So I had the opening of my show on Saturday and I want to give you a full report.
First, I thought you might like to see the pictures on the walls at the Spring Street Gallery.
Looking into the show space.
Right wall.
I said before that I would feel happy and grateful when I got the pictures all done but that was not exactly the case.
As the opening got closer, it was more like I felt stretched and strained. Because we were still not living in the house, I made up a policy at the last minute that there would be no food at the opening that had to be chopped or cooked or prepared in any way. So there was a strong emphasis on grapes and crackers and cheese and wine, which turned out to be just fine.
Gallery members rushed forward to help, bringing flowers, music and lemonade, arranging platters of food, serving wine, cleaning up and so on. I wanted to kiss every one of them. Friends called or wrote to send good wishes. My sister Cathy and her children came. Bill came. Many friends came. We had a nice party. It was over by 7, which was great because that is a very good bedtime on Block Island.
Left wall.
The next morning we moved back into the house. My friend Gabby, who manages our “turn-over” cleaning, brought two big guys and we moved all our stuff around. By noon, bedrooms were turned into offices and all of our boxes were at least in the right locations. I had carefully taken all the clothes out of the drawers in the spring and put them away, all organized in special boxes. I had forgotten I had done that. I was surprised and pleased with myself.
I’m beginning to feel like one of those toys you can buy where sponges are compressed into tiny packages…then you put them in water and they slowly expand and turn into animals or alphabet shapes or something. I'm like that right now… slowly decompressing….
I’m working in the Gallery every morning this week on account of my show. The most interesting people have come in. I have very much enjoyed our conversations. I realize that I am slowly feeling the gratitude that I expected I would eventually feel, because every day I get to gaze at my pictures and they are all together and look so finished and gallery-esque. And finally now, I have a chance to dwell on each picture and remember all those moments when I took them. I like all of the pictures in my show and I love some of them. I love them so much that they feed me every time I see them, and that is a lucky thing.