Too Early to Break Up!
The year 2023 was a busy one that included eight solo booth shows, three local group shows, and more than 4,200 miles driven (and only one stop for speeding). My husband points out that those 4,200 miles in one direction would have taken us from our house all the way to Santiago, Chile, to the north of England, or half way to the South Pole. Instead, they took us to and from Lubbock, TX; Springfield, MO; Springfield, IL; Lincoln, NE; Chicago, IL; Columbia, MO; and Kansas City, MO. The final show was here in Lawrence, KS, just a five-mile roundtrip from home.
I’m delighted to say that in 2023 I sent home with happy buyers more than 100 pieces of original art, ranging from 5 x 5 minis to several 30 x 30s, some on canvas or wood, some on paper, and a few dozen greeting cards (all originals, no prints). I’m grateful to every single person who attended a show or stepped into my booth. And if you were one of them, thank you!
One particular painting I believed would sell at the very first show traveled most of those 4,200 miles. After hanging it yet again and again in my booth, I found myself humming Tom Jones’ “Elusive Dreams,” taking liberty with the lyrics:
You followed me to Texas, you followed me to [Springfield]
We didn’t find it there so we moved on
Then you went with me to [Lincoln]
Things looked good in [Chicago]…
You get the idea. My plan was to paint over it and put us both out of our misery. In my final show of the year (in my hometown, which means it could have stayed home the entire time watching Netflix), the painting sold. And the person who purchased it proclaimed it “perfect.” Why one painting speaks to one person but not another has eluded me, much like Tom Jones’ elusive dreams. So I did some research.
According to the Max Planck Institute in Germany, two factors come into play for a person viewing a piece of art: whether the art “moves” them—called “aesthetic appeal”—and whether they can “relate” to the art—called “self-relevance.” To summarize in simple terms (which means I’m leaving a whole lot out), for a potential buyer to respond favorably to my painting (i.e., buy it), the art has to speak to them on a personal level and relate to something that defines them as a person, such as experiences. Heavy stuff over which I have no control. But I can have faith that eventually the painting will find its person and live happily ever after in one place.
A recent University of Pennsylvania study finds that appreciation for a painting increases when viewers, particularly those who consider themselves less knowledgeable about art, have an “open-minded personality” and are provided with new information, such as an artist’s bio and description of technique. I won’t be asking people if they’re open minded, but I can provide a detailed artist bio that describes my technique.
I have a painting I’ll be painting over soon, not because I fear it won’t speak to someone eventually, but because it no longer speaks to me. After haunting my elusive dreams, we’re breaking up.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2024. I hope to see you along my artist path!