Well.... That could've gone better

A few years ago, 2003, I was out of a job and desperate to really make a "go" with my art. I found that Kentucky has a thriving and state government supported crafts program so that craft artists have an outlet for their work. (I think this is a wonderful thing!) Empowered with an idea I drove to downtown Louisville and presented my work to the Kentucky Museum of Art and Crafts. They loved my work and I was on cloud 9!

I daydreamed of the new markets and clients that I might acquire through this arrangement.. even going so far as to think that I might actually get a living wage out of what I create.

Unfortunately it was all a daydream and none of what I had hoped for materialized. Luckily though I retained my Hobby Clients and they bought most of what I had placed down at the Museum.

Yesterday, after 2 years of not selling it, I contacted the Museum and asked them if they still wanted the silver oak leaf western saddle set. They do not. It's coming home this week as soon as I can go down and get it.

 I notified my yahoo list and asked if anyone was interested in it. Not a drop of interest was to be found.... Not even an email that said "I'd like it but..". I even offered to drop the price.... No emails..

I'll admit that I made this more as a display piece than as a practical hobby piece but I was hoping that folks would look closely and admire it's strengths and allow me to fix it's weaknesses.

The silver leaves on the saddle are hand made and hand cut from silver. Each one took me almost an hour to make. I learned so much while making them. And each one, seemed at the time, to be an individual masterpiece.

 I'm not professionally taught. I'm self taught. I find this to be an advantage in many respects such as, I'm not "boxed" into what can and can not be done. I'm free to allow my imagination to flow. If I have an idea, I can bring it to fruition despite any conventional wisdom (or warnings for that matter). The downside to this is that I have to "wing it" with my tools. I buy tools sometimes only to find out that they don't work or that they're utterly wrong. I sometimes get a good tool but it takes me forever to learn how to use it well.. or right.. hehehe..

Anyway, *I* really felt as though this set was the pinnacle of originality... And maybe it was too original? The shoulders lean too far backwards and the cantle is too "Shelf-y". I can fix that easily.

 I suppose it's like any vision that any artist has. We artists see it so very clearly, but the rest of the world does not. This is very frustrating but really, can I expect people to see what is not there yet?

It's all rather disappointing...


I guess this set is staying with me..For once I'll have my own work to keep :-)