The man who brought us together runs the community arts education center and offered us a show in their gallery. Another girl in the group works for the local paper and was able to get our show reviewed and published in the paper. So by doing nothing other than joining OVAC and creating my own website (two things I was required to do for a class that I took last fall) a man found me, connected me with a group of awesome artists, gave me a show and helped me to get published in the paper. Blessing number one. Isn't it crazy how God works through people to show us kindness and offer us encouragement? I mean I am in a pretty dry place spiritually and God comes in and washes me with his blessings.
Anyways so that covers the first blessing. The second and in a lot of ways more encouraging to my art is the fact that a woman someone who I have never met - not a friend of the family's or someone that I met through school bought a piece of art. I was awkwardly lingering around my work. Sidenote: openings are SO AWKWARD because people can never figure out who the artist is...
Here is a guide to figuring out who in the large crowd of people is the artist...
1) If it is a group show they will most likely stand next to or around a particular piece of work for the entirety of the opening.
2) They will be slightly more dressed up than the rest of the guests.
3) They will awkwardly make eye contact with you because deep down they really want to talk to you about their art. They want to hear your thoughts good or bad. Yes this is a very self-centered thing but it is true and lets be honest artists are in fact the most self-centered people you will ever meet.
4) If all else fails go talk to the gallery director and ask who the artist is (the gallery director will be the man or woman who is also dressed up talking non stop to guests.)
So now that you know how to survive an opening I will continue with my story. This older woman approaches me with the article from the paper in hand and asks me which one I am and I point out the little blurb about myself and she talks to me about where I am from and how my work was selected to be a part of the permanent installation at the weather center and then she says "Well I want to buy this one" pointing to the Question of Free Will piece. I almost fell over because it never ceases to amaze me that people want to buy my work that is so heavily based in scripture and deep spiritual struggles that I have. But the more I think about it the less I think it is just a woman buying a piece of art, I think it is more about the Lord using this woman to tell me he was proud of me and to encourage me as I continue making art about Him. He is still whispering to me "I am here."
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