At the week-end we will be hanging the Christmas exhibition of the Unit 9 Group, at the South Square Centre. I wasn’t able to attend the last meeting of the group, at which the subject of the exhibition was decided. I was rather disconcerted today to open an email from our Convenor, reminding us of the need to deliver our pieces this week-end, and the agreed subject-matter of the exhibition. We are urged to offer “cheerful stuff”. I have to admit that I have spent some time this afternoon wondering what on earth I could offer. Do I ever do “cheerful”?
Looking through my log-books I came to the realisation that I can do “only slightly melancholy” but I really am hard-pressed to find anything that fits the description of “cheerful”. Faced with this realisation I turned to my wife and asked for her advice. I’m afraid that she was not exactly sympathetic, but did confirm the fact that it is difficult to find in my work anything that could be described simply as “cheerful stuff”. Even the item I thought of (a portrait of my grandmother) could not be for sale, which would not go down well with the rest of the group, since the object of the exercise is to make us a little money.
Asked whether I ever did anything cheerful I had to respond that I did, but these had been sold. My wife pounced on this, saying that there ought to be a lesson for me in it. I had to point out that I had sold “melancholy” ones also.
I don’t need to decide until Sunday, but it does look as if a seascape in which the sun is shining will have to do.