Laura Wall - Artist Talk

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I found Laura Wall's talk inspiring as she has shown hard work and dedication do pay off. As an entrepreneurial artist myself, I hope to one day show the same determination in my own business practices.

Laura is a creative entrepreneur who runs an art gallery in Teignmouth. She specializes in creating pen and watercolor landscapes with recurring patterns, characters, and details. Her studio space is located within the gallery, where customers can interact with her on a personal level and watch her work. Laura's art is well-known for its signature motifs, which include a cat and mouse, a girl, a boy, and a dog. She observes the world around her and incorporates her observations into her art. She keeps a vast collection of notebooks and sketchbooks, which she uses as a reference.

Laura has also written a series of 16 children's books about two best friends named Sophie and Goose. She started the project while at university, and the books are now sold in 4 countries and 16 different languages. Laura recommends experimenting to find your true voice and stripping back your work to get to the essence of your passions. She notes that she enjoys the repetitiveness of children's books and the freedom to experiment with using simple shapes.

After university, she worked in TV but quit to become an artist. She made a portfolio and visited 100 galleries, getting 20 offers. She also sent her homemade book, Goose, to publishers, got rejected initially, but went to the London book fair, showed her book, and got a four-part book deal. She learned that hard work and dedication are necessary and not to put all her eggs in one basket.

During this journey, Laura's husband was made redundant, but they saw this as an opportunity. He came to work with Laura and tripled the turnover in the first year by managing all the galleries, administration, and social media. He was constantly working and never stopped. The protagonist and her husband collected a lot of email addresses by setting up free events and inviting people. They made it an invite-only event to create exclusivity and open up opportunities in the future.

While in France for a month, they came up with the idea of opening an art gallery. They secured a short lease and hosted an opening party sponsored by local businesses. They remained focused on their business goals and received offers for licensing and branding from Fluid World, and an animation deal from King Rollo Films with narration by Dawn French. They prioritised following their creative processes, turning off their phones to avoid distractions.

The King Rollo animation booked tours around the world, and it felt like everything was culminating into a huge deal, but unfortunately, it fell through. They had a lot of deals for licensing with Fluid World, but not everything worked out. They kept faith that it would come back around. Pitching requires a lot of effort and dedication.

Goose gave them the ability to travel, and they decided to create a children's book and send it to schools. They even had a party for Goose, and the mascots created by licensees were kept after the event. They also helped disadvantaged children with fundraising by organizing Goose's cake bake. Unfortunately, Brexit ruined their funding from the EU.

Laura's goal is to make the gallery a fun place by adding a boat that excites kids with chocolate coins in a porthole. She is thrilled that the council commissioned a welcome sign for Teignmouth, which made her feel like she's part of the community. Laura believes that being niche is essential, and she offers unique products like paddle boards, umbrellas, flasks, a watch company, gin and rum, and clothing collaborations.

During the lockdown, Laura used the opportunity to create new paintings, prints, and other items and hand-delivered them around Devon. She used grants to invest in her business and, in 2022, won the national art retailer of the year award. Laura is proud to have signed a stage show for Goose!

At Haddon Fine Art, Laura sells artist proofs and prints. Customers can buy the artist proof and purchase any amount at a time (catalogue number or limited edition). Initially, they started with laser prints and mounts from the range, but they weren't great, so they are now looking for non-acidic alternatives. Laura offers cheap prices for cheaper prints, and she encourages small investments and keeps them rolling.

Laura works with UK-based manufacturers who have specific minimum quantities, price points (best price, competition, etc.), and timescales. She always checks where the products are made and attends the spring or autumn fair at NEC. Laura also takes artist licenses and has a minimum order. Finding a good manufacturer takes time, but it's worth it, as it builds up over time. She always tries to offer something different from what's standard in the market, so she can ask for higher-end prices.

The most essential lesson Laura learned is that you should always return to your passions during tough times.