What’s after the open studio, and dipping a toe into AI Animation

So the last bank holiday weekend has passed and with it the Emsworth Arts Trail and my open studio. We had great weather and only really got impacted during the last thirty minutes on Saturday with a quick shower, so overall I was able to make use of the outdoor space again. The turnout felt a little down on last year — the last day brought in 52 visitors — and while I’m not sure how the rest of the town fared, the atmosphere did seem quieter than before. Sales were also down by about a third compared with last year. It’s possible some people were simply debating and pondering pieces and may still contact me through my website.

I’ve made the decision not to take part in next year’s trail, and perhaps the one after that; I hope the regular visitors who always make a point of coming will stay in touch and follow updates via my social media and YouTube. I may well look for other outlets, but right now I feel the need to refocus on building my online presence and selling more through digital channels.

One new element this year was my first attempts at using AI to animate some of my artwork: a few pieces didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but others were genuinely impressive. After the trail finished yesterday, I put together a quick showreel with help from an old friend, Gary, who supplied the soundtrack and contributed a couple of new AI animations that incorporate four of my drawings from DarkWood.

Now its the time to pack up, get my studio, house and garden back to normal and start some new projects.