Life can sometimes seem like an endless series of exhibitions. For those of us involved in the art world, there are times when we're constantly visiting gallery after gallery, taking in as much as possible and getting to know the works of artists from far and wide. But there are some artists whose works consistently stand out. Some artists' works stay in the thought and heart of an audience long after the show is over. I've noticed over the years that these are often the artists who have understood fully the skill of telling the story behind their art. These artists aren't just selling paintings—they're selling an experience.
Roxanna Kibsey is one of these artists. Her paintings are often exact description of frozen tundra(冻原) or autumn trees—so bright that they could nearly burn a hole in the canvas. When I met her at an exhibition, she couldn't wait to tell me about the place in her paintings. "Where I grew up, we had nine months of winter every year. It's really quite a tough place," she said. She relived a part of her childhood when we chatted in front of her paintings. The image brought to my mind memories of driving through the snow-covered countryside during my own first winter in Canada. I could almost hear the crunching ice under my feet as she described to me the countryside she grew up in.
Businessmen may have their elevator pitch, but artists, too, need their 30-second story which rolls freely off the tongue. That's why it's so important that for each piece you might be exhibiting, you can conjure up(想起) a story behind it, and tell that story to your audience in a way that helps them connect with your work, and makes them want to buy a piece.
