Six days to go now, the Art Car Boot Fair is back in terms of a real life event, it all happens this coming Saturday, here in London, at Kings Cross, back for all the fun of the fair for a 19th slightly anarchic year, an artist run thing done the right way. Here’s a bit of an artist’s point of view, I’ve been taking part for a dozen or so years as an artist now (and before that with my Organ hat on covering the beautiful adventure)

Now the fun of the fair isn’t just in the buying and selling, it is a day when art lets his or her hair down, it is a big gathering, an art party, yes sure, there are the collectors who treat it like Harrod’s sale on New Years Day and come crashing in the minute the gates open, a stampede for the latest must have print release from this or that artist and then spend the next couple of hours looking down their noses at everything else while they clutch their print tubes, but it isn’t just about the limited editions and the bargains, it is;nt jsut about getting in first. The Art Car Boot Fair is about the people, the people watching, the chatting with artists, us artists getting to chat to people – we do like that bit, most of the time we hang our work in galleries and then watch on anonymously wondering what people are saying, we’re not fishing for compliments, it is just good to break down the barriers. The Art Car Boot Fair is about the music, the fun, the roller-skating holla-hoop dancing, the smiles, the two or three hours spent looking, choosing, deciding, observing, just watching while sharing a drink with friends, about making friends, bumping into old friends, about buying a print of Pure Evil for 40 quid or a pint, or a beautiful piece of ceramics from a Binnie Sister for less than that (the Art Car Boot Fair is about not burning your toast while you write a piece about the it on a Monday morning), about buying art direct from the artists without all the gallery commissions, about buying your first ever piece of art and starting a collection, about not buying art and just having a fun day out, about so so many things…

Six days to go now, and I’m as excited as a kid at Christmas, we haven’t done it in real life for a couple of years now, what with Covid and the Boris chaos, the last time was back in 2019 at the same King’s Cross venue, and yes, there will be one or two who were there who didn’t make it through – the last time was almost a lifetime ago, almost another world. I do believe this is the 19th year in all, an ever evolving set of events, artists, fairs, adventures. people, places – Brick Lane, Liverpool, Margate, Hastings, South London, Folkestone, Victoria Park – the ever evolving fair is something special, something to celebrate, to treasure, something to never take for granted.  Kings Cross, next Saturday, bring it all on, I can’t wait, art is good for your soul, art is a force for good, come enjoy the fun of the fair, come say hello.  (sw)              

Further reading and all the ticket details via this link, you need a ticket to get in first, it become a free event later in day

– ORGAN: Electric Art Car Boot Fair countdown, nine days to go, here’s the lowdown on both Kings Cross and the on-line events along with your discount ticket deal from Organ and Cultivate…

ORGAN PREVIEW: 18 days until all the fun of the Electric Art Car Boot Fair, the full participating artist line up has just been announced…

ORGAN THING: And so the 2019 Art Car Boot Fair happened – different, defiant, same as it ever was, you have to love it…

Do click on an image to enlarge or to run te slide show and get a flavour or two of previous fairs and previous pieces of art.