The shy Artist

I have a friend--I'll not mention names, because she's a self-effacing sort. This despite the fact that her work is manifestly brilliant, meticulously crafted and just sings with a unique voice.

She hardly ever publishes her work--for that matter, when she brings it to meetings she simply slides it onto the show and tell table without comment, leaving it for the rest of us to discover and squeal over.

I've noticed that this --for the lack of a better term--reluctance, to promote one's work-- is not unique to this lady; several polymer artists I know, and whose work I greatly respect, share the same trait. For some reason, we feel we have no right to claim that our work is in fact 'real' art; that we should be legitimately proud of it.

And I wonder; do other artists in other fields suffer from the same inability to promote their work? Is it because the field of polymer clay is overwhelmingly women, who tend to be diffident about seeking recognition? Would we feel any different about displaying our work if it were from longer established medium, like sculpture, painting, photography? It's a puzzle to me--because the work is so good, so exciting, and in a new field like polymer clay, all of us have the potential to be the new Picassos, Vermeers, and Monets.

Polymer clay is still the undiscovered country--and everyone of us who work in it the pioneers. There are some upsides to this hiding the light beneath the bushel--as a group, polymer clay artists tend to be the most supportive and sharing people I've ever encountered---if jealousies and rivalries exist, they are handled with the utmost civility--I've not witnessed the kind of turf wars made famous by Renaissance painters, or modern photographers. I've not heard many artists dissing the work of others--even in their most unguarded moments.

These things are all to the good--but maybe we could all allow ourselves the luxury of a bit more pride--a sense that we are in fact legitimate artists doing new and wonderful things--and blazing the trails for those we hope will follow.

Namaste