Exhibitions are what artists love the most – a chance to show your work in the rarified atmosphere of a gallery is like a musician playing at the Albert Hall. All the hard work, the practicing of techniques and the final result firmly nailed to the wall amongst other talent is a great feeling and one I hope you all get to experience one day. The most ardent critic of any artist is the artist themselves – many a work has ended up in the bin before even daring to show its face outside of the studio, let alone up on social media, but the Gallery is where your work sits on its throne. It's not for the faint hearted, or the easily offended – art work is personal and your composition is going to be scrutinised, judged, appraised and your technique studied along with application and content. Not many can bluff that they are confident hanging their work on an exhibition wall – we all get opening night nerves.
And so, to work. Being new to this neighbourhood, it was a great honour to be invited to display three works at the annual Christmas Exhibition of the Art House in Kardzhali. What should I exhibit? Would my style suit the exhibition? Does my work fit in? What are others expecting?
Ignore all that. The only way that art can work is if you simply accept that what you paint is what you are seeing in what you see – and only you can do that for yourself. Sure, especially in abstract painting, the viewer is open to interpret a work however they choose – that's rather the point but the ultimate test is simply whether you feel your work, hanging on someone else's wall, is a true reflection of the effort and vision you had when you created it – and I think mine was.
I chose three recent still lifes, in oil. All had a heavy stroke technique using thick layers of oil and dark backgrounds, somehow reflecting the low light of winter and the rich textures of the Festive season – All paid homage to old master classics and I hoped they'd fit in as timeless expressions of good living and appeal to the appetite as well as the eye, rich in flavour as well as colour and application.
Off to the opening night, where my peers would finally get to scrutinise my work and a chance to meet and greet new friends and contacts in a formal environment – networking is vital if you intend your work to be viewed far and wide - and yes, the chance to pick up a few real life fans instead of the social media likes and thumbs up we seem to be addicted to in the digital age – so much of our lives now seem to be online rather than in the warmth of reality.
The exhibition lasts until 16th of January at the Kerimovata Kushta in Kardzhali, Bulgaria, and my works are for sale if you happen to be passing and it's a great opportunity to see what creative themes the region is producing – and you couldn't wish to meet a friendlier group of people – again, many thanks to all concerned and especially those who hauled themselves out on a cold December evening to join me and others in a celebration of talent at a very special time of the year.
Many thanks for reading and a happy New Year to all my readers