Day 11. Just Showing Up

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“Just Showing Up” 8×8, oil on canvas, framed

Last night was the opening of an art exhibition I’ve been working toward for quite some time. I’m so used to handling every detail of a show at my own gallery—installation, refreshments, logistics—that it was humbling to experience what it’s like to be cared for in someone else’s space.

As we were getting ready to leave for the opening, my husband, Kelly, said, “This must be great for you. Normally, when you have a show, you’re making a cheese board or arranging flowers right about now.”

He was right.

What a joy it was to simply show up. To see my work hanging on beautiful walls. To encounter all the beautiful people who came to spend time with it. To be present without also being responsible for everything around me.

I love the simple pattern on the vase in today’s painting. It represents the steady, day-to-day rhythms of life—the quiet repetition out of which beauty can emerge.

Today’s flowers are just showing up.
They’re taking it all in.
They’re helping me stay present.

It’s only day 11, after all.

My show Outside the Lines will be up at Orleans Gallery for the next few weeks. If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll stop in and see it.