Potential Victim

Hannah – 48″x48″ acrylic and oil on panel

This painting was in an exhibit three years ago… I can admit that it was not my favorite or the “strongest” piece in that collection. That being said, I have been thinking about painting over it for a couple of months. There is another nineteenth century wallpaper pattern that I would like to paint, and I think it would be a better painting. Then, I “consulted” with my wife, and she talked me down by speaking to the qualities of the existing painting that hold a certain value. I will likely delay the death of this painting, and I will opt to build a couple of new panels instead for the new paintings.

I submitted my work to another gallery today, as I continue to make a concerted effort to get my paintings exhibited outside of Nashville. It’s an emotional experience, because it is often that galleries don’t reply at all, and, almost always when they do, it is a “rejection.” Not hearing back at all is worse for me than the rejection… at least with a “no” the gallery is recognizing that I am human and, in essence, simply asked them a question that is easy to answer. After all of these years, the callouses have formed, and the expectation is nearly nothing, so, it’s essentially a practice in non-attachment. Then, that gets weird and spiritual, because the personal nature of the Work can be attaching, and so one must detach from themselves in this process… and, that’s where the magic is.