It’s a bit like a divorce, I once was loved and now, after seven years, I am “rejected”. I will get over this.

I took in one of my pieces for the auction (Dundas Valley School of Art’s 42 Annual Art Auction) last week. This was from a person who was downsizing, and he delivered five pieces from different artists he had purchased through me over the last ten years. I know this is a common occurrence, as people move and change, but it had never happened to me before. I didn’t know how attached I was to work I hadn’t seen in years. It’s a beautiful piece and while I’m delighted to see it again, I am sad to feel “rejected”.
As a very non prolific artist, I have much invested in each piece. I would never have realized my feelings about this before. I had withdrawn from the auction a few years ago as I don’t really have much of an audience here and I don’t want the piece to be not sold, or sold for next to nothing. I know it’s all for charity anyway, and we can’t live without our amazing auction revenue, but still, it’s my painting……
We sell between 1200 and 1400 items (95% art) every year, an amazing amount for such a small place. It is out main fund raiser and gradually it grows bigger each year. It requires more than 200 volunteers to operate and has 3,500 visitors each year.
We have more than 400 artists participate, and we now have a large secondary market, selling everything one can imagine, from local artists work to major names. We have sold from the Group of Seven, and this year will include such artists as Fantin-Latour and Rembrandt.
The “live” pieces (those sold in a live auction format) are on line (at least all we have so far) at our web site www.dvsa.ca and you’ll find the link to the live pieces. The other 1200 will be available as silent auction items, with a large group of pottery “seconds” and matted prints available at the school.
My painting will not be live; I can’t handle the suspense and the drama for me. The piece I show here is not that piece as I have no photo of it available here at home. It is similar.
For those of you who wish, if you are interested in any of the live pieces and want to bid by in advance or by proxy or by phone, just let me know at greenblatt@cogeco.net. I will need credit card info to qualify you in advance as well.
This is a big deal for me, the auction of course, but the feelings of having my own work returned. It’s a bit like a divorce, I once was loved and now, after seven years, I am “rejected”. I will get over this.