Yesterday, I did my first artist market.
The night before, I had a dream.
I am back in the village of Szentredre, Hungary. It is, as it was in January of 1989, cold and gray. I am sitting on the floor in this little place known for its artist markets, pawing gently through bin after bin of tiny, hand-built clay creche figurines of Mary and Joseph, the magi, a gentle cow, a shepherd with a tiny sheep and a Puli dog, which I recognize immediately as an Hungarian herding breed, not usually seen in manger scenes! I’m thrilled.
My fellow seminary students and our dear professor, Charlie, are at least pretending patience as I search for the particular figures wanting to follow me home. I am fascinated by the variations in their expressions and the attention to minute detail. I am overwhelmed by the artistry.
It doesn’t really take Carl Jung to figure out why this dream appeared when it did. I was about to take deeply personal, powerful images, magically configured into holiday cards and small paintings, along with some copies of my book, Grandmothers Are In Charge Of Hope, and a vintage linen table cloth, and put them out in a public place, filled with people I don’t know, and allow them to be chosen or not.
I had become the artist.
It went well. I answered a lot of questions about Intentional Creativity. I passed out a lot of information and told people about my workshop in January. Lots of my work and a few bits of red thread followed people home, after a couple of lessons from a kind friend on how to use the square thing for credit cards.
Some of my work stayed over night in case today might bring more shoppers.
I made some new friends. And shared some good food.
I schlepped my own boxes. And survived standing on concrete for the better part of six hours.
All of which was a challenge for my knees. It was a pretty big thing for me.
Today, more light in the studio. And more space for people to paint with me.
And huge gratitude.
I have become the artist. Well, one of them.
And, after Bill gets back from Kroger, the angel who also belongs in the photo will have her head glued back on and be sheltering us all under her wings once again.
If you’d like to see more of my work, I’ve added lots to FineArtAmerica. Just click this link and then click any image that intrigues you to find out what’s available. I’m loving the wood options! And, with thanks to my market friends at Vista Yoga, there are even a couple of yoga mats available!
It is, in some ways, a long way from Szentredre. And, in other ways, it’s the truth that has always come from creation.