The Swan

As I was driving to DeGrazia Gallery this morning, I was thinking how interesting it is that DeGrazia's address is 6300 Swan. I really liked that name for a street. Then it dawned on me that I really feel like a swan here, as opposed to an ugly duckling. Many people that visit the gallery and see my work say, "Your work doesn't look like you're from Michigan. It looks like you live here." Then another woman said, "The South West must be your spiritual home." Everyone understands and appreciates my work here. I don't have to explain what Day of the Dead is and I don't have to tell them who Guadalupe is. So it almost feels like a homecoming. I have found my swans. Even though I would not want to move here permanently, it always is a spiritual journey for me when I visit Arizona or New Mexico. It is what inspires me and nourishes my soul.

I am hoping to find a gallery that fits for me and one that I can trust. I have really put a lot of faith in myself and in my work to take this risk. There is always the risk that I won't sell anything but greeting cards, that I won't find a gallery that will accept my work, and that people will not like my work. However, I have already overcome the last risk. People do like my work and do give me compliments. That has been such a blessing to me.

The photograph that I am posting today is the outside of the Little Gallery where I am exhibiting my work. I am the "Guest Artist" as it is posted on the door as you go into the gallery.