I gained a new word to describe my work yesterday… Ethereal.

I was hanging some prints in the hallway of a local medical office yesterday. It was near the end of the work day, so people were still bustling about. They seemed excited to have new art on the wall, and I received many very nice comments on it. But my favorite was the one that my work was ethereal.

e·the·re·al iˈTHi(ə)rēəl/ adjective
Extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.
“her ethereal beauty”
synonyms: delicate, exquisite, dainty, elegant, graceful;

I decided I like that description, and will add it to my list. Previous words I’ve taken from other people’s comments include contemplative and delicate.

Getting your art in front of other people, especially non-photographers, is a great way to get descriptions of your work. Not just critical feedback, which we often seek from our fellow artists as a means to improve, but reactions from the general public. How does it connect with them? How does someone unfamiliar with your art, your process, your motivations react? That’s powerful feedback in itself.

There are lots of ways to get your art out there, into the real world, not just online. Doctor’s offices, restaurants, meeting rooms all have wall space they need to fill. As an exhibiting member of the Corvallis Art Guild, I can sign up to hang my work at various local businesses on a rotating basis. It’s a great benefit to members, in that we don’t have to do the leg work to find places to hang our work independently.

Getting a gallery exhibition is nice, and I’ve had a couple of those recently. I’m finishing up a show this week and will have new Treescapes on exhibition at The Arts Center in March. But to work up to that, it’s helpful to hang in other venues that aren’t quite so formal. It’s helpful to have the reactions of people in the real world, to give you some confidence.

Confidence, and maybe a few great words, to help you describe your work.