Do I Want to Exhibit?

Of course, every artist wants to exhibit his/her artwork.  But I am no longer that keen about getting to exhibit in galleries.  A male artist I met didn't seem to care much about it so I asked how he sells his paintings and he said nonchalantly, "Just word of mouth."  True, not many artists actually sell during an exhibition but I was touched by his attitude.  He was more animated talking about what paints he uses than where or if he sells his work.  A true artist, I thought.

A Matter of Choice

At the 17th Street Festival, a gentleman looked at my work and asked why I had such a range of styles.  I told him I enjoyed trying different things.  He seemed displeased and left.  Days after, I thought about that brief encounter and deemed it unfair.  He hadn't seen my portfolio.  I had only several pieces on the table which was a tiny fraction of my body of work.

I also realized that most galleries expect a single theme and style from each artist.  Much as I would like to get the attention of galleries, I would be bored doing just faces or trees or stripes.  I'd like to challenge myself and do something different every once in a while.  Nothing shocking, mind you.  I guess, it all boils down to one's personal choice.