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The guest who arrived the day family departed was one of my ex-students. She is an absolute delight and we were so pleased that she took time out of her busy trip to California to spend some of it with us. As noon last Wednesday approached—her scheduled time to hit the road, she announced that she needed a few minutes to browse through my prints once again. I was thrilled that she wanted to spend a few more minutes with my work and I encouraged her take her time with her final tour. After all, her energy was a tonic for us and I hated to see her leave.
She moved slowly from one viewing section to another, hall to room to another hallway, then said, "I brought one blank check with me just on a whim." I didn't grasp the meaning of the sentence and how it connected with her tour of the prints. It turned out she wanted to buy a framed print. I was taken aback, but obviously pleased at the turn of events.
After considerable deliberation, she returned again to the image above (repeated posting here), and said that she couldn't resist the one with the gremlin on his back. I chuckled because when I completed that piece, I hadn't a single thought about gremlins. Then Steve Weeks (Steve doesn't have a blog to link to. Wish he did) posted a comment and asked about the creature on the horse's back. Well, of course, since that time, I can't not see the beast. How I ever missed it is now beyond me.
After Steve's comment, my first impulse, frankly, was to fix it. I seriously considered reworking the piece immediately, reprinting, and ridding the horse of his gremlin burden. But, the more I thought about it the more I knew it wasn't the right thing to do. That gelding has had a demon on his back for years. He was, apparently, mistreated as a youngster and never fully regained his trust in humans. He was a one-woman horse. You could easily sense the wildness in him. Since I have often talked about allowing my subconscious mind to play its role in my creative life, it seemed quite hypocritical to deny all that by throwing out something that made it all the way to print and show without my conscious mind ever catching on. To deny my work philosophy along with the horse's story and erase these influences after the fact didn't ring true. Ultimately, I let the work stand.
It seemed fitting that there was surprise to complete the strange story of this image. The last thing on my mind while our charming guest was with us was art sales. Her purchase was a delicious surprise and I shouldn't have been shocked that she chose a piece that had already offered some surprises.
Update: The material in this post (with slight revisions) is currently posted at my Fine Art Prints blog.
I can see why she'd go for this image - spectacular as usual! And the gremlin simply adds to the energy of the photo. Very nice indeed!
ReplyDeleteThank you, John, for your comment. I appreciate the kind words and I am glad to hear that the goblin makes a positive contribution in your opinion.
DeleteI'm sure I've seen this image before, but I never caught on to the gremlin until you mentioned it. It's fantastic! It's like an aura telling the horses story. Impressive....and what a nice surprise from your guest as well. Did you point out to your husband this probably wouldn't have happened if he hadn't suggested getting your work hung?!
ReplyDeleteRoberta,I think you are, so far, in the majority in not seeing that wicked little creature. I do like very much the way in which the whole thing evolved. I make a genuine effort to leave room for my subconscious to contribute. It is often a struggle for me to sacrifice control to embrace my heart and whatever offers appear. Too often, the wrong parts of my brain want to run the show. Thank goodness, I continue to improve in that department
DeleteAs for realizations on The Husband's part, let us put put this way: It will be far easier now to build on the current enthusiasm on the home front for an Open Studio show later this year. He appears to be feeling somewhat smug about the way our hanging project turned out.
I looked at this photo and saw a highlight around the "flying" tail of the horse and was struck at how well you captured it. I didn't see the "gremlin" but, now that you mention it, I can understand someone else looking at the photo less literally. It still ranks as one of your best and now you have a very interesting story to go along with it.
ReplyDeleteWell, Ken, I was right there with you. I knew that I wanted that tail to "sing"—I just didn't hear the undertones in the number that I produced. I agree, the story is now a part of this. Also, I am delighted that you like this one. Thank you for the comment.
DeleteAwesome image, so I can see why she went with this one. And, you just go ahead and let the work stand!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Monte, for the kind words. It felt good to have this one be chosen. It got plenty of "Ooohs" and "Ahs" when shown, but ultimately was upstaged by some larger pieces. Maybe it had been crowded before and just needed the extra room to breathe here in our house.;-) And, thanks, for the encouragement to resist "fixing" it.
DeleteIt's a very dramatic and powerful photo Anita. It always amazes me that when someone points out something in a photo that I didn't see, it suddenly becomes the first thing I do see. Sounds like I'm not the only one...
ReplyDeleteThank you, PJ, for the comment. I get a kick out of those surprises, but sometimes they shake me up a bit. This case, for example, has brought on a tad of wariness. I don't feel quite so confident about what I am putting on exhibit now. My husband has an excellent eye and does catch some things I had missed before I print. But, like so many of us, he missed this. In the end, these discoveries add to the enjoyment and say a great deal about the advantages and pleasures of sharing our work.
DeleteAnita, I've gotten so far behind in reading and commenting to my blog friends interesting posts that I'm not sure where to jump in.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I love this photo and the "gremlin," which I must confess I didn't see at first, makes it something special. Goodness, don't ever "fix" it!
I love it when things like this happen...keeps life interesting.
Since I seem to always be behind lately, Earl, I fully sympathize. You are in the majority by not seeing the demon on the horses's back—along with me. The result is a fun surprise for us. Thanks for your encouragement to leave the work as is. I have grown accustomed now to seeing the piece in light of the creature and plan to put it back into a exhibit later this year. Next time that will be part of my entertainment: seeing who notices the goblin.
DeleteI agree that things like this keep life more interesting. Thank you for making time to visit.
Anita, I apologize for altering your original vision of this piece. This image such energy and vibrant colors that I thought the ghost image was intentional. Much mystery to it and open to all types of preceptions.
ReplyDeleteIn my mind what I felt was the Devils on his tail and he is bookin'. When I showed it to my lovely bride she saw a mountain lion chasing the horse. What I love about this one it lets one's imagination conjure all sorts of story lines.
Very well done and I am glad you didn't alter it.
Heavens, don't apologize, Steve. You opened my eyes to what I hadn't been ready to see. I soon got past my impulse to eliminate that devil, because i knew he was an integral part of the story. From now on, I will be more eager to see what I have unconsciously added to my work. Thank you for the alert. Surprises such as this one are fun.
DeleteBy the way, I also rather like your bride's interpretation. Tell her, please that I said "Thank you."