Day One
How exciting! I pick up the licence and I am good to go so I go home and get my things.
So how do I get my things down to the dome? I have paintings and a sign and my paints, brushes and some water. I can’t carry everything and there is nowhere to park near the dome.
Wifey to the rescue! She will take me and drop me off with my 9 year old son who is going to busk on his violin nearby.
When we get to the dome, there are some people sat inside eating their lunch. The windows of the dome are filthy and the floor covered in cigarette butts. I will have to bring a wet cloth and a blanket next time. I smile at the people who look at me and my things and prepare to leave. They are obviously under the impression that I am going to try and sell them something.
I set my son up with his music stand and sweet violin playing nearby. This deflects attention away from me as I set up my stall. I place my paintings on the ground and start to sit and paint. I have a sign that tells people I am in the dome and I wait for people to come and look and hopefully buy.
My son is quickly attracting people and they are throwing coins into his violin case. I wait and I paint.
Someone comes in and looks closely at my paintings. I look up and smile and she is pulled away by her carers. It’s a start! Someone is interested. Another person comes into the dome and plonks themselves down next to me and unwraps a bag of strongly smelling fish and chips. OK, nothing wrong with that. Adds to the ambience.
More people coming into the dome! I must be popular! My son is in the dome -why? It is raining. Not raining but pouring. Why am I getting wet? There are no windows at the top level of the dome and the rain is being blown in. I run around trying to cover my paintings. Watercolours painted on to wooden frames will not take kindly to heavy rainfall!
I gather everything and stand dripping wet waiting to be collected by wifey. Lessons are learned and nothing is lost. My son earned twenty quid.
