Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 96512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
“It’s very bold,” Rachel says. “And very interesting.”
“I haven’t shown it to anyone before. Not that I show my paintings to many people anyway. I don’t get many visitors on my website. Although, I did have someone call me the other day. Someone who stayed at the Colorado Club wants to buy a piece from me for their apartment. That’s really nice, right?”
“For them,” Rachel says, and Grace laughs. “They’re lucky to be getting you when you’ve not been exhibited yet. I’m willing to bet they know a little about art and see your potential.”
I shrug. I’m just pleased to be making another sale. I can top up Riley’s college fund with most of the money this trip cost. It will make me feel less anxious.
“This feels like a good place to start for your first exhibition,” Rachel says. “It’s fresh and different from your other work, but not so different that we couldn’t display some of the pieces the Colorado Club didn’t buy alongside it.”
“I agree,” Grace says. “It makes sense to use the historic stuff. It’s slightly softer, but still impactful. And we’ll do the first show in New York.”
The pulse in my neck starts to throb, and I swallow, trying to keep my panic at bay. “My first show?” I ask. “When are you thinking?”
“We can be guided by you. Makes sense to have the opening during a school vacation. That way you and Riley will both be able to come to New York.”
My mom will want to come, I think to myself. And my dad. They’re not art lovers, but they’ll be proud. I think.
“Are you thinking soon?” I ask.
“We can do some planning, but we don’t have to set a deadline,” Rachel says. “But we will need to see some of your newer pieces sooner rather than later.”
I take a couple of breaths, trying to calm my body. Energy has started to fizz through me, and I realize that actually, I want a date in the calendar. I’m excited. I want people to see my work. Maybe it will be a complete disaster, but an exhibition at a New York gallery is what I used to dream about as a kid. This is what I’ve been waiting for my entire life.
“I want to work toward an exhibition,” I splutter out. “I have the entire summer where I can paint. Riley can come to the studio or can be with my parents.” I want this. I want this for me. I want this to show Riley that you can follow your dreams no matter your age. I want to be a painter.
“Good!” Grace says, beaming at me. “In the meantime, I’m going to reach out to my network and see if I can arrange some influential collectors to see some of your pieces. If we can get a sale from them, it will help us build buzz going into an exhibition. I think I might have someone for one of the pieces you just showed me in your studio—the blue piece.”
“Oh right,” I say, nodding. “So if that piece is sold before the exhibition, then you’ll need more—”
“Not at all,” Rachel says. “Any buyer would be more than happy to lend it to us for the exhibition, and we can mark it as sold. And before you reach out to anyone, Grace, we’ll revisit Juniper’s pricing.”
Grace smiles. “Of course you will.” She nods toward Rachel. “Told you she was good.” My anxiety must show on my face, because her smile drops when she looks at me. “But there’s no pressure,” she says. “We’ll work with whatever timeline works for you. If it takes two years, it takes two years.”
“I’ll have all summer. But things get busy when Riley and I go back to school. Once the semester starts, if I just had some time in the week, it would be easier. If I worked part-time and Riley was at school, I’d have a lot more hours in the studio.” I do have that money from the Colorado Club that I’ve put aside for Riley’s college fund. But I really don’t want to spend it on living expenses. If I was certain I could replenish it, then maybe that would be an option. “When you say you think you have someone who might be interested in buying the blue piece, can we talk numbers? I’m just wondering if maybe if I sold some pieces before the show, I might be able to reduce my hours a little.”
“That sounds like an interesting idea,” Rachel says. “What kind of salary would you be looking to replace?” she asks.
“I make twenty-five thousand six hundred a year.”
Rachel and Grace exchange a look. And I feel like I’ve overstepped.
“Obviously, I would still work, so I’m not saying I’d need to replace that entire amount. And we could cut back. Although, I’m not sure where—”