I don’t do a lot of posting on social media.  I figure this blog is the place where I can put my thoughts and notices about my art work.  I cannot expect my loved ones and friends to follow every bit of artsy stuff that I do.  I do it because I am called to it. I do not expect them to be called to it.  That being said, I know there are many who are seriously interested; in my opinion, in my artistic point of view, in my examples for reference, and so I put them here.  I don’t write often but I hope it is enough to satisfy those who are seeking the info.  I know I felt it was a futile attempt, when I was looking, and I still do search, for examples as stimulus, for new and better methods, for encouragement. I have come here today to tell you about this show experience.  Let me do that.

Gathering all my good examples together was a fairly big project.  There is more to doing this than one would expect.  First, I needed to know if I had enough reasonably good work to give people a pleasant experience as they viewed the material.  So, my first job was to take inventory.  I counted things about four or five times, each time coming to a different total because usually I remembered something else I had overlooked before.  I have outdated typed lists on my computer so I pulled one up and made a print out.  I went around making notes so that all my work would be there in one place. Each time I located or remembered another painting, I would insert it into the list with the year it was finished, the title and the price.  I reorganized my document in the word document on the computer so that each time I added, subtracted or moved an item, the list would self correct.  Even after Bruce and I worked to get this list complete, we would remember something else. I was amazed to find that I have painted over one hundred works with about half dozen not completed for a number of reasons.

I chose fifty five, I believe, to go to the show.  Bruce made four trips and then another trip to rewire a couple that the wire broke. There was no way to imagine how they would look when the formal arrangement was complete.  Let me just say that the staff at the Latrobe Art Center worked their magic and the room was enchanting, even for me looking at my own work. the night of the show finally arrived.  I had made every effort to not catch any of the miserable viruses going around but I could not stop the exhaustion that was creeping over me.  My defenses were down when I started receiving notices from ones who could not make it to the reception.  I did my best not to become discouraged but the weather had brought a snow storm on the heels of an early spring warm up.  That might stop people from coming out too.  Well, a good friend helped me voice my fears and bolstered my resolve and about that time my first attendee arrived.  After that, the evening was gone light a bolt of lightning.  I never had time to grab a snack.  Thank God my friend had provided a bottle of water or I would have never made it.  There was plenty of food that my friends and the gallery had provided. Our daughters were traveling long distances and three of them got caught in traffic from the same accident on the turnpike, but they got there at the end.  I will always be together in memory with those of you who came to the reception and who were able to visit during the month the show was hanging and also those who participated in the ‘ask the artist luncheon’ a week later.

Finally, the time arrived when we had to take every thing down and bring it back home again. I cleaned all the walls, wishing I had the reserve energy and motivation to repaint.  But the walls remain pale green.  We did rearrange the order and it looks nice.  We had to put some new nails in and find places to hang more.  I am sending some home to the girls.  And I have begun two new pieces.

Well, for now, I think I have covered the bases.  I will copy this blog and put it in my journal.

Again, my most sincere thanks to all who have shared this event of a life time with me. I want you to realize that without you as part of it, it would mean nothing.  Hugs and Shalom, Diana