Opening @Ceres Gallery
As we left the house in NJ and drove up the Turnpike, I began to feel less buzzed excitement and more like an actress driving to a performance. I was in a play when I was in high school, and I felt like the same way while on stage - in another’s body. It’s something that involves other people: the show, an audience, the lines you’ve tried to memorize. The lines you knew well yesterday, are no longer in your head. Will people I know show up? It’s Molly’s birthday! Do I look ok? Stuff like that…
Dan and I thought we better eat something prior to the opening. Arriving at 4 would give us time to grab a slice. But not a GF slice… it would be 8pm before we’d drive home. After some dithering around we shared a Poke Bowl at the Empire Diner - it was superb (though we were left with tiny black quinoa in our teeth). The host, stationed at the sidewalk entrance, had a great marketing strategy. He kept 2 big containers of dog biscuits in his little desk cabinet and all dogs who were being walked past the diner knew him well.
We got a text from a friend, just after we ordered, that she was already at the gallery. Oh no! would she leave before we got there? But fortunately she was still there and she stayed to chat. She even bought a photo from one of the other artists in the show (yay!). And… the place began to fill up. Two other artists showed up who I know from taking classes at Sugar Maples Art Center. AND a dear old friend came with his friend who is a sculptor. My! The time flew and everyone was friendly and excited to be there. I got to say hello to a few other the artists in the show and that was tremendously gratifying and interesting.
People responded to my work positively! I also got to ask people I’dnever met before what they thought of my pieces. It’s hard to talk about art. The orange piece, “Bird Pyre”, seemed to interest several people. “Sorry Not Sorry” also did. Several people said they loved the wall pieces, and wondered where the feathers came from. I wonder if anyone will buy anything??
It was a blast. It doesn’t matter if anyone buys anything. What will I do with these things if they don’t sell, though?
Alas. I didn’t imagine them in anyone’s house, so that’s what I get.
