Reflections on Art Materials Live 2008

Here's a report from Rachel Stirling - who did a splendid job of organising the UKCPS Stand and volunteers for the Art Materials Live event at the NEC.

The boxes are packed, the pictures returned, the pencils sorted (thank you Peter) and the aching muscles tended for another year.

Art Materials Live was as usual a mad, cheerful rush of an event.

It was good to see so many old friends and to make some new ones. Several artists demonstrated with us for the first time this year and I hope will return again in the future.

A big vote of Thanks to all of the volunteers who worked so hard to make this event come together…braving the cold, the crowds and the M6!

I can now happily announce that takings totalled £875.00 and that some of this will be returned to Artists shortly as profit from card sales. Other items that we found sold well this year included the “ Step by Steps” and the children’s Manga Competition. We were very lucky to have the prizes for the latter sponsored by Derwent and Hannemuhle…a very big thank you to them also.

We have managed yet again to raise the profile of coloured pencil as a Fine Art medium and, for the first time, this year I feel we have had some success in persuading the general public that to ignore the potential of CP is …well simply silly!

Now…back to the drawing board quite literally,

Rachel