The second day of the Fencepost exhibit (I forgot to take a photo of the painting I put up on the first day). This painting is “Breaking Dawn”, one of my favorite pieces that walks the line between abstract and representational.
It’s taken me a few days to get my head and heart back together after the events of last week. Or at least, together enough to write about another silver lining to this pandemic time--a silver lining which also, as it happens, has relevance to the unhappiness of the political time we now are in.
I’m writing about the Fencepost Art Gallery (Fencepost for short).
If you follow me at all on social media, you know what I’m referring to, but in case you missed it, here’s the scoop on the Fencepost. Way back at the beginning of the pandemic, an artist friend who lives in DC began putting her paintings on an easel on her front porch each day, for passersby to enjoy. She got lots of positive responses--people felt so uplifted by seeing the art. I wanted to do the same, but -- no front porch.
Think, think, think--how could I display my art for others to find encouragement in this dark time?
Well...what about the fence that runs parallel to the road right in front of my house? Could I hang paintings on it?
YES.
That was back in late April. Every day since then, barring inclement weather or short travel stints, I’ve put at least one painting up on the fence. I even had a very professional sign made, and that goes up too. And I’ve tried to also take a picture and post that on social media (although that hasn’t been quite as consistent, to be honest).
The response has been significant. Over and over, people tell me--sometimes in person, sometimes online--that seeing my art has helped them, cheered them, given them relief from the never-ending cycle of bad news to even worse news. Folks have let me know that they plan their daily walks to include a stop by our fence. The Fencepost has begun discussions about art and life, has brought beauty into bleak days, has given joy to many more people than I even know.
And here’s another fun outgrowth of the Fencepost: an artist friend who lives in Maryland liked the idea but complained that he didn’t have a fence...I told him that I didn’t have a porch--surely, he could find a way to display his art. And he did, in his driveway. So even more beauty was spread.
“My Green Thumb Again” is the largest painting that’s hung at the Fencepost so far—4 feet wide, 3 feet tall.
Back when I began the Fencepost, if you had told me that I would still be hanging paintings outside almost nine months later, with no end in sight, I would not have believed you. And if I had, I probably wouldn’t have begun it! But, I did make a start, and each day (after checking the weather forecast) another painting goes up. And more beauty shines out.
One more positive result of the Fencepost, and then I’m done, at least for now--I’ve sold a fair amount of work because of it. That’s a pretty great side effect of brightening up a dark world.
Eventually, I ran out of framed pieces to hang— that’s when I learned to put unframed pieces into acid-free acetate bags and hang them with thumbtacks, which greatly expanded my inventory. This “Coldest Winter” series is the only time I’ve hung four paintings at once.