Existing Only Briefly

My husband gave me another first-class treat today. The chance to go to Houdan for the Vernissage of the exhibit Les Petits Bonheurs sans enfant. An afternoon, a couple of hours just for me, to be inspired, to meet and exchange with other artists.

The whole way there, while there and on the ride home, I was on cloud 9, lost in my own thoughts, high on inspirations and the potential of possiblities. And then came the fall, the frustration, the feeling of inadequacy, that I am not doing enough to be creative, not creating enough, not creating often enough, not giving myself enough time. I am not challenging myself – not pushing the boundaries – staying safe as I make things that are easy and simple, things I already know how to do… Yet, at the same time I know that I am doing a lot, creating almost each day, always with an idea, an eye, a thought for a new creation…

This exhibit was beautiful. Ephemeral. I was transported. Two artists working in their seperate universes, bringing their work together. Two seperate ideas, philosophies, exhibiting their different worlds harmoniously, brought together by a common theme, images of what is brief, fleeting, temporary.

Jeanne Petit creates the rustic yet vivid clocks, and Christine Van Amerongen draws and paints the still lifes of fruits and vegetables “that never last long, always ending up under her knife and in her soup pot”! Each artist works in her own studio with her own style, materials, color palette and isn’t it neat to see how well the pieces compliment and work with each other when brought together for the exhibit, even though the two artists never discussed the specifics of their pieces with each other.

I loved being at the exhibit. The inspiration was intoxicating! I loved the feeling I had as I looked at the pieces, the warmth and happiness I found in the the bright colors, the comfort and joy I felt from the organic lines in the paintings contrasted by the geometric roundness of the clocks… the textures! I liked being in the room surronded by these images, icons of what is transient, ephemeral. Of being reminded to savour the moment, relish the taste that won’t last forever, the minute that will pass, the color that will fade, the changes that will come.