OK, My Turn Now...

Myrna and David have become famous overnight, having one of their incredible pieces in a museum. Always learning from the best, I decided to follow that path of fame.

Looking good, I dare say. I only wish people would stop taking photos of artwork in museums. It's truly and absolutely annoying, especially when one of them is facing the wrong way...

Wanna get your painting in a museum too? It's as easy as can be! Just go to this fun site, and you're in. No nasty jurors, no competition - you get the limelight all to yourself and bask in the glow. Nothing cures a wounded ego like self delusion.

Why wounded?

Oh, this painting of mine is hanging in our Annual Show (which is an incredible show this year!). It's one in a series, and some of you may recall its older brother, "Dust to Dust". But, this one is titled ""Lost Edges". Also, this one did not get an award.

What I did get is many, many encouraging comments from visitors to the show, fellow artists and - ah, tears are choking my throat - The JohnnyB voted for it as his favorite piece in the show! By now you know very well that The JohnnyB is never ever lying about this kind of stuff. In fact, he is the first to tell me when he does not appreciate an artwork of mine, no matter how proud I am of it.

Oh, and . . . one person, apparently, liked it so much that she kept going to the show to look at it.

She went and looked.

- - - And went and looked.

- - - - - - And went and looked.

- - - - - - - - - And went and looked.

And at the reception (held on Sunday), she bought it. She is a fellow artist, CookieA, a fun person, a wonderful artist (and - needless to say - has an exquisite taste in art ;-) and it is a huge compliment to know that my painting has touched her enough to want to have it in her house.

I am still thrilled.

I have entered this painting (together with two others) to the 2008 Statewide Watercolor Competition and Exhibition at the Triton Museum of Art. And, based on the good karma this visualization thingy seems to have brought Myrna, I decided to give it a try.

You never know...

Sold - Again!

Sometimes, you paint just for the pure joy of it.

You allow yourself to not think too much, grant yourself the permission to not agonize over the end result, and refrain from over-analyzing design rules and profound compositions, complementing colors and balance of value and shape.

Sometimes, you just paint.

And you have a lot of fun.

And you come up with a painting you actually like quite a bit, because each time you look at it, you go back to that happy feeling.

And, apparently, when you just enjoy creating something, it comes through, hidden between the lines and colors.

Because 3 weeks ago, one of my blog readers browsed through all the artwork on my blog, and picked exactly that one painting, which I did at WackieM's class last April. As she put it, "The one that I like the best is Self Portrait #2. . . I want the feeling I get when I look at it. Fun, light, colorful."

So yesterday I did not paint.

Instead, I befriended my recently-neglected mat cutter and cut a double mat for that painting. I admit I dreaded it (as you may recall, cutting mats is not exactly on my top 5 list of favorite things to do), but in some bizarre and crooked way, it was almost fun. Plus, it always pays when you finally insert the sandwich of mat-painting-backing into the clear plastic bag and allow yourself to breathe, as everything went just fine. No fingerprint on the mat, no crooked cuts - and once you're done, it's looking good!

So today I deposited the package in the skilled hands of the FedEx dude, and entrusted him to ship it to my very new patron: Jeani. Thank you, Jeani! It's hard to describe how encouraging it is to know that something I created has touched you to the extent that you want to own it. It feels great.

And now that I have sold my second painting (the first one went to Blogauthor), I wonder: am I a professional artist yet?

SOLD!!!

I wanted to paint.

I really did.

Honestly.

I even had the time.

But I didn't. Instead, I spent some quality time with my mat cutter, on the quest of cutting a double mat for a little bozzetto that I like a lot. A personal favorite, which I consider a breakthrough.

I measured twice - and once more for luck, while cursing the imperial system and its evil eighths and sixteenths of an inch that were lurking in every corner. (Are you ever gonna convert to the sane, metric system, people?!?). Using all my fingers, my tongue stuck out and my self confidence sliding down, I finally managed to cope with the calculations, feeling as incompatible as I ever did.

When I got to the cutting itself, I took special care to make the cuts flawless and clean.

I really wanted it to look perfect.

After all, it is not every day that I mat the very first painting I've ever sold!!!

Who'd have thought that this little painting would intrigue so many people, causing them to try and guess what's the story behind it? It was truly fascinating to witness all the interpretations, that went from nocturnal strangulation(!) through saving from drowning to a woman taking off her mask as she goes to sleep, no longer having to pretend.

Only one of my blog readers actually got what I really painted. A week later, she informed me she wants to buy it - and tomorrow it will be FedExing its way to her.

She claims she is very excited about this. Well, not as much as I am. It's a huge compliment when a person wants to own an artwork of yours. HUGE!

It's so encouraging, so rewarding to know that what you put on paper has touched someone to that extent - and at the same time, it's quite hard to part from it.

Which is why I am so glad it's going to a good home - - - Blogauthor and Wheeler, hope you enjoy it!

I believe I can now be considered a professional artist. And I wonder - can I say I have a patron? :-)