This is my second post for the day and it’s going to be a quick one. I just wanted to capture a moment which happened this past weekend.

Andrew and I moved into a complex which is a 35+ community but we are actually the youngest ones there (we’re in our early 50’s). Our closest neighbour is Phyl, who is a dear woman who has expressed interest in our art activities. We happened to be in the garage working on framing when she walked by and we got to talking about our recent art purchase in Seattle. We invited her up to see the piece and as she was walking down the hall to the living room, she let out this exclamation of excitement at the painting over the fireplace. I don’t remember her words but they were very complimentary. Andrew showed her the etching we’d bought and she examined it, wondering if the location could be researched, etc. She went on to say that she was hoping the painting she liked was what we’d bought. It was my long coastal landscape:

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Then we directed Phyl to the stunning portrait Andrew has recently completed and she went into this amazing empathic description of the painful events which must have happened to the subject of the portrait, describing a miscarriage and such sadness. It was amazing to experience direct responses to our art. Usually the work is in a gallery and we wish we could be flies on the wall hearing what people are saying. This time we were just that. Phyl is a lovely woman and I can’t wait to invite her back to see more of our work!

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Elsa, graphite and gold leaf on illustration board, 18″x24″ By Andrew Bartley
A Big Reason Why We Make Art