Bleak Midwinter
It’s actually only the beginning of winter, according to our calendar. But the first day of winter here coincides with the winter Solstice, which is the longest night of the year. We’ve already begun our trip back toward the light, though winter is but one day old.
I am not a salesperson and have never been one, aside from a brief successful run at selling candy bars for a school fundraiser at age 6. Most of that success was down to one person, who happened to be having a party in our neighborhood, and may or may not have been drunk. That kind of thing went totally over my head at age 6. With great jollity he told the cute kindergartener he’d buy my entire stock for the party, and he probably meant the stock contained in the carrying case in my hand.
But in a whirl of optimism, I understood him to mean every candy bar I currently had in stock—including the 50 or so my mom had in the car to replenish my little carrying case. When my mom carried the two boxes of candy bars up the steps after I ran back out to the car to tell her we had sold ALL of the candy bars, the jolly smile on the man’s face faltered a little. But he paid up magnanimously and I won the honors of top salesperson for my grade in the fundraiser.
Selling stuff is not super fun for me. Making money, the thrill of a sale, has never really motivated me, except in that the funds allow me to do or have something that is important. Making art to sell isn’t super compelling to me, either, which is why I have not done it much over the years.
“I Know Why” -encaustic, eggshells, woodburning, oil, silverleaf and fabric on cradled board. Private Collection.
But something happens when a friend or acquaintance brings a piece into their home or workspace or office or studio. I love what happens then, because it’s presence, and that is very much what have come to care about.
A thought or idea, feeling or memory or story of mine, put onto paper or canvas or board, sometimes taking years to develop and complete, becomes a part of your life, your space, your family’s memories and stories, and it takes on a life of its own.
After my last attempt at selling art in an Etsy shop, a close friend of mine from childhood who now lives far away bought one of my favorite encaustic paintings. About a decade later, I got to visit her home on the other side of the country.
Spending a few days with her family, I got to see the piece in different lights and contexts on her living room wall. Playing with her four children, I saw how they interacted and loved and fought and were bored or inspired, the kinds of things they laughed about and cried about and shared as a family. I loved to see that painting on the wall, part of the family.
The past few days of opening my new website and launching the shop here have been a whirlwind!
I can’t tell you how grateful I am for everyone who bought pieces, and shared about the launch with friends and family. It has meant a lot to me to see the response and to spend the week before Christmas packing up pieces and making trips to the Post Office. I was able to get most of the orders out before the snow and ice storm set in here in Whatcom County.
I hope you and your families are keeping warm and cozy during this storm. I’ll have more news about upcoming projects soon. Merry Christmas to you and yours! Keep watching for the light.
Love,
Jana
PS: If you are local to Whatcom County, registration is currently open for an Intro to Encaustic Painting course I am hoping to teach at the Jansen Art Center in Lynden! You can find more info about that and register here.
PPS: there are still a few pieces available in the shop! I’ve even added a few more here and there as I’ve been finding things in the studio after moving this fall.
