Pivotal Event #3 “Can you put up an art show?”

At that time the walls of Turk’s and its sister cafe, Milano, featured art by local artists. One day, the cafe owner, mentioned that there was a gap in the schedule for upcoming artists’ work. Could I bring in some photos of my art so she could see if it suited the cafe? Yes, yes, I certainly could!

When I got home from work that night I asked a housemate who was a photographer to take photos of my work. I dipped into my tip jar for funds to make some 8×10 enlargements at Lens and Shutter and to purchase a nice portfolio to display the photos. And I took them in to show my boss. She liked the work, gave me the dates, and suddenly I had an art “show” to prepare. I had to figure out which pieces were my best, how to hang my work properly, and how to make the little cards that would accompany each piece on the wall. What is an artist statement? What do I say in my bio? How do I describe my work? And finally, how much do I charge for each piece?

I had art shows at both Milano and Turk’s and sold my second and third paintings at those shows. So exciting. I began to have a tiny feeling that I was just like a “real” artist and that my work might have meaning for more people than just me. But my much stronger feeling was that I doubted that I was anywhere close to being a real artist. The one thing I was sure of was my continuing need to get paint onto surfaces. I wanted to paint, people seemed to like my paintings…maybe it was time to take a bigger step?

Do you remember your first painting? Presentation? Deadline? Race? What were some of the pivotal events that started you down the path?

More stories coming in the post!
Thanks for reading, Lisa

Photo above: My second art “show” Milano Coffee Bar, circa 2006

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