I went to visit an artist friend of mine yesterday. She closed her store and had some inventory of children’s clothes that she was going to send off to a tag sale person and she wanted to trade some clothes for a painting.
Entering her studio, it felt so sad. She had worked so hard and spent so much time on this dream of making wonderful designer natural clothes for children available. In a world of mostly polyester clothes these cotton, silk and natural fabric clothes were an oasis. Her store was beautiful with carefully picked out colors for the display pieces and the website she had created was magical. But alas she could not make it work so that it made sense to stay open.
Our town lost something special when she closed.
She is not dwelling not this and has a new plan already underway and that is how artists are. they move one.
But it got me thinking about paintings I have painted over when they did not sell right away.
Just because someone else does not see the beauty in them, does that make them less important.
Only she could have made that store. It looked was her style which was unique and charming. Now nobody will see it or experience it.
It is the same for the paintings I have let go. I have a photo of them but they are impossible to duplicate . so they are gone forever..
I sort of want to have a little mourning ceremony for the store and for the paintings I painted over. and for all the
art and life that gets stashed away in closets.
When she gave me the bag of clothing that was beautiful and I give her a painting then we will have traded a little bit of ourselves I will remember the wonderful store and have proof that it once was there and maybe she will look at my painting and she will remember our visit and the sharing of our lives, Maybe that can be the ceremony.