I've been getting quite a few "no thank you's" in my e-mail inbox lately. From a prominent art fair in a nearby state to juried printmaking shows, the "no thanks" have been rolling in. The writers are always appreciative of my entry, and encourage me to apply again. Quite honestly, my mouse hand is quick to find the delete button.
I sometimes wish it would enough for me to just create art, and not want to share it with others. After family and friends, the task of further sharing your art becomes more difficult and expensive, sometimes exciting, but always stressful.
I am not conceited nor naive enough to think that I should always have my work accepted. I am fairly new at exhibiting, and my style of printmaking looks very different from other printmakers. But I do wonder, where is the hope in "no thank you"?
A fractured, icy lake in the Deam Wilderness. Elizabeth Busey, digital photograph.
For today, hope will be kindled in small ways. Fixing snacks for my hungry teens. Indulging in a bath before dinner. Tea by the wood stove while watching the latest Downton Abbey episode again.
Tomorrow hope will be carving the last layer on a print that has taken a very long time to complete. Finishing something always feels good. I will put a coat of polyurethane on my latest batch of framing stock. And hope will be starting a small linocut card, using my cool new Foredom drill that came at Christmas.
