super salesman. I recall overhearing him with one hesitant customer. She was
dithering between two possibilities unable to make up her mind. To break up the
impasse John asked the colour of her wallpaper.
Martin
was a little baby when we started .and my main job was to look after him taking
him for a walk in his portable carry cot. This was no problem because it was a
delight to walk along the bank of the Dee watching the crowd and the canoeists
on the river. Just by our site was a shallow weir so there was no river traffic
larger than a canoe. Just upstream there were boat trips.
The
artists were predictably varied. We quite often pitched next to a young man of
hippyish appearance. His work was rather strange, like illustrations of
nightmares. He would say his ambition was to out Hieronymous Bosch, an 18th
century artist known for his bizarre work.
The
artist who didn’t fit in at all was someone who produced colourful daubs,
abstract sunsets and seascapes. He was also someone trying to make a living
from his work and he came with a large volume priced very cheaply. The quality
was abysmal. As I said the site was for a Sunday afternoon exhibition. The daub
producer chose to ignore this and apparently turned up on a Saturday.
Eventually the council spotted this and prosecuted. John was pleased but his
scathing comment was “Should have done him for depositing litter”
Remembering the sixties
I
think it was David Frost who said if all the girls in London were laid end to
end he wouldn’t be at all surprised.
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