It's Over

Well, the Choose Yourself Exhibition is over. I nearly said no to this. We were only given a few days notice, I didn't have much that was new, I had reservations about a few things. But either I am serious about this or I am just playing.

As some of you already know, this has been an incredibly successful exhibition for me. Normally I bring home everything, or if I am lucky I bring home everything minus one piece. This time I put in fifteen pieces and brought home only six.

Six.

Only six.

Still a bit stunned by that.

Frank Woodley, the ultimate bewildered comedian. I am with you all the way, Frank

More bewildering was WHO purchased some of the Tangles.

Wyong Shire Council has always banged on about the arts and its support for local artists and artisans. Sometimes it has backed this up with real support, other times not so much. The actual council officers in charge of the arts (as opposed to the councillors) have always been great, very understanding, very interested, very knowledgable, and the Council does make grants available which have facilitated many arts projects on the Central Coast. If you are looking for financing for a project, see what your local Council has to offer. You never know.

This time, however, Council has started something lasting. It now has an arts acquisition fund, aimed at building a permanent collection of local artists' works. The acquisitions officer visited the exhibition last week and decided that six of my little pieces would be a good fit. As I wrote elsewhere at the time, I feel a bit concussed by this. Several days later it is still making me blink.

I knew one of the other exhibiting artists, Amanda Anderson, all the others were new to me, but I feel so privileged to have been in this with them. The styles were different, but somehow worked well together, and as people we worked well together. I think I have some new friends from this, which is the biggest bonus of them all.

Now I have to get on with making something new, for the next time. Because there will be a next time, and a time after that, although I am mentally preparing for the inevitable return to drought following this. But that said, there's no going back now. I am on my way.

(And I have included this clip just because it's a laugh, and I feel like laughing today. It was this, or Freak Fandango Orchestra)