This is an acrylic painting that I entered into a gallery at a local town festival back in April. I was allowed three paintings for the show. I left several at the gallery as the owner had requested me to, since she wanted to display them all after the festival. When I arrived at the meet and greet function the night before the festival, I noticed that this painting was missing and one of my others was substituted. I don't know why the decision was made to sub this painting and the only explanation I was given was that there were mixed feelings about it. Since I'm fairly new to diplaying my works, I did not press the issue.
On the day of the festival I was browsing in the Wyatt Waters Gallery, across the street from the festival gallery. Mr. Waters is quite a well known watercolorist and has made a successful living from his art. His wife Vicki runs his gallery. I was talking with them about my favorite painting by him and it turns out that this painting is also Vicki's favorite. In talking with them the subject of my art came up and Vicki said she'd seen my work in the festival gallery and said she liked it, especially the skull painting. Then she suddenly asked me if they'd asked me to take it out. I told her they did. She said she'd been in the gallery on the day before the festival and saw the painting and also overheard talk of pulling it.
When I told her that they'd taken it upon themselves to sub one of my other works for the skull, she seemed a little irritated by the news. She asked me where the painting was. I told her it was across the street in the gallery closet. She asked me if I would go across the street and get it so she could display it in the front window of their gallery for the festival. Needless to say, I was very flattered that she wanted to put the painting in their gallery along with Wyatt's work for the day of the festival.
This photo is a very proud me, standing in front of the Waters Gallery with my humble painting next to the works of Wyatt Waters. Let me take a moment here to praise these people, as they were very kind to me. Bear in mind, I have never met these folks prior to that day. When I felt my work had been rejected, they embraced it. I am grateful for that. Vicki's kindness to a total stranger especially impressed me. She turned a negative into a positive for me at a time in my life when, as I have already stressed here, I'm a little lost. Her one little act of kindness has helped to keep me going with my art.
I hope that if anyone is ever in the Clinton area they will stop in and visit the Waters Gallery. You'll enjoy Wyatt's wonderful works and chatting with them. These folks are genuine and good people. You don't meet a lot of folks like that these days.
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