When thinking about your first solo show, try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Start in a small, friendly venue in your community (a library, a friend’s cafe, and so on) where you will invite your friends, family, neighbors… basically everyone you know;)

Select only your best work for the exhibition. Don’t try to show everything. Less is often more.

If you have someone who understands your work and writes well, ask her to write something about this exhibition. Most people (especially people who are not artists) like to hear another person’s view of the work. This person can tell it at the opening.

This text and photos of the work may also become a small brochure (you don’t need to invest a lot of money in the design and printing – it might just be a word document printed on a laser printer). It is good to have such a document of the exhibition, even if it is just on one page.

Take good (professional quality) photos of your works alone and the works in the venue. These will also be a part of the documentation of the exhibition.

Most people will come to the opening, but you can also invite people to come later on and come to the venue yourself to be at their disposal. Depending on how easy it is for you to talk about your work, you might want to prepare for that. People love to hear artists talk about their work. And they will surely enjoy a private view!

Maybe someone would want to buy some of your work. You should also be ready to answer any questions about prices and when you can deliver the painting.

And when the show is over, start working immediately. Some artists feel empty after all the excitement, and it can result in not working for a very long time (you definitely don’t want that).

Hope that helps.