The Big Envelope means your work has been accepted. The Big Envelope is full of instructions for shipping and catalog photography and loan agreements. The Little Envelope has a very polite "perhaps next time" letter.
It's been fourteen years since I last had work accepted to the international Birds in Art exhbition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. (Granted, I can only remember submitting a piece once during those fourteen years, and you can't win if you don't play!)
"Submit work to Birds in Art" has had a perpetually neglected spot on my annual To Do list for a long time now. The show's April submission deadline is always the same, but year after year I let it pass because I haven't felt I had anything strong enough to submit.
This year, though, I had the newly-completed "Ripples," which received many favorable comments from blog readers and Facebook friends.
"Hmmm," I thought. "Hmmmm."
I made the submission at the last minute and told no one, save the DM, that I had done so. And until this morning I put it out of my head completely.
The Big Envelope comes electronically now, but I still had that same heart-stopping moment when I saw something from the Woodson Museum in my inbox instead of my mailbox. That intense feeling of hope-braced-for-disappointment made it difficult to comprehend the letter... all I could do on that first read was skim for the word congratulations. And then the words: "Ripples has been selected."
There is always excitement and gratification when a Big Envelope arrives (by whatever method). But this one is special. My first selection to Birds in Art was in 1991, exactly 20 years ago. That exhibition marked the start of my journey as a professional artist and introduced me to friends who have never wavered in their support, even during the times I stopped working completely. Some of them, I already know, will be there this year, too. To say I am looking forward to attending the opening is a major understatement. See those ripples behind the duck? They're actually caused by me, vibrating with delight.
Congratulations! since you shared this piece from start to finish i feel like we all are invited to the baptism of the new baby we eagerly anticipated. Good work!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, SLY! A beautiful print, and much deserved recognition!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Sherrie! It's a beautiful piece of art and absolutely worthy of international juried show recognition.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Richly deserved, this is a wonderful piece.
ReplyDeleteWoo-hoo! You deserve to be vibrating with delight. What a great reunion that opening will be! I'm doing a happy dance for you here...
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Sherrie- well deserved and a great way to cap off twenty years as a professional artist. Celebrate!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Also doing happy dance.
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful print, and thank you for slowly revealing it to us in progress. I hope you'll post some pictures of the show!
ReplyDeleteI love your work, congratulations.
Thanks, everyone! This week is also the 10th anniversary of the Darling Man's musical leap to the Chapman Stick and the 3rd anniversary of his arrival here in Salida to be with me! We're up to our eyeballs in meaningfulness, so tonight we broke out a bottle of champagne passed on to us some time ago.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, the show isn't until September, but you can be certain I'll have some pictures to share!
So many exciting posts for us readers ! First the posts about the WIP and now this Big Envelope news. Congratulations and thank you for sharing. You deserve entering this show, i'm so glad you did !
ReplyDeleteThe 20 year span between the two events make me think this is not a coincidence. Sometimes our unconscious brain works in a surprising way !
Congratulations! Fantastic news! I'm celebtating too.
ReplyDeleteAnd so it goes: We do a something, all but immediately forgetting about it, only to have it come back and Big Envelope us. (There's a lesson, here, but I don't think I wanna learn it, just yet.)
ReplyDeleteSherrie,
ReplyDeleteHurrah for submitting your beautiful piece. I have not looked at so many blogs for so many months and was just catching up and saw your fine news. I am glad I tuned in as I do recall when you were going through the creative process with this piece.
Woot Woot! I'm joining all the happy dances for you! Ripples is one of my favorite prints of all time. And this week also marks the third year I've been lucky to have you and the DM partnering with me in that old house you inhabit. How blessed we all are!! Love you! Jenise
ReplyDeleteWell. Well. Well. A hearty congrats and a big blog hug!!!!
ReplyDeleteFantastic woman!