On Rejection

Sunday was the day of the silent auction at the Santa Barbara Art Fund. I went along to see who and how much would be bid on my little "Sofia" painting. The bidding went on all the afternoon while the small crowd could browse on food between their viewing the paintings.

The minimum bid on each painting was $100. Additional bids were in minimum increments of $25. There was a slip of paper for the bids beside each painting. The bidders were identified by a number. The artists and the painting's title was obtained from a little booklet given to each bidder (with their identification number) as they signed in and forked over their $65 entrance fee.

The paintings of artists with well known names got a lot of activity. The others gradually got a minimum bid - except me (and just a few others). The paintings were spread over several walls of the little gallery. They closed off the auction for each wall at about 20 minute intervals. The bidding sometimes became frenzied as the closure time became close. Except for my painting which continued to get no bids.

I have yet to find out what happened to my painting. Did one of the volunteer's buy the painting after event? Will the painting be returned to me? In a few days I will email them and try to find out what happened.

Artists live in a world of rejection, interleaved with the euphoria of someone wanting one of your works. Like most artists I have been rejected many times - but I still feel it.

A Special Painting Project

I have just coated a finished painting with medium. For me this is almost the last step when completing a painting. When the coating is dry, I will scan it (it a small 10 x 8 inch painting - otherwise I would schedule it for photographing), and staple a printed label with my contact data to the stretcher bars. It is already stamped with my copyright statement, titled, and wired for hanging.

When it is scanned I will show and talk about it on this blog page.

Including this painting (a tiny portrait of a good friend looking at his wife) I have three paintings in progress. This is about typical. The others are a large 40 x 24 inch three-quarter length portrait of a man and another small portrait of a young woman.

The young woman is a bit of a rush job. A few days ago I realized that a painting was due to be submitted towards the end of next week.

For some three years I have promised to donate a painting to an annual October silent auction to help fund a worthy local non-profit, The Art Fund of Santa Barbara. They ask for a small 10 x 8 inch painting on almost any subject.

Two years ago I did a gouache on paper postcard of a young lady in a swim suit lying on the sand (that year there was a postcard theme - "Wish You Were Here.") Nobody bid on the painting, and I never did find out to where it disappeared.

Last year I submitted a rear view full length portrait of a very young boy standing at the edge of the ocean titled "Thomas." Several people bid and the painting sold for $250.

For this year I wanted the subject to be a young female child or young woman. Plus it had to have some special appeal to draw the bidding. As usual I started to scan my reference images and finally selected on a teenage young woman with a waif like expression. I had captured her during my trip to Patzcuaro, Mexico early last year.

Hopefully I can continue to bring out this lost sole feeling that I see in the original image. I have been working on it for a couple of days. You will be the judge when I have finished the painting and show it here.