What a thrill it was to go to the Artist's Reception evening at the Sooke Fine Arts Show. Great jazz, tasty tidbits and smooth wine! It was a packed house and I am betting there were close to 500 people there. Each artist gets two tickets and there are comps given out to sponsors, dignitaries and so on who want to attend. It's a fun evening all around as you bump into other artist friends or folks you know.
The judges did an exceptionally fine job of selecting the art for this year's show! The show is terrific. There is some gorgeous art to be seen and anyone living on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, in Vancouver, or Port Angeles, Port Townsend, the San Juans or Seattle in the U.S. who loves art and can make it to the show should not miss it. You won't be disappointed. It is definitely the premier annual art show on Vancouver Island and in British Columbia.
An Interesting Side Note
One of the announcements made during the award ceremonies was that there were over 1400 pieces submitted for adjudication and 358 actually made the show...more than they had originally planned for but the art was so good this year that they made room for some more pieces. WOW what an honour it is to be among those that had a piece accepted.
Mission Accomplished
When hubby and I arrived at the show, the first person we saw as we walked through the door was a storytelling friend (and artist) of ours who volunteers at the show each year. This year, Mary was on the "set up" committee... helping to place all the art.
We stopped to chat for a moment. "I think you are going to be very pleased to see where "If Pigs Could Fly" is placed. It's a premier spot for some premier art." she said with a big smile. "Everyone on the set up committee think your piece is just wonderful. Everytime they passed it as we were setting up and hanging up the art, they would either laugh or get a big smile on their face looking at it. There is just so much to see and discover in that piece. It is certainly a hit with us."
Hmmm...imagine how it made me feel to hear that what I wanted to have happen (bring a smile to folk's faces or give them a good laugh) happen! Mission accomplished. I was pumped. I'm sure I had a big FAT, silly grin plastered from one ear to the other on my face.
A *FABULOUSLY FUN & DELIGHTFUL* Surprise
Following the award ceremony, off we went to admire all the art. Hubby and I were wandering around like two little kids in a candy store. Hard to know where to look first... it is all so deliciously tempting! We took our time as we wandered through but in the background of our minds there was this niggling "wonder" of when we would discover my piece!
When I have a piece in an art show, I love to discover where it is placed by chance! Don't look it up in the Art Show guide. Don't tell me where it is. Let me find it on my own. It just adds to the excitement and pleasure of the event for me.
I rounded a corner. There he was, sitting ever so sweetly on a podium in an alcove just like I had imagined it in my mind. Mary was right... it was great placement! When I saw him, I chuckled... it was perfect! Above him, on the wall, was a wonderful acrylic painting of a pig and chicken in a barnyard.
Then I saw it...
THE RED DOT NEXT TO MY NAME!
the red dot that signifies that the piece is SOLD. I blinked and looked again. Sure enough, it was STILL THERE. My heart took a leap and burst into joy... such a special moment.
I turned around and tugged at hubby's sleeve. "Look there's the pig." He turned to look and within seconds saw the red dot. "Oh sweetheart, it's been sold. Good for you. I am so proud of you. Wow! High 5 honeybun" (Whatcha think? Is he one of my most ardent supporters or what? Grin) We both broke into a (subtle but fun) happy dance on the spot.
A Special Moment
What made this moment even more special is that we quickly realized it had been sold on the Purchasers Preview Night... the Thursday evening before the show officially opens. This is the evening that gallery owners, many sponsors of the show, special guests and art collectors who want first shot at purchasing the art in the show attend. WOW! I was bouncing with joy juice for the rest of the evening. What a high...
Before we left, we took a quick look at the gift store... such pretty jewelry, small paintings, glicees and cards... I could have spent a fortune in there. I was pleased to see how my jewelry that I have for sale there was displayed... nice placement again.
As we headed for the door, hubby drew my attention to the large sale board.
"I just counted how many sales they've had already", he said. "It's over 100 and the show hasn't opened to the general public yet." he added. "That's pretty impressive. A lot of the pieces in the show are competitively priced but they are certainly a long way from "bargains". It says something about the quality of the art and the so called recession. People are buying. What recession???" It's an interesting point to ponder!
I don't know who purchased "If Pigs Could Fly" yet but it is usual practice for the show coordinator to let you know at the end of the show who bought your art. I like that because I think every artist should be able to send the purchaser a personal thank you note if they choose to. I generally do and, as often is the case with my art, I also include the "background story" or what inspired me to create this particular piece of art in the form of artist notes.
The "Artist Notes"
I recently read an article that said people who buy art often like to be able to say to their friends or customers, "Well, the artist of this piece told me..or... the story behind this piece is...." and relate any informational tidbits from the artist that is behind the piece. So I guess I am on the right track when someone purchases one of my art pieces. Interested in reading the Artist Notes I wrote? Just click here.
So once again, may I say a warm thank you to all of you who left such wonderful comments or sent me encouraging emails expressing your best wishes for the piece in the show! It was just so lovely to receive them and it made me feel very special coming from you... my loyal blog visitors and followers. Thank you so much!!!
Hope you all have a terrific weekend... and "Happy Heritage Days" to my fellow Canadians this coming Monday.... (a "bank holiday" in Canada on the first Monday in August to celebrate each province's heritage).
See you next week...
Sharon
P.S. I was going to wait until the end of the week to tell you all this... but I decided not to wait. Terrific news needs to be shared!!