Saying goodbye

I am pleased to announce that I sold something in the art show I am currently showing in! Pictured above is just one panel from the triptych I titled, "Primarily, It's About Me", which is the piece that sold. I have sold many things I have made over the last four years that I have been a mosaic artist, but this is my first "fine art" piece I have sold. In the past, things I have made and sold have been things like picture frames, signs, mirrors and tables. I have to say that selling a piece of art, or even functional art like a picture frame, is a bit bittersweet. Let me explain. The process of creating something from nothing but your own imagination almost feels like giving birth to something. Your little creation came from you. It is a part of you. You want others to see it and to find their own enjoyment from it. So, you put it out there in hopes that it finds a new home. At times, your creation is rejected- not accepted into the art show, or sits on the shelf for over a year, even when you've marked it down 20%. This is not a pleasant feeling. So, one would think that the creator would only feel elation when a creation is accepted into loving arms and sold. But what actually happens is you begin to wonder who this person is that has taken your art into their home. Is it a good home? Will they care for the art piece and place it in a prominant space on a well-lit wall, or will it sit in a garage? Do they see the deep meaning behind your piece and the care and detail you, as the creator, put into the piece? Will they end up selling it someday in a yard sale or throw it away? Saying goodbye to a piece of art when it sells is bittersweet because often times, the artist does not get to meet the person who is taking in their "creation". There is no chance for explanations, care instructions and goodbyes. But, these feelings are passing, as new feelings of happiness over monetary gain flood in, as well as a sudden need to create something new in place of the art that sold. So, to whoever bought "Primarily, It's About Me", I wish you and your new art piece all the best happiness together. And please be gentle with it...