I finally got enough nerve to take my art to a small art gallery yesterday, in hopes they would like to jury me into their gallery...... there was no one there, except the lady who was working, perfect opportunity I thought....
We started talking about her art that she was creating (ab~soul~utley stunning!!) she was demonstrating her techniques & she asked if I was an artist...(I don't feel comfortable answering that yet) but I showed her some of my art, she looked at, and looked at some more, flipped the pages back & forth, put some of the pages practically to her nose, as to get a closer look, it seemed 5 minutes until she said something.....what are these!? are these originals? are these images, someone elses photos? did you take these photos yourself? I explained they are all vintage images, in which I painted the backgrounds & aged each piece with inks, stamped .....collaged. She DID NOT get my art...she just handed it back & said this isn't actually original art if you just cut things & glued them! OUCH! I then asked her, if she would like to keep one of my art cards......oh my, another stinging comment....I don't have any extra room in my purse! (her purse was huge!)
So that is my lil' rejection story of the day...I actually find it quite humorous, how some people can be so rude & ignorant, but I am ok with the rejection, my heart was guarded, I felt strong enough to actually bring my art out of my house yesterday, so I guess I was mentally prepared for a possible battle attack....... from the large & scary art gallery lady! :)
So that was yet another baby step in my art journey~rejection makes you stronger, right!?..... now I am off to the next adventure!
8 comments:
as someone who LOVES LOVES what you do, I have to give that woman a resounding THOMWP upside the head.
art snobbery really pisses me off. You know what I think, bella? I think she saw the beauty and genius in your work and was INTIMIDATED.
Do you know how much soul and passion there is in your stuff? The kind of art that is memorable and makes people's hearts sing is art with passion. You can have all the technical aptitude in the world, but if your art ain't singin', it don't mean a thing.
Don't let her rejection get to you. I had something similar happen to me recently, and once I realized that my work has a lot more life and soul in it than the person who essentially rejected me, I felt empowered. And you should, too! Your life is in your art. It is what makes it so stunning and why, after having multitudes of clients, I keep you on my list of blogs to check out. I am drawn to you creatively. You are an artist!
ugh, people like that are why i continue to hide in my home with my art. I had one wamon who ran a folk art gallery VERY interested in my art until she started hearing about my background... I an "under educated" for a fine artist and "over educated" for a folk artist - talk about OUCH! SHe then told me I should sell my stuff at the flea market or swapmeets...... yeah.. people sometimes suck
Never give up. I believe that what you are creating is art, and many many others here know how beautiful your pieces are. Remember, keep on trying, if you don't the world will never be able to see the talent that we get to experience on a daily basis. Never give up, keep on pushing until you find an artist who recognizes your brilliance and will help you earn the wage you should be earning. Just remember all success stories start with failures. Good Luck!
Thank you for sharing that story! That shows me that you have to just believe in the beauty of your own art. Because, if someone was snobby about your stunning, beautiful, lovely, really moving, stupendous art!, then we all have a problem. Becasue your stuff is absolutely top notch.......there is no doubt about that....If I was able to buy some of it, I would right this instant. If I could have half your talent I would be happy. So, just to know that you have to endure rejection makes me feel a little stronger in my "art." The lesson I took away is do your thing, please yourself and your art buddies! and don't sweat the people who don't get it!
you are great!!!
Oh girl... do not let this get to you one bit. I had one lady tell me, "Well, if you remove this and add this..." and another tell me my stuff was too busy when her own stuff had my eyes scanning all over trying to find out what the heck I was looking at. AARRGGHH!!! You keep doing what you are doing. It is your art from your soul. Don't ever ever ever give that up. Love ya girl!!!
Tia
Hi Izabella - read about your first experience with the gallery- & businesspart of artlife...
Life always offers both ups and downs; this´s just an experience, one out of many. Besides, what will determine what sort of artist you are - is it the one lady here who obviously doesn´t know much about the field of mixed media art and collages - or is it feelings like the ones you described when returning home from art fest? Is it the daily joy of being creative? Is it what your family and friends think of you?
I´m convinced that, as an artist you will have to go beyond what people think of you - and your creativeness. The important thing is, that y o u know, you´re on the way. Thanks for sharing. Spirits high!
I cannot believe how RUDE this woman is!! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Izabella, and this woman is BLIND!!! She doesn't deserve your art!
Been there too. I was rejected for silly reasons when I approached an art group. They were all ready to instruct me on what would make my work similar to theirs. They also seem to want someone that painted just one subject (flora. there were none in their group). One of the pieces they really liked was a printer fluke (ink running low), that I had colourized and altered. They didn't seem to hear me say that I have been selling my work for over 15 years, helped get a web site up for an art group I'd been involved with (I also had been past vice-president,secretary,program director and treasurer of the art group), had repeat clients, commissions and had been in many shows and sales with other artists. I am also mainly self taught. I grew up in a crafty/artsy family. I have also sold something in every art sale I've been involved in. I have seen some of the pieces they did and have chalked the experience down to having to deal with art snobs yet again.
I recently saw a doc on a lady that had bought a possible Pollock in a thrift shop for $5 and how the so called art experts would not accept it even though there was evidence that if was probably the real thing.
The real experts are the ones that buy your work. If they say it's art than it is.
Sara Jessica Parker produces a show on tv called the next great artist. One of their challenges was to take a mass media piece and make it into an art piece. So where their experts on that show right or wrong.
I am mezmerized by your work. It is not a style that just anyone can do. Take your work back and speak to someone other than the desk clerk. Maybe she was worried about the possible competition. Artists have always been the best supporters of other artists. My experience has taught me that reactions like hers are an insecurity of their own work. And not a true critique of your work.
I for one will continue to watch your blog for the latest and greatest.
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