“The Time Has Come” Opens Tonight at the Kada Gallery
Well, today I’m off to Erie, PA for the opening of my show, The Time Has Come at the Kada Gallery. I’m always a little nervous on the day of a show, worrying that the work won’t strike a chord. But at the same time I’m looking forward to meeting the people who have watched my work over the years, to get their feedback on what they see in the work and to give them a little more information on the why’s and how’s of what I do. I have really enjoyed meeting the many different people who have approached me at shows over the years and feel very privileged to hear their stories. The feedback from these shows give me a lot to think about when I’m isolated in the studio. They encourage and inspire me on the days when nothing seems to be working and they give me a lot of reassurance in the knowledge that there are people out there who have connected with the work. When you spend as much time alone as I do, it’s nice to know there are eyes out there who know and accept your work.
At these exhibitions, I feel I have a certain responsibility to the people who attend. I’m always honored that someone has taken time from their busy life to come out to see my paintings and talk for a few minutes and feel they deserve my full attention. I often fret after a show that I didn’t get to spend enough time with certain folks or that I came off in a way I had not intended. What I mean by that is that the art that takes on any importance in someone’s life does so because of what they see of themselves in the work. This creates a unity with the work and is often quite a strong bond. Now, if I, who have created this work, am glib or dismissive or inattentive and rude the meaning of the work changes to that person. I may not be explaining this well but I know this to be true. It happened to me when I was a 17 years old aspiring writer and went to a talk with a world-renowned author at a local college. I listened intently and afterwards went to a reception, eager to get some advice on the career I desired. He was rude, dismissive and half drunk. I left and to this day have never read another word by the man. Everything I saw in his work bcame worthless.
So that is always in my mind at these events. To me, it’s a rare and miraculous thing to have someone connect with my work and to that end I try to be as open, honest, and available as possible to the folks who take the time to come out to a show.
Well, that said, I’m off…
Redtree Times 