November 29, 2024: Small Mercies

My paintings were rejected today from a forthcoming show at a local church (NOT Trinity), for having an insufficiently spiritual backstory. It’s hard to overstate how pleased I am.

A generous friend heard about the opportunity first, and invited me to submit my art along with his. The arts committee responded by turning me down flat, but telling him that he could try again next year, perhaps punching up his spiritual side. I can’t stop grinning.

In their defense, I submitted no backstory at all, just four paintings – take ‘em or leave ‘em.  They left ‘em. I suppose I might have guessed they’d want verbiage, but they didn’t say WHAT they wanted, just samples of my work. Not that it matters. I don’t have an artist statement that stresses my spirituality, and I’m just not in the mood to craft one. Plus, what if I DID submit one, and they said Yeah, still not good enough, but thanks for trying….

Rejection is such an art form. This particular rejection letter was sniffy enough to leave me feeling I had dodged a bullet. Or maybe a small pellet. In any case, I am, as befits the weekend, thankful.