JULIE SANDS is starving for her artists. “The other day, my accountant said I must be insane,” she declares. “I don’t have any more savings left.” But a dire financial outlook hasn’t suspended this determined entrepreneur from her plan to expand La Beaux Art, a gallery which she established to support local talent.
The quaint building on Woodborough Road in Mapperley just barely houses the work of over a dozen independent artists. Corner to corner, the walls are covered with paintings and drawings, photography and sculpture. Shelves are adorned with hand-made jewellery, woodwork and glass.
Behind the cash counter is a stack of work – idle, unseen. There is no room left to display these. Julie explains: “I won’t survive in this tiny, tiny place. There is too much art that I have to turn away, which I really don’t want to do. And I vowed never to put anything on the floor.”
Since the summer, Julie has been negotiating a lease with the owner of the residential flat above her shop. It is due to be signed this week.
Once she takes over the space, Julie’s blueprints will finally come to life. A photography studio and classroom are among her plans, along with a garden. But above all, additional wall space will allow her artists’ larger pieces to reach the eye of potential beholders.
Julie was 40 when she discovered her own artistic eye.
“My mother-in-law bought me a set of pencils and a notepad,” she recalls. I sat and drew little pictures of a wall in the garden and hung them in my toilet. Everyone said ‘Wow! Who did that?’
…and I said it was me.”
A friend encouraged her to take lessons and develop her skill. For just £1 – a cup of tea included in the fee – Julie attended a community centre art group in Mapperley once a week. At these weekly meetings, Julie was quick to identify an inconspicuous gathering of skill. “I just realised how many talented people were there,” she said. “But none of them had ever sold their work.”
“It seemed so sad that despite all of the galleries in Nottinghamshire none supported local artists. I thought it was about time someone did.” In 2005, Julie gave up work as an administrative assistant and opened La Beaux Art.
Alan Wilson is a framer and photographer from Sherwood. He stumbled upon Julie’s gallery a few months after it was opened. “It was by chance that I walked over and introduced myself.” Prior to meeting Julie, Alan had worked for another framer for 10years. He began mounting work for other artists and regular customers at La Beaux Art, and eventually branched out on his own. Today, Julie’s gallery is his main outlet.
“Locally, Julie has given a lifeline to not only a number of experienced artists, but to beginners and those who have never sold anything in their life,” says Alan. “On the other hand, established artists are more than happy to sell their work through her as well as through other sources.”
Still, Alan believes the project is in its infancy in terms of developing the market for local artwork. With plans for a bigger gallery, he expects it will have an even greater impact. “I think it’s a fantastic idea she’s come up with,” he added. “It’s been two years of hard work to get going and I’m extremely hopeful that it will now take off.”
But trying to sell art isn’t the easiest thing to do. Just ask John and Maeve Wright. The self-taught couple from Mapperley have mastered the use of various mediums – including acrylic, watercolour, and oil. It is John’s dream to practice artwork full time, but instead he works at Sainsbury’s. Maeve was a schoolteacher until 2001, but is now painting full time.
“Julie’s really interested in our art, and in me,” she says. “It’s helped to have someone promoting our work instead of just ourselves. We’ve got a good relationship with her – but not just in a business way. She’s just a friendly person trying to help others. It’s what the area needs – it’s what everyone needs. Without Julie there wouldn’t be an art dimension in our lives.”
Ten years after Julie sketched the wall in her garden, she is drawing up blueprints for a bigger art project. The task does not come without a challenge. “My idea, apart from helping local artists, is to make art affordable,” she explains. To achieve this, she must keep the costs of her business down to a minimum.
“I really struggle to survive, but I’m so determined to make it work,” she adds. I have emptied all my savings, I have sold my house. It isn’t about the money. It’s about the people involved and the fact that I can help them. It’s a chance I can give them. I can’t change their lives, but I can give them hope.”
Julie has a hopeful plea of her own. Once the contract for her lease is completed, she will be able to apply to the Nottingham Art Council for funding. Still, she believes that more resources should be available. “The government needs to help people like me – small businesses. It is hard to survive with so many big bills. What I am doing isn’t just about me, it’s about everyone in this gallery, isn’t it?”
I look around. There are a few people peeking inside the gallery through the window. Otherwise, it is just Julie and I. Yet it’s a full house with a lot of hungry mouths to be fed. Is that Julie’s stomach I hear growling?
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