Tomorrow night is the opening reception at the Own an Original Art Exhibition in Littleton, CO. The recent drawing I completed (shown below) will be exhibited at the show. Yay and ugh!
Show openings are a perfect excuse for my husband and I to get out of the house without kids for a few hours. This would be even more amazing if we had even a little bit of time once we got to ANY opening. There is, no fail, always something else planned on those evenings. This year? Our daughters choir concert at 6:30 pm. Show opens at 5:30 pm. Half hour drive to get to the school. See the problem? If we’re lucky we’ll have a half hour to peruse the gallery and shove in as many hors d’oeuvres and wine (okay, let’s be honest – lemonade) into our guts as we can hold.
With both my husband and I being artists, you would think at openings we would be “those people” slowly passing between the pieces of art and meticulously gazing at each piece in a desperate attempt to figure out the ‘true meaning’ . Instead, we quickly walk the show and very judgmentally talk about everyone else. We crack jokes and laugh too loud, but try very hard to behave and keep up with the small talk that takes place. Sounding smart is hard for me. If someone asks what materials I used or where I got my inspiration I generally draw a blank and stare at them like I’ve just had a mini-stroke. I try to avoid this problem by repeating the brand of pencils and paper I use on my way to each show. Doesn’t matter. I still make a fool of myself and get laughed at by my husband and God knows who else.
After our short critique and observations, we generally hunker down near my piece and try to eves-drop on what people are saying. We’re like the background actors in a commercial that are pretending to be involved in a very serious conversation but are actually making no sound. We look stupid and don’t care. Well, my husband might care, but he’s nice and doesn’t say anything. I love hearing what people think of my drawings. I love watching their faces when they see it for the first time. The best comments? “How did she do that?” There is no better compliment.
Of all the things I do with my art, shows are my favorite. I love the competition. I love submitting work and waiting to hear if I got in. Below is an image of the first drawing I submitted to a juried show. It was 2009. It’s an pen & ink drawing that was drawn with live models in a open figure class. I drew it in about 20 minutes and never thought about it again. My husband saw it in my portfolio and said he love it. So, that was that. I submitted and got in. I was so nervous about strangers looking at something I had done. I remember driving to the show and wanting to throw up. I am very insecure about my work and it’s hard for me to find satisfaction in anything I have ever painted or drawn. I have learned through the years that most people don’t see what I see. They don’t see the chin that is too low or the eye that’s slanted a little to the left. It’s now become a pleasure to have my work represented at exhibits and I am more than happy to be a part of something that has such amazing artists showing amazing work.
If you’d like to join us tomorrow night, we would love to see you during the three seconds we’ll be there. You’ll find me near the dessert table. Cheers!
