Last week I participated in an art show with a local group of artists. They hold a show in this venue about four times a year. It is a great location, in a very popular park where hundreds of people every day take a walk around a small but lovely lake. Weekends are usually extremely popular. Except when it is over 35 degrees C (roughly 95F). And humid. So we did not get huge crowds, but the people who did stop and visit the exhibition enjoyed both the air conditioning and the huge variety of painting styles on display. It was also a great time to get to know some of the other members of this group, as we don’t have regular social meetings. Over two days, I had some very interesting conversations about art, the city government, copyrights, and people in general. From my vantage point, I could observe people as they made their way through the exhibit. I couldn’t help but notice how many people just glanced at my display and moved along, whereas they might spend several minutes at others. With 20 artists exhibiting, there was a LOT of art to see, so I could totally understand why someone would not want to spend time looking at art that didn’t “do it” for them. Of course there were some that did take time to look at my art, but I couldn’t help but hear the little voice in my head…. “Your work isn’t that good… you may think it is, but the people who really matter don’t…. See? They barely even look at it.... The other artists' (the real ones) work is much better than yours…. What are you even doing here?”.... That voice had gotten stronger in the last few weeks, after a string of shows with lots of compliments but very few sales. I know that sales aren’t everything, but I also know that compliments, even if sincere, are easy to give, and that parting with one’s money is a lot more difficult. But it is also a concrete way of, as the saying so aptly puts it, “putting your money where your mouth is” and giving the artist proof that their work is worth something. So yes, sales aren’t everything, but they do matter. And they allow me to make space at home for new work ;-) So anyway, that little voice had been getting stronger, and I was asking myself lately why I was bothering, not to do art -- I love that and have no plans to stop -- but why I was putting so much effort into getting my art seen. In last week’s blog, I talked about possibly finding a gallery to show my work, as an alternative to doing in-person art shows. It is a LOT of work to do in-person shows!! And then this happened. Early in the afternoon on the second day of our weekend show, the number of visitors had picked up noticeably. At one point a man, clearly dressed for a walk on a hot summer day, stopped in front of one of my paintings. And stood there. For minutes. Obviously mesmerized by what he saw. I gave him a few minutes, then walked over and said “You seem intrigued by the painting”, to which he answered, ”Not intrigued, interested”. We had a pleasant chat about why he liked the painting, and he eventually bought it and a second smaller one! He had no idea that an exhibition was going on, and obviously had not planned to be buying art that day He was just out for a walk. And yet….. So, that’s why I will continue to do in-person shows. To see that look. To talk to the one person in a hundred who loves my work. To experience the joy of knowing that something that I created makes someone happy, not just today, but hopefully for many days to come.
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AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
March 2023
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