London Exhibition!

The Holy Art, Shacklewell Lane, London E8 2DA.

September 8th 2023.

The Holy Art are a collection of well known galleries than span Europe, and beyond. They are global leader in the art world, featuring the works of the most talented emerging and established artists from around the globe. They have permanent galleries in London and Athens, but they frequently exhibit much further afield... In New York and Tokyo just to give you an idea!

I was lucky enough to exhibit online with them during lockdown, and I have obsessed over their dynamic and vibrant social media ever since.

Then, one day this summer I received an email... They would like to include two of my largest paintings in their September exhibition in London. I still get goosebumps writing that!

This would be my first 'real life' exhibition. In the city close to where I grew up. In the city that I have travelled to countless times to visit exhibition after exhibition. In a blur, plane tickets were booked, family and friends added to the guest list for opening night and paintings packed and collected by the courier.

It wasn't all plain sailing. Thanks to a nerve wracking few days where the paintings were stuck in customs, it nearly didn't happen. And then, somehow it did. Somehow, I was stood outside the gallery surrounded by some of the people I love the most, deep breathing and convincing myself to take those steps inside.

It wasn't just my paintings on display. It was my thoughts. Feelings. Pride. Fear. My pain and my joy. I have rarely felt so vulnerable.

But then I saw them. And they looked at home. I watched as people studied them and discussed them in their groups. Suddenly, nothing else mattered but the fact that they were seen. I was seen.

Being an artist isn't always an easy path. But it sure is an exhilarating one.