Friday my show came down at Red Dot Gallery in Sacramento.  My brother and my cousin were there in the big blue Audi to load up all the work that didn’t sell, and now it sits in a neat little row in the dining room.  This month-long show was a fantastic experience, and one that I won’t soon forget.

On opening night I was surprised by former teachers, former colleagues, old friends and friends’ folks.  My family and my lady were there the whole night through, happily standing around and looking at the art they’d already seen, smiling and chatting with everybody that filtered through.  Gallery director Michael was holding it down too, of course, swiping credit cards on his iPhone and sticking little red dots on some tags.

Two days later was Second Saturday, and a small contingent of bay-area friends made the trip to Sacramento.  Again there were surprise visits, and again I stood around and smiled and schmoozed with a much larger and much more unknown group of art aficionados.  I especially enjoyed listening to one particular gentleman break down every single one of my pieces to his slightly overwhelmed female companion, who I think was glad there were only 29 pieces in the show.


More pieces sold, a lovely soiree was held afterwards, and soon I was left alone to reflect.  I found myself surprised at how amazingly even the whole thing was.  I’d built it up so big in my mind, thinking about it every day for months, promoting it to friends, making plans and preparations.  It couldn’t have gone any better, but somehow it was unexpectedly uneventful.

The following weeks were good ones, with more and more of the little left-handed pieces being sold, including five of the supplementary six I brought down later on.  On a couple of occasions I met friends from out of town, and I felt much more at ease showing off the work and being in the gallery.  By then I knew exactly what the show was, and I’d accepted for what it was.  Nice, neat, interesting, fun.  Nothing more and nothing less.


All told, 19 pieces were sold—a figure far exceeding my expectations.  I got nothing but positive feedback and praise, and it was an important step in my career.  I learned alot about framing, wiring, titling, pricing, and promoting my work.  I got a taste of what a gallery show can be like, and got excited about the next one.

I want a bigger show with bigger paintings.  I want the work to be unified by a common theme and a single concentrated effort.  I want viewers to have something to think about and to see the connections between the pieces.  I want folks to feel affected by seeing the whole lot together, and to come back to look again.

Most of all, I want to be more even-keeled about the whole thing.  I want to treat the day of the show just like any other day, and enjoy the varied experiences that may arise.

Hopefully these desires can be fulfilled down the line.  For now I’m grateful for having shown in a gallery, and for the fantastic support of my wonderful friends and family.  Thanks to all of you who helped make this show such a success.  Here’s to many more!