Painting and Relationships

I  enjoyed a welcomed surprise, or two this past week.I received a 2nd place (red) ribbon for my acrylic painting Belgian Team Ready at the 2018 Champlain Valley Fair Art Pavilion, in the category "At The Fair". This felt good, as you can imagine. Then, as I walked around looking at the wonderful art all around me, I discovered another ribbon. This one was purple and titled "Staff's Choice Award". It dangled from my painting titled G"Night Horse. This painting depicted a girl and her horse, forehead to forehead in silhouette against a sunset sky. On the reverse of this ribbon the staff person/judge had penned this note:
"You've captured the love between the two perfectly, and the sky is phenomenal."

I treasured this little note more than the two ribbons combined. It meant a lot to me to understand what another person actually saw or felt when she looked at my painting. Of course I'm not unhappy about getting the two ribbons. Its just that the note added something more - the human to human connection we all crave. 

Think about it. When you go to a meeting, picnic, or party, what's the first thing you do, especially if you arrive by yourself? You look for somebody to connect with. That's what I appreciated most. That human to human connection, even if only in a note. 

 After I returned home from  picking up  my unsold artwork, I discovered a message from a friend. She contacted me to inquire about this painting. She said she wanted to buy it and she told me why:  "It brought tears to my eyes by bringing together the three things I loved the most - sunrise/sunset, children and horses."   This pleased me and we worked out the details together.

I love this painting because it does illustrate the warmth of a good relationship. It touched at least two people who then enriched my life by connecting with me. Relationship, making contact person to person really matters. This can be forehead to forehead, in a tiny note, on text, by phone, or in person. Taking the time to reach out even for a brief moment can make a difference in our lives. Days later, I still feel good.

PS  How do you like to reach out? Share your ideas in a comment here.
​

---