COLE PRATT OPENING

Saturday, April 3rd, 2021
My very first solo show opened at Cole Pratt Gallery. I’ve been showing here as part of the gallery for a couple years now, but this was my first time in the front room.

Quite a few years ago my husband and I were riding bikes around and we came upon this gallery. I forget whose work was in the front room but we were sucked in. The gallery was closed that day so we peered through the windows. “I could see your work here” John said. I agreed and wished it would be true. It was years later that I got to meet with the gallery owner and was invited to bring some work in. We’d give it a test run and see how my work was received. Jump forward to April 2021 and my art was hanging in the front room. And I was pretty dang excited.

I was excited and nervous. I still get nervous at every opening. Butterflies and everything. I have had a lot of openings by now, but somehow those butterflies don’t go away. These days I am way better at it, but I have really had to practice at that. As long as I know that I have done the best that I can—the work, the delivery, the schedule —with all of it, then I am ready and the butterflies start to calm down.

I do think the butterflies help keep me honest. They keep me working to my best and not taking anything for granted. But the opening—as well as duration of the show— go by so quickly that I want to savor it as much as possible. After all, it is months of hard work all up on the walls and this is the only time all this work will be in the same place together.

Thank you to Erika and Isabel at Cole Pratt and everyone who came to see the show, kept those butterflies at a minimum, and helped me savor the whole evening.

To see images of the pieces from the show click here.