Every person who visits an exhibition is unique and everyone experiences it differently. I have never been so aware of that as this week, when a steady trickle of visitors have passed through my Open Studio, all with their own responses.
The one that speaks to me….
What I find most interesting is how often someone will say that they like a particular painting. They say things like, “The one that speaks to me is….” To my surprise it has been rare that two people say this about the same painting, so when a couple both like the same one equally it is quite something and it’s like a lottery win as they often then buy it, possibly because they are so relieved to have scored a win win!
Today I have had someone loving a Scottish beach scene, another being drawn to a happy pack of dogs on an old truck and, to my delight a lady quickly decided she wanted to purchase this little mixed media ‘Camouflage’ picture in which a brightly coloured cat seeks to hide in the bushes while he stalks a bird. It was inspired by a trip to the Imperial War Museum exhibition about camouflage techniques and using patterns to break up an outline.
Jaffa, being orange, has to work hard to camouflage himself in a green bush, but somehow he manages it.
I felt a stab of joy
I was always rather fond of this conceptual miniature, often unnoticed by visitors. I felt a stab of joy that this person recognised something in it.
It’s a beautiful thing when someone knows in their heart that something is right for them. It’s usually instinctive. It’s not necessarily to do with the quality of the painting; indeed, some people tell me that a perfectly rendered artwork can leave them untouched, but sometimes something less perfect jumps out at them as right for them. It’s as if by visiting an art gallery we are somehow looking for part of ourselves; and when we see it we recognise it; sometimes not knowing why it is The One.
A Matchmaking service!
As the artist, I feel a deep gratitude to the buyer; not just for the sale but because we seem to have met on some deep level; both recognising something special in the world. I feel that the inspiration that caused me to work on the painting has found an ‘answer’ in that person. It’s a bit like one of those programmes about animal rescue centres where they try to match a creature up with a forever home.
No matter how old or scrawny the pup is, somewhere, eventually, there is someone who just knows they love it and your heart sings as they go off together, happily united.