Open Studios

Having open studio is such a mixed bag of emotion! It’s fun to have people come by and see your work. But it’s tough to be on display - out in the open with the door literally open. People wander in and out, some say hi, some don’t. Some take an interest and some just want to know the way to the bathroom. Will anything sell today? Will anyone want to chat about my paintings? What would I rather be doing on a given Saturday? Walking the dog, sleeping in a little, painting! But here I am, open - vulnerable & wondering. Is the work OK, good enough, saying anything to anyone besides me? When these events are happening & strangers are coming through, I always think my work should be ‘prettier’, more accessible - more like something that could be purchased at serena and lilly or pottery barn. And, I guess I could make things like that, if that was my goal. But it’s not. So, I continue to paint what needs to be expressed at the time & am full of satisfaction when those images happen to connect with someone else. In the meantime, here I sit in my studio filled with my paintings, with people coming in and out looking, murmuring and maybe connecting or maybe not; but either way I have to figure out how to be OK with it. Maybe that’s the real work for me of this event. Not so much to sell, although that would be great, but to sit with discomfort and feel the feeling. Turns out I can live through it.