Gold in the Grit: first gallery show, first gallery sale
“Wise ones transform the grit of life into gems like oysters…”
This painting, titled “Gold in the Grit” was painted especially for a show. I applied for this show on sort of a whim, not quite thinking I’d get into an actual gallery show. My style, is still new to even me. People have asked me to teach them how to do it…..I’ll always say no, because I feel that I am still a student of the process.
The show is Wickford Art Associations Annual Poetry and Art Show, with a theme of Transition. I applied as both an artist and a poet. I’d already heard I was going to be a poet in this show and when I got the email that I was accepted as an artist… I remember jumping up and down screaming in excitement. To say I was happy was an understatement. I had to wait for them to send me a poem from a poet to paint/create my own intrepretation of their words. Something I do for myself; but there were so many nerves wondering if I would pay homage to the poetry of someone else.
The poem arrived in the mail and I read it, studied it and hung it on my studio wall. The author titled her piece Transforming Wounds and spoke of the grit of life and the scars that make our lives beautiful despite it all.
Initially, when I read the poem; I had the image of an oyster in my mind which was a more literal intrepretaion. So I figured…. why not try to paint an oyster? I practiced and practiced and practiced. I had reference pictures and colors to try and I did finally actually get some good ones, between the colors and the shapes; but when I went to to my “final” version of the piece… I couldn’t do it. I said to myself: you don’t *do* oysters. I’m not really sure if it was just a little bit of anxiety making me feel that way or if I had simply realized that spirals and circles are the shape that are me. Spirals have always fascinated me, and when I first started creating using Saltwash and acrylics, textured spirals was an exciting step in my progress. And so it was to be a spiral.
Step one: mix Saltwash powder with acrylic paint until it has a frosting-like consistency and use a palette knife to apply the paint.
Step two: let it dry for an agonizing 24 hours and add more texture where needed.
Step three: let it dry again
See why it takes a long time to paint some things? The texture dries hard, it isn’t indelicate, but you have to be careful to let it dry completely before adding the layers of acrylic paint or it can cause the texture to fall apart.
Step four: add the paint overlay. I like to simply sit and blend. It is always an adventure applying the paint. Creating new shades and tones of my basic color palette is exciting and invigorating. I blend and mix and paint until I am happy with how it looks. There isn’t quite a rhyme or reason to how I do it; here, I was going for an oyster vibe, so I included a bit of a color pattern to the inside of the spiral shape using colors reminiscent of the oysters I had practiced a few days before. Adding gold at the end is something I love doing…. and it helped tell the story of the words. The poet used the words “glowing gifts” and “luminous”. So sumptuous and descriptive with the imagery, so it most definitely had to be gold and it also is what influenced the title of the piece. When I was done with the painting…. Oh how I loved it. Sending it off to the gallery to be hung I was flooded with pride in what I had created. Sure, it was mixed with a little bit of fear; but I had done something. Some days it is hard to feel pride or confidence in myself, when I have always considered it too risky to feel these things. Pride and confidence is what comes before disappointment and hurt….. these are things I am working on being better about. I put myself out there and took a risk. And the risk paid off.
I’m happy to say that just five days ago “Gold in the Grit” has sold and already made its way to a new home. First gallery show, first gallery sale.
Well, would you look at that…
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