Sutton College Student Rue Stanley gives her tips for Successful Exhibitions

Sutton College is very lucky to have many talented artists and craftspeople among our student body. Many have been coming to the College for years and exhibit in galleries around the country.

One student is Rue Stanley and you can read her story below:

Rue Stanley, 2019 my first year exhibiting

I retired from full time work a few years ago and thought it would be good to take my painting more seriously. To kickstart my journey I signed up for an experimental mixed media class at Sutton College in 2017. I really enjoyed the class and it gave me the opportunity to explore new ideas and start experimenting on my own. Last year I started exhibiting at Denbies in Dorking, with a group of artists. It has been an exciting year and I have sold a few paintings!

Painting- Dead Celebs Clothes 2019, mixed media, acrylic & collage. 16”x20”.

I thought you might be interested in a few tips I have picked up for staging a successful exhibition:

• Paint to standard sizes- it makes it easier and cheaper to buy frames online.
• If you like mixed media, paint on good quality artboard it’s cheaper to frame than canvas.
• Visit the exhibition venue well ahead to check out the space and the hanging system.
• Plan your picture layout well before the exhibition and document the plan.
• Make sure you have insurance for the exhibition.
• On setup day, bring the layout plan, and a hanging kit- spare blue tack, sponges, masking tape, price labels, business cards etc.
• Be at the exhibition yourself for as many days a you can, it’s great to get feedback and people like to buy from the artist directly.
• Invite all your friends and publicise the event as much as you can four weeks before.

About me

I am an independent artist who exhibits regularly in Surrey. I use acrylic paints, gold leaf and mixed media to produce highly tactile, joyful and experimental artwork.
My abstract and semi abstract paintings are inspired by the natural world and the connections between nature and human habitats.
My painting process is intuitive, and uses large amounts of water, unorthodox tools and painting mediums to obtain unpredictable results which I develop into multi-layered artworks.

I love to use pure colour with very little use of black, whites or greys. Constant experimentation with new techniques and materials is essential to my work. You can see more of my work on my website: www.ruestanleyart.com

Exhibitions 2020
Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking Surrey RH5 6AA. Open 10-5pm, 9^th-16^th March. 20^th-26^th July.2^nd-8^th November