Weâve all done our best. Now we sit back and wait.
Not what you like to see an hour before you’re handing in. |
I opened my box of frames when I arrived last weekend, but I didnât take out the items and unpack them; they were still in the manufacturerâs packaging. Anyway, I like the US post office as a shipper, so I wasnât worried.
That meant I was blindsided on Thursday morning when all three frames turned out to have cracked corners. I called Jane Chapin to ask her if there was a Michaels in Santa Fe. Instead, she directed me to a shelf to the left of the door in her own studio. It was such a smooth solution that I barely had time to worry. It will save me money on the return shipping, since she can just pop out any unsold work and mail it back to me in a padded envelope.
Occasionally someone will challenge my characterization of these events as âcompetitions.â They prefer to think of them as sales events. But whenever there are prizes, there is competition. Unlike ice-skating, however, thereâs very little knee-capping in the plein air world. For one thing, itâs a small community. Even if weâre not friends yet, we have friends in common.
Apple tree swing, by Carol L. Douglas, courtesy Kelpie Gallery. I’m gonna try the Pecos apple tree again today. |
One of the painters at this event has Parkinsonâs. (How she paints as beautifully as she does is beyond me.) She is a tiny thing, and she has been helping me up and down steps all week. Sheâs appointed herself my keeper. We were at a party in town Wednesday when she realized that sheâd forgotten her meds. If you know Parkinsonâs, you know that missing a dose is like falling off a cliff. Now Iâve appointed myself to remind her about her meds. We just met on Friday night, but now weâre friends helping friends.
Yesterday I intended to spend my spare time painting an apple tree down the road. However, I spent it unsuccessfully trying to file the claim for my damaged frames. This morning my husband, back in Rockport, managed to file it online.
This view from my studio window has gone to live in New Mexico. |
As for which paintings I submitted, it ended up being El camino hacia el pueblo, La casa de los abuelitos,and Castigando del caballo muerto. I probably received twenty messages about the choices after my post, with a heavy contingent favoring Dry Wash, but Iâd already filled out the paperwork.
Every one of these messages were from professional painters and gallerists. The takeaway message is that even at a high level of expertise, âgood,â âgreat,â etc. are subjective. Thatâs true for the juror as well as for anyone else. Weâve all done our best. Now we sit back and wait.