Coincidence or Confirmation ?
…..
by Bill Hudson
In December, I was scheduled to set up my booth for a weekend in Palm Springs at the Desert Air Festival sponsored by West Coast Artists,
[email protected]. But, higher-priority family events prevailed and, for the first time, I cancelled an art show.
Over the Christmas holidays, I spent time considering the pain versus gain of outdoor shows while never regretting the show cancellation. I decided to forego all events during 2019 and just travel a little, take many reference pictures, paint in my studio (sometimes with my young aspiring grandkids), and avoid the pressure of producing and packing for art shows. With that decision, however, were the lingering thoughts: Ellie and I both enjoy the shows, but the set-up and tear-down get tougher on aging bodies. Is one year off a vacation or retirement? Will we return to shows? Is this the right decision?
Coincidentally, in January as we began arranging a summer home exchange on the Oregon coast, the other home owners sent us an email saying they had visited my website and wondered if I would consider doing two commissioned paintings of Australia from photographs taken on their recent visit. If so, they would prefer to trade their beach home for the paintings rather than do a simultaneous home exchange. After seeing their photos, I agreed. The first of the two paintings is
“Rottnest Island” shown above.
Within a week of agreeing to the two paintings of Australia, I received an email from a man in South Carolina, asking if I would do a commissioned painting of his favorite lighthouse, one that he and his wife visit on vacation each year … Heceta Head Lighthouse in Oregon. Just like Humphrey Bogart, I said to myself, “Of all the lighthouses, in all the towns, in all the world, he picks mine.” I’ve photographed Heceta Head hundreds of times, painted it several times, and it is only 22 miles from our scheduled “home exchange” on Oregon’s coast. What are the odds? It’s almost like God telling me, “Paint it again, Sam.”
I have avoided most requests for commissioned paintings as I’ve recently documented in my November 2018 Newsletter “Would You Paint a Commission?” But now I’m beginning to wonder if a series of coincidences are lining up to change my future direction in art.
And I have to say, painting with my grandkids brings joy to all of us. Here’s 4-year-old Brooks painting a steam locomotive in my studio and his 6-year-old big sister Kaila painting a unicorn over a rainbow. Cleaning up their mess is worth the laughs.
