To be received

Months go by in the immersive inner process of making work in my studio, alone.  And I love it.  The quiet days, the loud days, the moments of discovery that feel like a great big exhale…and then an inhale and the next searching begins.  

And all of this inner process is so very within, the only sign of it happening is the image transpiring on the canvas, the only experiencer of it, me (save a few of those special close friends who stop by and become part of the process, you know who you are).  

And then comes along my biggest show of the year, The Celebration of Fine Art. (Sound the trumpets!) And this is a different kind of exhale, for this is when the work, the expression, the evidence of the inner process, is received and experienced by another.  By many others.  It is exhilarating; your body of work up on the walls, your inner year in pictures for all to see.  And it is here I begin to talk about my work, to reflect on changes, to make connection between pieces, to put into words all the non verbal expressions that have been surfacing over the past months. It is a beautiful pause, and I’m to the brim with gratitude.  

At first this was especially difficult for me, putting into words what is meant for the eyes.  It is supposed to be explanatory, right? Yet I have found myself, as I fumble through my answers in response to the questions from collectors, arriving at new clarity and reasoning for my artistic choices.  Seeing the body of work as a whole a theme begins to emerge, and it usually parallels with life.