The Why

"Thank you all for coming," a tall greying woman said loudly, speaking over the chatter in the gallery.  Her name was Beth, a gifted glass artist and a senior member of the gallery's coop, and she was about to announce the show winners.

It was October of 2016, and I had just separated from my then-husband less than a month before.  I stood next to my best friend Jess, listening to Beth speak about the juried show and the gallery we had both managed to get into; my floral watercolor was high up on the white wall, and Jess' pottery pieces were on a pedestal directly below.  Art by thirty other talented artists crowded beautifully around our work, making our pieces look so small.

"And now for the people's choice award," Beth said.  "Sophie's Adamanth by Heather McCray!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" I heard myself say loudly.  The room rippled with laughter as I stepped forward, stunned, and a large purple ribbon was taped next to my painting.  

"It's well-deserved," she said, smiling as the other artists applauded.  I looked up, dumbfounded, marveling at life's surprises.

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I am not a trained artist.  I have a degree, but what OSU gave me in 2010 was a Bachelor's in Journalism.  Writing had always been my chosen skill, and before 2016 I had never had the thought or desire to enter a gallery show.

So how did I end up here?

In December of 2013, my husband and I were trying to find a craft-related Christmas gift for his young cousin and we settled on a cheap set of watercolor paints and brushes.  And then, inexplicably, six months later, I went back to that same art store and bought the same paints for myself.  I had a lot of free time at home in the loneliness of my struggling marriage, and night after night I copied dozens of watercolor pieces from Pinterest.  I started filling my shelves with books on portraiture and watercolor technique, and mimicry slowly gave way to original pieces.  In the fall of 2014, I started posting things on Instagram and following other gifted artists on social media.  And I slowly but surely fell in love with the beauty of good art and the mystery of the art world; by Christmas of 2015, almost every gift I received was watercolor-related.  

Slowly, it dawned on me that this wasn't just a mediocre hobby - somehow, in all those lonely hours of painting and reading, I had become good at this.  My best friend Jess has a fine arts degree and seriously praised my work, and in early 2016 a fan of mine on Instagram asked me to donate a piece for a fundraiser.

OK - I have this skill.  Now what?  

I found myself in a place where I wanted to get more involved in the art community, more "out there" in exhibiting and selling my art, and I had no idea where to start.  Even Jess wasn't sure where to start - her educators had focused on technique and, shockingly, spoke very little about how to make a living as an artist after school.

Well, I taught myself how to paint - surely I can teach myself how to make money and be involved in the community as an artist.  Right?

And the past two years has been a stumbling toward those goals, toward beauty and wholeness.  I've been exhibited in two juried gallery shows, rejected from a handful of others, I scrambled to figure out prints for the first time when I was invited on short notice to sell at a small wine and craft event,  I taught myself how to set up an Etsy shop and sell items from my smartphone, and I'm still trying to crack the code of figuring out where to find calls for artists and craft show applications.

And that's why I started this blog - at first, it was for my own reference (check out all the links at the top of the page, like "Resources", "Art Groups + Societies", etc. ... it's so much information to try and keep straight!).  But the more I get into art, the more I fall in love with the community around art and how it brings people together.  It is a wonderful thing to be a part of, and there is genuinely nothing I love more than bringing other people into this beautiful world with me.

I encouraged Jess to enter that first juried show with me.  After seeing my example, a friend of mine who's a gifted pastel artist started entering shows and not long after she had a gorgeous solo event.  One of my best friends has a teenage son who loves my work, and after seeing my pieces in an unjuried charity show his son decided to make something with me for the next charity show.  And, with some encouragement, his father joined us and made something for the show as well - and both of their pieces sold!  And a coworker of mine is not artistic herself, but after seeing my pieces in galleries she has started to enjoy seriously viewing and collecting art.

And that's The Why - I want this blog to bring more people into the community and beauty of art, to help give artists more resources and information to grow and get more involved, and to help collectors and supporters be more informed of where to find good local art and artistic events.

I had no idea where to start when I purchased that cheap set of watercolor cakes back in 2014, but hopefully what little I have learned since then will help spark more interest and give others a head start as they dive into this beautiful and mysterious world with me.