Snail Mail

I checked the mailbox last night on my way home from Steamboat, and found inside the self-addressed stamped envelope that I sent in with my entry to the Oil Painters of America National Show. Talk about nerves - I haven't been so nervous to open something in a LONG time!

It reminded me of when I was a senior in high school and I would check the mail for responses from colleges. I always looked for a big, fat envelope from the colleges at the top of my list because that would mean that they had sent an acceptance letter along with a bunch of fun info about the school. A thin business-sized envelope signaled rejection in a few sentences - heartbreak.

Getting a response about an art show is kind of similar. When you enter an art show, you typically send slides of your painting(s) with your application, and enclose an SASE for the response. If you're declined, they send your slides back in the SASE. If you're accepted, they keep the slides on file and send you instructions for delivering your painting.

So, of course, the first thing I did when I checked the mail was feel the envelope for my slide. And it wasn't there!!! Sure enough, inside was my acceptance to the 15th Annual Exhibition of Traditional Oils - wahoo!!!

I'm totally psyched. This is one of a handful of big shows that were on my "goal" list for the next few years and I didn't even think I'd get accepted this year. But I did, and I'm totally excited because this means that my painting is going to hang in the same gallery with some of the most amazing painters alive today - how cool is that? And it gives me something of substance to put on my resume - finally!

The show runs May 5 to June 13 at the Dana Gallery in Missoula, Montana. I'm hoping to get up there for the opening, but it'll be tricky - Nate's graduation for his MBA is the day after the opening, and that's a definite no-miss event, so we'll see what we can swing.

Either way, I'm excited - I feel like a lot of my hard work last year is finally starting to pay off!!