“The Declaration“- Now at the West End Gallery
Well, another opening is in the books, this one for my current show at the West End Gallery. Wasn’t sure this going to happen given the last couple of years and, like I wrote yesterday, was unsure how it would feel to be in that situation again. It was around September of 2019 that I had last been with any kind of group of folks with my work and I was more than a little nervous that I had lost my ability to properly interact with living and breathing people.
Fortunately, much like riding a bike, muscle memory kicked in and it didn’t take long to get back into some kind of rhythm, albeit a sometime shaky one. The crowd size was just about right, not too large or too small at any one time so it was never really troubling as far as any viral concerns. For this show at this time and place, it was a perfect crowd, as far as I am concerned.
It allowed for a bit longer time with people, more than I often can spend at openings in more normal times. And that was really appreciated as I was able to meet a couple of longtime collectors for the first time as well as a number of folks new to my work. And it was great to once again see the friends and acquaintances who I haven’t seen in close to two years. It was good to just catch up even if for a few minutes.
The biggest takeaway from last night was how much I had missed getting live feedback from talking to people and watching their reactions to the work in person. It’s different than getting a reaction to the work online mainly because the work inevitably has more dimension and impact in person. The computer screen doesn’t fully capture the depth or size or surface of the work. Plus there is something about seeing some pieces from a distance or at different angles, something that sometimes shows the real strength of a painting.
In short, it felt good to get live in time feedback. It is so encouraging. I have written before about how sometimes without this feedback, I begin to doubt myself, begin to think I might be heading down paths that are too narrowly defined, that might not reach out to others.
But the affirmation and warmth I received made me realize I was truly missing that aspect. And why wouldn’t you miss that? We all want to have some sort of affirmation and appreciation.
And I definitely received that yesterday. I hope that those who I spoke with received the same warmth and appreciation in return.
To all that came out, thank you for taking some time to spend with us at the gallery. It almost felt normal which is a pretty good thing these days. And to Jesse and Linda Gardner, thank you for taking the great care that you do in making the West End Gallery the safe space it remains, both physically and mentally.
Thanks to all!
Through the Trees is now open and hanging at the West End Gallery through the end of August.
Redtree Times 