It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

And so, after months of preparation and four weeks on display, 'The Inimitable Dickens' is no more. In taking down the work to make room for the Art Centre's September show, I have reflected on the show as a whole, from its conception to its final execution; it has been quite an experience.

   Preparing the show was no small feat. With a few exceptions (detailed below), creating the exhibition has been entirely on my head. Aside from creating every piece of work on display, I had to organise everything from securing the venue to designing catalogues and arranging refreshments. I won't go into every detail of the work I put into it, but I can say it's among the greatest tasks I have ever undertaken, and it was incredibly stressful, time-consuming and exhausting.

   However, from the moment the show opened, all the blood, sweat and tears payed off. The opening night was a riotous success; the turnout was great, there was a lot of keen interest and several pieces sold straight away. Shortly after, the Portsmouth News printed a double-spread article promoting the show, which attracted yet more visitors. Perhaps the peak of the month, however, came when the Dickens Fellowship attended. Although I couldn't be there to greet them, it was an honour to have them see my work, and I was left several messages from various members in the visitors' book.

   Now the show is over, but this is not the end for my work with Dickens; I will be taking my illustrated book series 'When Dickens Met...' around London with a view to publishing them, at least for the purposes of selling within Dickens-related establishments, if not general distribution. I still also have several pieces of work left from the show which are still up for sale (if anyone is interested, please contact me at zephaniah@hotmail.co.uk)

   Finally I would like to thank everyone who helped me make this show happen, and for their support throughout the process. Particular thanks to Jane Leech for supplying the venue, to the 3rd Floor Cafe staff for handling gift shop sales, to Bal Stephenson for assisting with hanging, to Sarah Porter for helping out on opening night and supplying a delicious cake, to Justine Bryant for fashioning miniature clothes, to Alex Judd for promoting the show for me, to Ollie Dowber-Hawkins for driving the work to the venue, to Khalid Hassan for technical support, to Errand Jervis for their printing services and, above all, a massive thank you yet again to Kiki Eggers for supporting throughout in a multitude of ways despite not even being in the country. I'd also like to thank everyone who attended the exhibition, without whom it would have been a waste of time.

   I hope you all enjoyed the show, but for those who couldn't make it,
   here's a few photos of the work on display.