Monday, September 21, 2009

I know that they are meant to be sold, but....

Yesterday,in her blog, Deb Ward mentioned that she was hanging up a show. Yesterday, I did the opposite:I took down my paintings from a summer-long two-women show at Mariposa Farm, just outside of Ottawa.
It was a successful show since we sold some paintings, had a great opening reception with the delicious Mariposa food, received good feedback and made new friends.
Here is a picture from that show even though the lighting was not conducive to great photography - and the wall not completely straight :-)

However, I was beaming yesterday to see my paintings again and to bring several of them back home :-) I know that a big reason for showing my paintings is to sell them, but I was so happy to get my "little babies" back, to admire them and to find them even better than I remembered them. And I really missed those that I had sold :-)

Paintings are an expression of our feelings, of our vision of the world. In many ways, they are part of us. I suppose that it is only natural that we feel a certain sadness in parting with them and joy at seeing them again. Do you all feel this way?

In the picture above, you can see on the right-hand side two of my Dazzling Pears paintings. Here is a close-up of one of them, Light and Shadows - Part of the light is in fact due to the reflection of the flash on the glass. It is probably not quite as successful as the two previous Dazzling Pears that  I have posted, but it is part of my experiments with the pouring and masking techniques.

8 comments:

  1. congrats on the show.. i have never tried to sell anything.. not sure how i'd feel about it either... guess they will stay in cupboard and the kids can deal with it later lol

    hey pear lady, your pears look like fun!! like the abstract feel, too!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cindi,
    Even if parting with our work is hard, don't keep your great paintings in the cupboards: people should see them even if you don't want to sell them.
    This pear lady just splashed paint around for more pears...but there was too much splashing and not enough pears:-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Pear Lady...I agree with you that your work should be out there where everyone can see it and I try to do that as much as possible. On the other hand, every painting I do is a part of me - sort of like giving birth - and I find it very hard to part with them.
    I love those dazzling pears!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ah, I think your name should not be Pear Lady but Pearadoora (a mix of pear and door with a feminine ending) - so Miss Pearadoora, I love your pears and think each one is successful. I have gotten attached to paintings and then had them sold and still have a longing to see them again. Everyone says, "Just paint another one," but you know even if the next one of the same setup is successful, it won't be that one. Maybe they are like children. Most of them, I don't feel that attachment.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Paintings are an expression of our feelings, of our vision of the world. In many ways, they are part of us.
    I do so strongly agree with you here Christiane – they are as you say part of us.
    Here the deal/rule with art society shows is all paintings are up for sale, some of my paintings although i want to exhibit them, i have absolutely no intention of selling as they are part of my soul/being, so i place a higher price than i normally would ensuring they will return!
    Some sales have stunned me and although flattered i kinda miss them. In answering your question, I know exactly how you feel.
    Congratulations on the sales! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Barbara, you are right: by creating a work of art, we are indeed giving birth - we are giving life to something unique, that is what it is in great part because of our own uniqueness.
    I am glad that you like those dear pears.

    Rhonda, you really gave me a chuckle: Miss Pearadoora! I like it!
    It would not be art if we could duplicate our work! Some years ago, I was a professional handweaver; I painted silk fibers before putting them on the loom. Each one of my hand painted, hand dyed, handwoven silk scarves was unique. A major shop in Canada asked me to produce 100 identical scarves ...I could not accept such an order - not only was it impossible to achieve, it would have taken all the joy and pride I gained from my work.

    Perugina, putting a high price on "your" work would most often just make people want it even more:-) I know that the first pieces to go are usually the ones that mean something to the artist - that "something" is probably what makes it so successful and attractive to the viewer. Congratulations on your great calendars...they are gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful paintings on your blog. I know what you mean about parting with your own artwork. One one hand it's nice to get a check to deposit, but on the other, a favorite painting is definitely a part of you. I've enjoyed reading through your blog and looking at your art. Very nice!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you very much, Peggi, for stopping by and taking the time to post such a nice comment. I hope that you will visit again. I went and spent some very pleasant time on your blog, to read and to admire your beautiful portraits. I have added myself to your list of followers.

    ReplyDelete