“Having signed up to participate in Richmond Open Studios, I began to panic about how on earth I was going to turn my small garden studio from a crowded working space into what felt like a spacious ‘gallery’, bearing in mind that I’m over 70 and not as mobile as I’d like to be. Cue Maria, my lovely Pilates instructor of 13 years and a very dear friend!
I didn’t even need to explain my concern – she guessed it immediately, and insisted that she’d come and help. True to her word, she came and, like a proverbial whirlwind, she cleared so much out of the studio to a temporary home in the house, including tons of art materials stacked up on a huge old table, and all sorts of other things (big and small).
She even helped me decide which works to hang and how and where to hang them. That might not sound much, but it was an amazing act of kindness – a whole morning’s moving and sorting and lifting and sifting – a daunting job that would have taken me days and days on my own. Her help that day took all the anxiety out of clearing the studio, so that I could focus on turning my safe place into a mini-gallery for two successful Open Studio weekends!”
Story and images from: Laura Parker.
This post is in collaboration with Art Can.
