Yesterday, I was informed of the closure of the gallery where I was due to have my first solo art exhibition this November. Another victim of the financial times we live in. It is fair to say I am a bit gutted and deflated by this news. The exhibition was something that had been in the planning for nearly a year after I first met the owners last October. They are really good people and I enjoyed my visits to the gallery over the last year. I feel disappointed for them as well, having to close.

It was exactly the sort of place that I wanted to show my art. They were also a small independent bookshop and coffee shop where artists would hang out. Having two books out this autumn with my art in, I thought things were going to come together quite nicely for the launch party. But the small bookshops are not surviving. Victims of Amazon and the supermarkets. As are the authors. I can get my own book direct from the publishers at a price barely lower than Amazon are selling it. Meaning there is little point me even stocking my own book. I choose not sell it when I do the shows. If I the author cannot make money compared to the giants how can the small bookshops.

Gallerys that show fantasy art are fairly thin on the ground. Those that take digital fantasy, even rarer. I have been lucky and found another where I will have an exhibition next summer. It is how my art is best seen. In the flesh, not on the net where the time and detail that goes into the work cannot really be seen. And to be honest, the net is a poor way to earn a living. It is good to have a portfolio and gets the work seen. The knock on from that can be useful. No doubt about that. The editor who gave me my two major book projects found me through my web site. But for me, personally, the ultimate way for my art to be seen is in a frame on a wall. So it is a real shame it will not be happening this November.