I’m in the final steps of prepping for my upcoming show at the Haen Gallery in Asheville, NC, which opens next Saturday, November 22. The last part of getting ready for a show includes the last day or so of framing the work, making sure all the work is properly documented and just double-checking everything.
For instance, looking at each piece and making sure that the title really fits the piece. It sounds goofy but I have seen really strong pieces sit for a long time until I have realized that the title did not really fit the piece. It might send the viewer off in another direction completely different than the true feel of the painting or it might be a glib, light title for a piece that has more weight. It’s funny how such a seemingly small thing can affect the whole perception of a painting.
It’s also at this point where I may take a piece from the show, feeling it doesn’t really fit completely with the rest of the work. It may be a very singular piece that may distract the focus from the rest of the show. For example, I do a series of figurative pieces, faces actually, that are darker in nature and in execution than my normal work and would not work with a show where the primary feel of the show’s work is hope and harmony.
At this point in the process you have a pretty good feel for how the show will hang together. I feel very good about this group, I think it will show pretty dynamically in the beautiful space at the Haen. From this point on, the show is out of my control.
The painting shown is one of what I call my “work” pieces, one that I think celebrates the virtues of labor, something that can’t be overstated. This painting is titled Its Own Reward and is part of the show at the Haen.
Redtree Times 