Then there was this: the shala became a featured stop on an artists studio tour.
I signed up to participate in this first ever event somewhat reluctantly, because I was asked to. In reality it came at a bad time: the first weekend in November. Just when I should have been preparing the garden for first frost and getting the garlic in the ground, I had to put in the work to convert the boat shed and what has been allowed to become a junk storage room (above) into a showroom (below).
I sure as heck wasn’t going to have strangers prying into my life behind stone and adobe walls, or traipsing dogshit and goatshead thorn embedded shoes through the shala to see my real studio where I do the actual printing.
I also thought I should move the big pile of sheep and other animal manure which has been aging nicely in front of the boat shed these past eight or nine months.
In the end, though it took way longer than I wanted it to, a reasonable job was done in tidying the driveway entrance (which remained firmly closed to visitors for the duration of the tour)
The boatshed transformed quite miraculously, considering what it had looked like, into a showroom.
I enjoyed having space to display long lengths of printed cloth.
There was even a perfect niche for the card display rack.
I raided my stash of vintage handprinted cloths from another incarnation many years ago to use as backdrop for the cards.
Though a few visitors did make purchases they were all people who already know my work from the farmers market booth, and no new exposure was achieved with all this effort.
It was a little tedious having my attention all bound up waiting around for two whole days for strangers to come onto the property.
I think I have become a little antisocial and somewhat of a curmudgeon, especially when people walk up the driveway filming with their phones, no greeting, no introductions, no asking permission.
I do not exist to provide copy for some random stranger’s social media feed. I really do not like myself or my property and the surroundings I inhabit being filmed.
That said, when first I saw this house way back then on that October day in 2018, I thought this space at the top of the driveway with its french doors and lovely south facing light would be ideal for a studio/gallery/shop.
I hadn’t factored in how intrusive it would be to have strangers walking up the driveway. Besides the canoe and two kayaks really do need a shed.
And in winter the aloes, succulents and various tender potted plants need a conservatory. They don’t all fit in my bedroom.
I still haven’t got the garlic into the ground.