It always takes a day or two after returning from a show to get back into any kind of rhythm in the studio, especially when I’ve been away for several days. I am definitely a creature of habit, one that needs its set daily routine to keep everything at an even keel. Without it, I feel out of sorts and a bit on edge. So getting back in the studio is a relief even though the rhythm is still disrupted. Eventually, I know that the rhythm of my routine will kick back in.
These first days after a show find me slowly sliding into the painting process while I use this break as a time to reset and evaluate the direction of my upcoming work as I run over the details of the show which has just passed. I am trying to remember comments made about the work in an effort to ascertain what aspects triggered great response and what pieces drew less enthusiastic reactions. Some pieces surprise me with the reaction they provoke from the show-goers, some drawing much stronger respnses than I’d anticipated. These mornings after are just a rehash of all of this info, trying to make it into some form that I can pull from in the future.
A friend, Ted Terrenoire, took a few photos during the opening including the one at the top of this post, a photo that I really like a lot. I think it captures what I hope for in my exhibitions, that the show is about people engaging with the work. I’ve come to the conclusion that a successful show is one where the crowd is facing outward towards the work on the walls. I’ve been to crowded shows where everyone is gathered with their backs to the walls, the social aspect of the event far outweighing the work to which barely a glance is given. I’m pleased that most of my shows are not social events, that most of the shows are spent with people intently looking at the paintings, often lost in their own thoughts. That makes me feel as though I’m on the right path with my work.
Okay, I have to go. There is much work to be done here and I feel the rhythm coming back to me…
Redtree Times 
I wouldn’t trust that guy.
Who? Ted? Our firiend, a security expert, checked him out when he saw him lurking around with his camera. Turns out he’s okay.
Interesting observation, about people facing inward and socializing or facing outward to engage with the work. It makes perfect sense to me that most people at one of your shows would look exactly like those in the photo above.