By Crikey! or "The night I bared my art"

So last Friday (2nd Sept) I had the great honor of attending the opening night of my debut solo exhibition, at Hudson's Hub, in my home town of Bendigo. The Gallery is only a few months old and I was extremely flattered to be offered the first showcase for this awesome new space.

It was a fantastically mild spring evening in Bendigo and as I walked from my house, I couldn't help but think about what the night might have in store. Of course the great fear is that only a handful of people would show up, and the evening would consist of a series of skin crawlingly awkward pauses and copious amounts of shoe shuffling.

As the 6pm start time ticked over a solitary figure walked through the doors ( a high school teacher I knew from a few years ago). we talked and chatted about the artwork and for a brief moment it seemed as though we might be keeping each other company for a while yet.

"And here you can see I've used a slightly different colour than before"
"Hmm yes I see, how fascinating"

Some original sketches

 Then it seemed like the literal floodgates opened and the small gallery space, that had previously felt so vast, was now jam packed with art appreciators of all ages. I was genuinely humbled by the turnout who were willing to support a new gallery and also an artist who isn't necessarily proven in this medium.

The space begins to fill up

The queue up for purchases :)

 The support from Bart n Print, who were patient enough to deal with my last minute requests and delivered on the quality and authenticity of quality archival prints, was a greatly appreciated. As was local book store owner Harry from  Dymocks Bendigo, who gave up his Friday night to supply staff and copies of Alpha Monsters for sale on the night.

Alpha Monsters proved popular too

 Of course a big thank you should also go to Cristean and Aiden from Hudson's Hub who spent countless hours framing and prepping the space for the big night and presented an extremely slick event. Considering it was their first exhibition as a gallery, I think they did an awesome job. I'm sure everyone who came that night would agree with me.

Finally to my wife and kids, who have endured endless hours alone with their bleary eyed Husband/Dad hunched over a computer screen, I save my biggest thanks of all. I literally could not do what I do without your love and support. ❤ :)