Anyway, so June 22 (good thing I kept a journal!) is where it starts getting really exciting. We went riding that morning in the barley fields behind the house. I opted not to take along my camera, since I wanted to get acquainted with Sara (the mule) first, but I should have taken it. Not that I missed anything really, but it would have been fun to take along.
So this was my first time riding a mule, and dang she's big (a little side note here, but I rode Shylah this morning (7/1) and she seemed SO small, like where's the rest of the horse, and why are her ears so small, lol). I had to be a weenie and get a little help climbing up there. Her gait is different, more of a forward and back kind of movement, but it didn't take long to get used to it. I had to establish pretty quickly who was the boss (me) but once we got that straightened out, Sara was an absolute doll, and I think she really liked me. And that was mutual. :-) I really had fun cantering her out in the fields. I didn't know what to expect but she actually had a very smooth canter and really covered some ground! I couldn't stop grinning. The colt, Smooch, went along off-lead and he looked so pretty galloping around the green fields.
It wasn't a super long ride, since Bryan had to be in Jackson Hole that afternoon for mounted patrol. At some point on the drive over there he said something about how I should not take pics of him because he didn't have the right shirt on that day. And what do I do, I take people seriously. So I snuck up behind and took a stealth shot, because I'm bad like that, but then later in the day he tells me he was just kidding and really wanted pics. Sheesh!!! ;-)
This was the only pic I took that day:
Anyway, while he was keeping the city safe (btw I think that looks super fun, I think Shylah would be great at that, don't have that in Wilton though!), I spent a few hours doing the tourist thing and seeing oodles of shops full of knick knacks and moose and bear stuff and Native American jewelry and OMG the galleries. Oooohhh the galleries. *grin* That was a big part of my wanting to make this trip was finding out if Jackson Hole and I might get along artistically, and the answer, at least from my point of view, is overwhelmingly YES. Like, if ever there was a place my art belongs, it is there. Without a doubt. I need to be there. I looked at all the galleries I could find, and some immediately struck me as not a good fit for me (not my kind of art, or just something about the place put me off, or I didn't like the layout or something, yes I'm very picky). But several, I think, are well worth applying to. I can't stop thinking about this place, and art, and it's so exciting and just this overwhelming feeling of "MUST BE THERE." Maybe not me personally, but the art for sure.
I saw some absolutely amazing art, by some really big name people. And I also saw some stuff in big-time galleries that made me think "I can do that, or better, I should be here." The prices just floored me, things priced at several times what I make in a YEAR. And I saw people in galleries buying stuff!
I belong there. I can do this. I will do this. Repeat as needed so as to not lose this feeling that I have right now. :-)
I DO need to talk to some people with more gallery experience than I have (um, none) and find out exactly how this works. And I really think it may be time to get an agent, so I'm going to email JK and LH about that and get some expert opinions. And JJ if you hear from Carol I still REALLY want to talk to her to get her inside opinion about the various galleries up there, I'm way bummed that did not work out to see her when I was up there.
There's a lot I need to think about though, regarding the art. I'll talk more about this after my next post about Jackson Hole, I think it'll be more relevant then. It was an absolute brain overload by the end of the day, in an entirely good way. I made some good contacts that day though and got some good advice as far as places that might be a fit for me, and I am grateful to the people who took the time to talk to me.
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