THE BIG REVEAL
Date Posted: 23rd December 2021
ANON3 - THE BIG REVEAL
ANON3 was a great success. It cheered everyone up because it was so good to see something new and fresh with a bit of excitement and unpredictability after all the lockdowns and isolation. When I arrived at 9am on the opening day there was a lovely chattering excited queue waiting expectantly. As each group of 12 was let in for their 5 minutes, the silence was palpable until a decision had been made and a red spot placed. Then it became relaxed and chatty until the 5 minute pinger went off and the next batch came in.
In my last newsletter I intended and promised I would be there during the exhibition to talk to buyers and artists and I was really looking forward to it but my partner Michael was admitted to hospital 2 days after the opening and the last few weeks have been a haze of scans and visits. He is now home and on the mend. Sadly I missed the drama of the great reveal on 13th December when buyers came in, claimed their prize and turned it over to discover the name of the artist. Some of you have got in touch and told me the story of your purchase and reaction to it. Some people were nonplussed being faced with so many works without a clue as to who had done them. I remember one man was really stressed about what to choose and I told him to go for something that struck a chord in him. He laughingly said he’d been laying some floorboards at home and the pencil drawing by someone who was obviously doing the same thing had stood out. He asked what I thought. ‘If you like it go for it ‘ I said, ‘then you won’t regret it.’ ‘It’s a bit weird though ‘ he replied as the red spot went on. He, among several others have been in touch to tell me what they thought when they collected their anonymous piece and saw who had done it. ‘Do you remember me? he wrote in an e mail. ‘I’m the floorboard man. I can't believe it - It’s by Percy Kelly! I’m delighted’
I missed out on all these stories about the choosing and the revelation. If you have a story about your ANON3 buy, e mail me through the web site www.chriswadsworth.net or www.percykelly.co.uk. Just a few words will do!
The John Emanuel framed etching which invited sealed blind bids went to the highest bidder raising a sum of £777.77 for the theatre. Thank you buyers and thank you John and thank you to all the artists who generously participated.
As I am still full time head nurse, junior nurse and pot washer I am not sending individual Christmas cards or e mails this year – this cheeky Kelly robin will have to do. Kelly always made his wonderful individual Christmas cards, starting in September, getting distracted into other things and panicking early in December. No wonder he expected people to specially thank him for them and was disappointed when they didn’t – they never got another! Imagine being crossed off Percy’s Christmas list! In Norfolk he discovered the wonders of the colour photocopier in a printers in Attleborough. Trouble came when the manager realized that Percy was calling in a lot and chatting to the attractive young woman on the front desk for ages so the machine was moved to the back room where the owner could keep an eye on it! Pk was upset about this – his self awareness was nonexistent.
We will be pleased to say goodbye to 2021 – not a year we want to remember. So have yourselves a very merry christmas break as 2021 ends not with a bang but … hope that things will get better for everyone in the world.
2022 will be a rich eventful year for me with some exciting projects in store. Let’s hope the virus lets us get on with our lives and enjoy what is to come.