Getting up to speed...

I have been having an absolute ball over the last 6 months or so.  I have to say it all started when I seriously thought about doing art for real rather than as a hobby.  One of the more exciting things I've done is that I've been writing articles for The Pilbara Echo.  This is a fabulous community paper and the bit I love the best is that they take stories from the community. So myself and my art teacher Naomi from TAFE got together and created ARTicle - a weekly art spot in the paper.  Over the next few days I'll pop up the articles I've written here for everyone to have a look at. 

The Pilbara Echo, 18 September 2010

The Hedland Art Awards opened Friday 10 September with a massive crowd present at the Courthouse Gallery to celebrate.  If you couldn’t make it to the opening don’t panic because the exhibition runs until 9 October.  There is an incredible mix of regional WA art on display and the exhibition and surrounding programs such as the judges walkthrough on 11 Saturday provide a great opportunity for local artist to learn and expand their artistic horizons. 

Ok – so is this the best night of my life or the worst night of my life?  Well, clearly it is the best because, you know, lifelong goal to have an artwork in an art exhibition and here I am on my way to the opening of the Hedland Art Awards which contains a piece of my art.  Or does it?  What if…it doesn’t?  What if they forgot to ring me to say it didn’t get in?  What if they did ring me and the answering machine ate the message?  What if I have told everyone it is going to be there and it just isn’t?  No – it is all fine, of course it fine, it will be there and it will all be good.

Upon arriving I decide I better have a glass of champers to settle the nerves.  A friend races over and says I’ve looked everywhere for your work and it’s not there – your name is not on the list.  My breath hitches and my heart lands at my feet.  My partner, a cool, practical sort says it will be there.  I spring into action, grab the list out of my friend’s hand and madly start scanning the list for my name…and there it is!  The relief, the absolute relief is overwhelming and I feel like I am about to cry with it so instead I have a big swig of champers. 

So then it is time for the next hurdle and I make my way through the masses and into the Courthouse Gallery.  I scan the entrance – not there.  I walk into the main area and there it is.  No-one is anywhere near it which is pretty frightening and there is no way I can bring myself to walk over to it.  I am not sure why because clearly it has my name on it but I keep my distance and just hover around the edges pretending to check out the other artworks. 

Finally I calm down enough to act normal and actually smile at some people I know.  But then it is time for the awards.  The speeches are interminable but I clap politely.  I know that I am a new artist and I am just lucky to get an artwork in but I still wait with trepidation for every winning announcement.  Then it is over – the last winner done and the sense of relief is enormous.  Another friend comes over and I manage to mention that I have an artwork in the awards.  I relax more – I can do this, I can.  Maybe 90% of me feels like I am pretending but the other 10% of me feels exactly how I am meant to – an artist starting on a journey.