February 2019
At the same time as managing my first shipment, I had my first contact with the 7G. (In hindsight and to this day, I do not wish to "advertise" this "company"... But you'll understand that when you follow the rest of my Adventure....)
So... The 7G. ? One day, I was wandering on facebook and I saw an ad. The 7G. was looking for painters... The ad is a bit vague... So I send an email to know a little more and I put the link to my work. Quite quickly, J. answers me that he likes a lot what I do and asks me to call him. Taken by the sending of my order in Belgium and a new order for Valentine's Day, a few days pass before I can call him...
That's it! I had made a note to call J. from 7G., so I picked up my phone.
Now J. seems a little disconnected. He thought I had given up on the idea. He tries to explain his project, which seems a bit vague, I admit... He talks to me about making a kind of Coffee Shop, under a tent, at the time of the Trails... Uh yes... and he would like at the same time that it is a way to make people discover art. I think I understood the concept and the idea is rather interesting. We fix a meeting in Sanary when we come back from vacations. I have to leave for a week and he is waiting for the confirmation of a help from Var Initiative to launch the project. The answer is expected in the next few days...
On my side, a new painting requested by my brother-in-law M. I am really touched by his request. He was the only one in the family who hadn't done it yet. So I am happy...
Well, his request left me perplexed for a while and asked me to think about it. Indeed, I receive this message:
"Hello, how are you? If you have time, can you make me a painting for S.? With like, silhouettes of the girls and me and love and warm colors."
We discuss, we exchange... I have to represent the love that he and his daughters feel for their mother-wife... Heu yes... Not easy... To represent the love that unites a small family, two people... This is fine... I know how to do... But here, it's more complex... It is a feeling expressed to a person not present on my painting...
I search, I scribble... And after validation of the project, I realize the painting that I even manage to make leave so that it arrives at its recipient, I hope, before Valentine's Day! Too strong! HiHi! (yes a little self-compliment is good)
"On t'Aime" - Acrylic on canva
92 x 65 cm
For the sending, I try by Mondial Relais. That way, M. will only have to pick it up near his job without fearing that S. will see the notice and we are all good in terms of size. Yes, because if you haven't had a chance to think about it yet, shipping canvas is not as easy as it seems. The different carriers we know have standards of maximum size, weight ...
So here I am, with a well-packed painting under my arm, heading for the wine shop next to my house, which is my relay point. I regret a bit not to have taken the car. It didn't seem so heavy... In fact it is not... But its bulk makes the trip loooonggg... I twist and turn, take it in one direction, in the other... Finally it's there! There is not even a kilometer! But how long it seemed!
The time to put the shipping label, to scan, I chat with the wine merchant...
He asks me what I am sending like this. I answer him, a painting, and then he scares me a bit by telling me that I take a risk by sending a painting by Mondial Relais. He tells me that they catch the boxes, put them on the carpets and zou, it falls in the vacuum... I imagine my poor painting on its carpet, then doing a glide. But I don't dare to imagine the state of the box when it lands.
No! My painting!
Well, anyway I don't have much choice and I cross my fingers...
The wine merchant offers a glass of rosé to his customers in the store and I accept one politely. I feel that I must stay a while. That I must, professionally, stay there, that maybe there is a card to play here, there, now.
Chatting in the store with the people who are there.
A gentleman leaves and I observe the store. I have just arrived in Sanary and I have not yet had the opportunity to enter here... There are shelves, filled with bottles (normal for a wine shop) but no particular decoration.
After a while I allow myself: "But, you don't have a painting in your store!" Indeed, not a picture decorating the walls. That's it! I threw the pole and it bites! Then begins a discussion between the remaining gentleman, the wine merchant and me. The gentleman asks me if it's a Van Gogh that I'm sending like this. "No, no, it's a painting that I did personally for a commission". I show some pictures of my work on my phone.
It turns out that the wine merchant's mother had an art gallery in Bandol. He explains that he grew up in this environment and that he still appreciates art... And he is sensitive to my paintings. He thinks I am really talented. I am flattered. It's so nice to hear those words from people who don't know me.
The ball is rolling and I return home feeling very pleased with myself. A feeling of lightness (minus the weight of the painting helps!) and euphoria came over me.
Not only should my painting arrive on time (without thinking about the possible damage during the trip...) but I may also have a new source for my paintings...
To tell you everything, if you are observant or if you follow me on my networks, this article was supposed to come out last week... Like every Wednesday I sat down to write it and then... Bad manipulation or computer bug, my page closed and my article disappeared without being registered...
But we are in back-to-school period, and who says back-to-school period, says very busy period where each hour has its objective... I tried to get back to it at another time but I finally accepted that there would be no article on Wednesday September 22nd 2021...
But the adventure doesn't end here!!! This week, I go back to my computer, I write my blog, that fortunately I paste in another tab, and there "impossible to save" and everything closes! I try several manipulations, impossible to reopen the editor... Oh no! Not again?! Finally, a general bang at WIX, I was able to resume and edit my article!
All these adventures will have deserved your reading! So a big thank you!
For the rest... I'll see you next week...
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