Opportunities

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas (and part of the University of Texas) was an exceptional venue to host the recent art festival there in which I participated. The architecture, the landscaping of native plantings, and the Central Texas springtime in the air were marvelous. And the camaraderie of my creative sisters and brothers who participated in the show was certainly stimulating.

I would like to thank the multitudes of art patrons and enthusiasts who visited my exhibit over the weekend, many of whom are now brand new readers of my blog here. These folks were not only highly encouraging of my work, but had some superb aesthetic insight into the specific pieces I had displayed. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to share such diverse artistic thoughts, opinions, understanding, and conversation.

I must say that I was somewhat overwhelmed by the extremely positive response I received from the hundreds of people who spent significant time in my booth. The most frequent comments that I heard over the two-day show were: "These are gorgeous!"– "...stunning!"– "...incredible work!" While I certainly appreciated these comments, I was humbled by their intensity and volume, as I realize that what they were really admiring was the stunning beauty of the natural scenes themselves that I had hoped to capture in some small way.

My Exhibit Before the Crowds Arrive,
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, MAR2012

This thought is driven home even more forcefully as I remember many of the people commenting that the photos looked "incredibly three-dimensional" and that "...it seems like I am looking right out a window at a field of flowers." This makes it absolutely clear to me that the subject of their appreciation was, in fact, the beauty of the Creation itself. As much as I would enjoy to receive these accolades myself, I must pass them along to the Creator, Who not only brought about the specific beauty of these natural locales, but Who is the ultimate Author of Beauty itself.

The show was a couple of very long days of mostly standing on my feet and talking with hundreds of people (maybe more than a thousand?), but overall it was rewarding on many different levels. I definitely look forward to seeing these folks again next year!