– by Jessica Edney

Last Sunday my grandma and I had a table at the Frost Fair at Stephen’s House in Finchley. The event was  great success, and I know that because all the cake was gone from the baked goods stall by the time we started to pack up. And there was me, hoping to get the leftovers for a bargain price…

My grandma exhibited a wonderful array of postcards, prints and original paintings of scenes from the local area as well as abroad. I also displayed a few of my mixed media pieces and a little preparation book I made, which turned out to be a great conversation starter (one lady was worried that a mouse had nibbled the pages of my book – I had to explain that it was me who ripped the pages. She looked at me as if I was somewhat deranged and moved on. I guess some people just don’t understand art…) 

Well I’ve decided that art & craft fairs are great fun, especially when the coffee is free and you have a lovely friend who is willing to keep you company (thank you Saki!). However, it’s certainly true that  make a living from art is difficult and takes real dedication, so I think I may have to search for an alternate way to fund my extravagent student lifestyle. Otherwise I’ll be back to eating Tesco’s own brand baked beans *shudder*.