Reset Password
Reset Link Sent
| Blogs > PrairieSky > My Blog |
|
My F Copyright May 7,2009 PrairieSky My F’ing Fuschia Story Somewhere in the mid 1990s, along with three other artists, I was asked to show ten of my paintings at a popular plant Conservatory in my area. I had recently completed a series of new works while I was spending some ‘healing’ time at a hide-a-way camp in Lake of the Woods area, so I was very anxious to show them off in such a beautiful building with so many people viewing them for a whole month! I had shown in this building before and knew that I had to get there early on the opening day if I wanted one of the more desirable walls to hang my work on. When my significant other and I arrived early, toting paintings, stepladder and tools, I was ecstatic to find out that I could have the whole wall directly in front of the main entrance to the building! That wall had excellent indirect lighting and plants and flowers that would show off the work beautifully. I was blessed to have found it open for my taking! As soon as people walked into the door, my new series would be the first things they laid eyes on! We went through our usual nit picking and arguing while hanging the art. “A little to the left”…”A little to the right”…”No, not that high”…”No those two don’t belong together”…”Put the end one in the middle instead”…”I swear you don’t hear a word I say!”…”That’s it, if you don’t appreciate my time, you can hang them by yourself”…”Honey, I’m sorry, I’m just pressed for time and I’m excited”. On and on and on. Finally…they all got hung, the frames wiped down and the glass cleaned. There they hung in all their glory, under perfect lighting, waiting for praise. My brand new works…which represented a major turning point in my life, in my work. We had time to grab coffees from the cafeteria and bring them back with us before the doors opened to the public. We sipped our coffees as we went into our favourite “lurking mode”…so that we could eavesdrop on the viewers of my art without them knowing I was the artist. (I know, I know, that is not nice…but I guarantee you it goes on at every art show. Its sometimes the only way an artist can get an HONEST opinion of their work. I was on such a high as the first rush of people came into the front door, that I probably was somewhat too inflated with pride and I immediately picked out two older, very energetic, well dressed women whom I thought looked like potential art buyers. The second they entered the door, they looked at ‘my’ wall of art and one loudly exclaimed to the other, “OH LOOK IDA!” (as she pointed to my wall of art)..”AREN’T THEY BEAUTIFUL?!” I immediately poked my significant other with my elbow and whispered through the side of my mouth, “now THERE are art buyers if I’ve ever seen any!” My heart soared! While I casually hung around pretending to be one of the browsing crowd, Ida and her partner rushed up to ‘my’ wall, faces lit with excitement over my art…and stopped dead in front of my most prized three paintings and promptly bent down slightly in order to view the long planter of Fuschia flowers that ran just below my row of work, exclaiming loudly and excitedly to each other about how beautiful they were. Not once did they look up at my paintings. My ears became hot and itchy, I dared to glance sideways at my beloved partner who was tactful enough to be looking the other way pretending he didn’t hear a word. I then looked up at the sky and whispered, “Lord, you DO have a sense of humour, don’t You?!” Sighhhhhh…..I was taken down a notch or two that morning and I’ve never forgotten it. The lesson has stayed with me all the years since good old Ida and her f’ing fuschias! I told this story at an artist gathering shortly after that day and at every gathering since, I usually meet up with someone that inevitably will say to me, “Hey, will you please tell your ‘F’ing Fuschia’ story for the artists here that haven’t heard it?” …And I usually do. It keeps me humble. Heh, heh. Ciao for now! PrairieSky copyright May 7, 2009 PrairieSky 
|
|||
5/7/2009 1:46 pm |
I think yours is one of the few arts I can think of right off hand that gives you a chance to get a very up close and personal critique of your work. Authors for example, don't get a chance to be the fly on the wall and see and maybe hear what the reader's reactions are. Of course it might be best not to know in some cases...lolol "Pickin up hookers, instead of my pen I let the words of my youth slip away." - Willie Nelson
| ||
5/7/2009 2:06 pm |
Good story PS, overhearing something like that definitely keeps an artist humble..lol I have the same type of thing with my pottery... I hate selling...I don't want to be around. I know - I'm chicken!! Happiness is where we find it, but rarely where we seek it. J. Petit Senn
| ||
5/7/2009 4:10 pm |
PS AAAhhh!!! What a let down. The story was amusing but eating humble pie is not as good. 
| ||
|
Humbling story. Glad you can laugh about it now.   The positive is there. Sometimes it's just hard to find.
| ||
|
 Thanks for sharing amiga
| ||
|
EXCELLENT!!! I think we all need things in life to bring us down a notch or two. God does have a way of doing that when we need. Bruja The wealth of a soul is measured by how much it can feel; its poverty by how little. W. R. Inge
| ||
|
Thanks for sharing this interesting story. I bet you have plenty of people that love your beautiful work. It must be so rewarding to see your work come alive on canvas
|
×
×