A requirement of being an exhibiting member of the Ku-ring-gai Art Society is being rostered on for two shifts at The Gallery in the St Ives Shopping Village while each exhibition is on.
At last month’s Autumn Exhibition, as I was on duty and wandering up and down the ramps of The Gallery, I made a slow approach towards four people as they’d stopped in front of my work, curious to hear what they were saying.
‘Why would she have put those dots there? Is she trying to achieve something? Do you think it’s some sort of gimmick?’
Then they saw me – clearly a KAS member as I was wearing a KAS badge, but our names are not on those badges so they didn’t know the paintings they were discussing were mine. This lady asked me, ‘Do you know why she would’ve painted those dots?’, to which I replied, ‘Yes, I do, because they’re mine.’
So I got to thinking about that, because a lot of people have asked me about those dots (and I don’t think it’s because they like them!) – I’ve seen so many far stranger things in the art world.
It beats me why a lot of people do so many things, but only recently I did just what that lady did – I stood in front of an artwork and wondered why the artist had done something. Most of us do things because we want to – because we like whatever it is we’re doing, or it makes us feel good, but that doesn’t always cut it when we’re talking about art.
So, why the dots? They’re intended to be a link – a tiny tribute – to the indigenous artists whose work I saw so much of while I was on that trip to Central Australia. I was – yes – looking to achieve something a bit different. When I tried the dots I liked them, so they stayed. Simple as that.
Dots aside, I’ve had good news since my last entry. First, I made it into the ‘Artists of Mosman: 2088’ exhibition. Second, two of my paintings sold at last month’s KAS Exhibition (the two without dots!). Third, I heard yesterday that one of the paintings I submitted to the Easter Show had already sold, on only Day 2.
And fourth, most exciting of all, a few weeks back I received an email from the owner of a gallery in the US, inviting me to take part in their 30th International Miniature Art Show. It was the first time I’ve sent any work to be exhibited internationally. Two of my little paintings have just arrived at the Seaside Art Gallery in North Carolina and can be viewed with the rest of the show online at … https://seasideart.com/collections/international-miniature-art-show .
Closer to home, my ‘Gone West’ show is on now at The Village Kitchen, in Kurrajong, NSW. Thanks to my beautiful friend Nita Lewis for coming with me to set it all up a couple of days ago. I couldn’t have done it without her.
Dates and links:
Artists of Mosman: 2088 at the Mosman Art Gallery from Saturday 20 March to Saturday 24 April
Sydney Royal Easter Show from Thursday 1 to Monday 12 April
ASMA (Tas) National Awards Exhibition ‘Inspiration in Miniature’ from Thursday 1 to Sunday 25 April
‘Gone West’ at The Village Kitchen in Kurrajong, Saturday 3 April to Thursday 6 May (see my ‘Coming Up’ page for details)
30th International Miniature Art Show at the Seaside Art Gallery in Nags Head, North Carolina, USA, from Saturday 1 to Monday 31 May.
Until next month.