Art Shown Money Made

Dream Come True

It's an amazing tale actually. So amazing I still can hardly believe it really happened, yet the money is in my bank account and the paintings did not come home with me after the show closed. This is how it happened.

The first day of the show, as I was bringing my paintings in from the car, a customer at the coffee shop started to browse through my work. Since this was my first solo show, I wasn't sure what to expect and what to do. It had been over a year since I had met the curator so I didn't even recognize her at first. The gentleman talks with the curator, then walks over to me to ask a few questions: how long have you been painting, have you shown before, how much for everything?

Really? What? We haven't even hung anything on the wall yet. I get out my list and try to do the math. He doesn't want the small flowers, but everything else he'll take. I just sold eight paintings! And he's a collector. The curator was shocked as well (pleasantly so, I must admit). She asked if I had anything else at home we could add to the show. So I went home and painted some more.

A week later, at the opening reception, I had hung two new paintings and many of my friends, family, neighbors and colleagues came to support me. It was wonderful. My "patron," (can I call him that?) also came. He fell in love with one of the new paintings and bought it too.

In the end I brought three paintings home: two of the little flowers (there were six to start) and one painting of fishies (three at the beginning) and none of the landscapes; have three commissions and an invitation to do another show.

What this all means to me is, it looks like when I put my heart into my work and take a leap of faith in letting my work out into the world, people enjoy what they see enough to take it home with them.