The other night I was awarded third place in the 2022 Ocean City Arts Center’s Annual Juried Art Show for my photo, “Introspection”. I am thankful beyond words, and even days later, I am still moved to have received such an honor.
This isn’t the first time I have been juried into a show, or have placed in one. But each time it happens, it still feels the same as it did the first time. My excitement and appreciation have never felt less. I have never taken anything for granted, and I have always appreciated it when the art world has found artistic value in my work. Every time I am given an honor, I think of, and give appreciation to all of those who have supported me along the way.
One of those people is Jill Cucci. She is the one who started it all for me.
Since I can remember, I have always liked taking photographs, but I had never considered myself a “photographer” or an “artist”. Taking pictures was just for fun. Although I sometimes thought that I created decent shots, I had never considered showing until I met Jill.
I met Jill though Quaker Meeting and began visiting the galleries and juried shows where she and other artists whom I knew displayed their works. Getting to know her, and seeing so much inspiring art had me beginning to wonder, “Was I good enough to give this a try?” “Could I do this?” For a very long time, I kept these questions to myself.
Jill, a rare creative who does encaustic abstracts and other forms of art, once owned her own gallery, The Barn. It actually was an old barn, and was located just steps from her house on a treed lot in Seaville. There, she created works of her own, taught classes to anyone and everyone who had an interest, and held art shows allowing all mediums. Jill loved art, but I think, she loved helping others even more.
I don’t remember exactly why I was at The Barn talking with Jill on a late summer day in 2015 – I think I was probably helping her with her chickens. I remember looking at all of her work hung on the walls, and the cups of brushes and paints on the tables that she used for her classes. There was an energy in that barn that I had never felt anywhere else, and out of nowhere, it pushed me to ask, “I am I good enough? Could I...?”
I heard “Yes! Yes, you are good enough, and yes, yes you can!”
“Go over the CVS and get some photos printed! Go to Michael's and buy a few cheap frames, and I’ll put them into the show I am having in September! Yes, you can do this!”
Jill made it so simple. So easy. There was no question or hesitation in her voice - only excitement. The energy I had felt in The Barn was beginning to flow into me.
The next day, I went to the CVS and made a few one dollar prints with the store’s photo scanner and then, a few days later, I drove up to Vineland to the Michael's store and bought two frames that were on sale. Being such a novice, I never gave any thought to mats. I don’t even think I knew what they were at the time.
By that weekend I had put everything together and two of my photographs were hung in The Barn.
Since then, I have been in a number of juried shows, as well as local galleries. I have placed in shows over the years and have made sales. More importantly though, by showing and competing, I’ve learned more about photography and art than I ever would have learned otherwise. I’ve also greatly improved my framing (and matting!) abilities, and I now have my photographs professionally printed. Through it all, I’ve grown and as a person. I’ve learned to be vulnerable and to accept failure as well as success, to stay true to my own intuition and not be any one other than myself. I’ve met some wonderful people. Some of those, like Renee Leopardi, Dan Myers, and Judy Maddox Saylor Allison have pushed, helped, and inspired me along the way.
But it all started with Jill. Every time I look at one of my pieces in a show, I can’t help but to think of her and thank her for telling me “I could”. I will never forget that she believed in me before I was ready to believe in myself!
I hope that everyone who has ever wondered if they “could” is as lucky as I was, and meets a Jill along the way.
