Entrance of the Gallery
The First Step Into the Eyes of the Audience
It was an amazing experience—watching the audience's reactions, hearing their comments, and feeling the energy in the room.
Some people walked past my artwork with just a quick glance.
Some paused, stood still for minutes, as if they'd stumbled upon a piece of their own story.
And that’s okay.
Art isn’t supposed to please everyone.
I know that.
I really do.
But still... it hurts sometimes.
Photo by © Christine Bae
The Words That Cut
Nonetheless, it still hurts when I hear what they say.One man, older, wearing a newsboy cap, looked over my work and muttered,
"This painter doesn’t put in the hard work. Just look—she’s never even gone up a mountain to sketch a real landscape!"
He seemed to believe that landscapes should be filled with towering mountains and ancient trees.
But my paintings come from the small things around me.
A window. The curve of a building. The shadows in my garden. My dog.
Scenes from the street. Light bouncing off a surface.
Those are my landscapes.
Large-scale nature overwhelms me—I can't quite translate the grandness of mountains onto my small canvas. It’s not in my nature. And that’s okay too.
Another Blow, An Hour Later
An hour later, I was hurt by another comment from the audience.
"This guy really loves manhole covers!" someone chuckled.
He must have been referring to the paintings with the yellow circles—yes, the ones he thought were moonlight.
“I thought it was the moon at first,” he said, disappointed. “But up close? A manhole cover!”
Yeah.. Yeah...
The old man seemed a bit disappointed when he realized it wasn’t the moon.
I understand — in his eyes, a moon in a painting holds more poetry than something as ordinary as a manhole cover.
But to me? That yellow metal disc on the street shines with its own kind of moonlight.
Photo by © Christine Bae
Photo by © Christine Bae
To All Artists Out There
How do you deal with criticism?This was my first exhibition, and my emotions rose and fell like a beginner on stage.
Do seasoned artists eventually become immune to it?
Will I one day be able to stand firm, without being shaken by passing opinions?
Whose voices should we listen to carefully?
Whose should we completely ignore?
I don’t know the answers yet.
But Then... Kindness
Thankfully, there were more kind and curious visitors than critical ones—people who connected deeply with my work. Their presence and words stayed with me.
Let me save those beautiful stories for another post.
Thank you for reading.
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Author: Christine Bae
Who is Christine Bae?
I’ve been working as a full-time artist for seven years now.
As a professional painter with a passion for collecting great artwork, I’m excited to connect with people who share that same appreciation.
I don’t sell originals online, but I do offer art prints as a way to share my work more widely.
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Originally published at Christinebae.com
This article was written by Christine Bae.
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