My First Dragon
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2009
It's only now I can take an objective look back at Open Studios and recognise how well things went. My fellow-exhibitors and I agreed that the best thing about it was the opportunity to meet and discuss art with the general public; our own art, each other's art, and - in many cases - the visitors' art. And this year I've had a taste of something less easily defined: the thrill you get when your work touches somebody. It's not shared vision, exactly - everybody's coming from their own standpoint, after all - but something in your work which resonates with them.
When one of my paintings struck a chord with people, their pleasure with it made me revisit it again in my mind; I recalled the scene which inspired the painting and the fun I had creating it. Someone bought a print of a favourite photo; reminding me of what I loved about it in the first place. So. although it's a difficult time of year for me, I'm keeping positive. The dragon, after all, is a symbol of life force and great potency. Perhaps I should frame him and put him on the wall to inspire me!
I think the dragon's lovely; a really excellent piece given that it's a medium that you don't use very much. I'm glad you've recognised that Open Studios this year represented an advance on last year's; in various ways ,as you say. That's the thing about art - it's a bit like London buses; you can feel you're getting nowhere and have no inspiration at one time, then a few days, weeks or even months later, ideas and inspirations, either self-generated and/or coming from other people, abound. The important thing is to KEEP GOING!
ReplyDelete