The Hanging at the Museum's Backyard

...there we were again, almost the same team, hanging a show, Again.

This time, it's the show of the art organization of which I am president, so it's much more thrilling.

Just under 100 artworks were entered, all in watermedia. which made the hanging process easier, as it did not require a mix 'n match of oils with sculptures, canvases with framed watercolors, apples with oranges.

Still, it was exhausting.

It was my very first time to assemble the pro-panels, and while not complicated, it's just a highly annoying job. Now I know why nobody else wanted to do it. We were done around 4pm, and it looks glorious! It seems like the quality of the overall show keeps improving from one year to the other, which is truly exciting. I can't wait for my gallery-sitting shift, which will be on the first day the show opens.

My painting for this show is one of my self-portrait series. I have posted it as an ArtPact in its unfinished state. I love it, The JohnnyB really doesn't. So be it. I am done trying to please everyone with my art. That's pretty much mission impossible, and will only result in frustration and compromise.

I have to say I really lived on the edge with this painting. A day before the hanging, it still wasn't framed yet, and I knew there must be a reason, as usually I am not that bad about it.

There was.

On Friday afternoon, after hesitating to do so for 2 days, I grabbed several pencils and scribbled the words of one of my favorite songs throughout the painting. A brave - and at the same time, very stupid - thing to do a day before hanging it in a show. And yet, I just had to. Once I was done, I knew it was the right thing to do. The painting was finally finished.

I then spent a while contemplating the fact that nobody will be able to read the words. It's not a cheery song, y'see. It's quite exposed, and as long as it was just in the painting, in Hebrew, I was safe... a big coward chicken, but safe.

Eventually, I decided to take it one step further, and translated the words to English. I figured that not doing that would mean I am not really walking the extra emotional mile. It was quite amusing to have the JohnnyB help me translate a song he doesn't know from Hebrew to English, but he was incredibly helpful, and got my utter gratefulness and admiration.

So, here it is. The song was written by Nurit Glaron, a wonderful Israeli singer. It's much more beautiful and touching in Hebrew, but there's a limit to what I can do, I guess...




“Within the storms,
between breathing and suffocating
within me.
Doors closed,
latches locked.
Slowly.
Quietly.

Do not follow me
to that place.
Where the sky is foreboding,
where no children play,
where the silence oppresses -
and does not let go. “