Gallery of Hearts

Chapter 1

I put the brush down and step back to examine my work from a distance. The afternoon sun was shining through my sheer curtains and onto the canvas, illuminating the carefully placed brushstrokes. Not my best piece but my head was all over the place, I had more important things running through my mind. I checked the time and sighed. 3:52pm. In about 8 minutes my world could be flipped upside down or I could hit rock bottom. No painting could distract me from this.

Aside from my job as a live wedding painter, I've recently been trying to get my personal paintings into the public eye. I created a small section on my website for my side projects, I have an Instagram account, and Marco Moretti - the local pizza shop owner, aka the closest thing I have to family here - even let me hang some of my work up in his restaurant. I've gone to a few small galleries for a chance to just get one painting up, even if I have to stick it in the corner of a room no one ever looks at, but they always say that they have no more space or that they've already got art lined up for the next few months. Each time, I walked myself home feeling defeated. The last gallery visit I made felt like the end of my career until I came upon a flyer posted in a window. In big bold letters it read "SOHO'S SPECTRUM OF ART GALLERY", one of the prestigious galleries I visited often; it held my favorite piece. I continued reading and found out they were hosting a contest. Artists could submit their work and the gallery would select three people to hang their art in the exhibit. This was huge. That day, I raced home and left the disappointment behind me. Just one opportunity. That's all I needed, and this was it.

Today was the day they were sending out their responses. I check the time again. 3:58. My heart starts pounding. 2 minutes left. Even without an analog clock in the room I could still hear the seconds tick by, painfully slow. I refresh my email. Maybe they sent it early.

Nothing.

I glance around the room at my finished paintings, mostly landscapes and a few wedding ones that have to be sent out. Sunny, my cat, rubs against my leg and I smile. I believe he understands the pressure. It takes a lot of skill to be recognized in Soho's Spectrum, all I can do is hope they think I have it. This was a once in a lifetime chance. Most of the artists displayed have been perfecting their practice for years.

3:59. My hands start to shake and I feel antsy. A breeze blows through the window, brushing past my plants and filling the room. The world feels quieter, or maybe I just can't hear the noise. I refresh again and the same emails that have been at the top of my inbox for the last hour stare back at me.

Come on clock. Please hurry

I glance back at the time and see the digits switch to 4:00. My eyes dart back to my email and scan for the refresh button. I hit it. I hit it again. One more time? They can't be late sending it. A gallery like this wouldn't be a millisecond behind. I really thought I-

No. It's okay. There were over 2,000 entries. I close my eyes to just breathe.

Bing

My eyes shoot open. Now sitting at the top of my inbox reads "Soho's Spectrum of Art Gallery". You're kidding. I hardly get a preview of the message. No "Congratulations!" or "You made it!" just "Dear Ivy". They're killing me here. Suddenly, I can't even bring myself to open it. I hold my cursor over the email and hold my breath.

Click

I start reading and my eyes go from squinting, trying to avoid the words on the screen, to as big as a deer in headlights.

"We loved your paintings and can't wait to have them displayed in the exhibit on June 1st. Congratulations!"

I did it? I did it!

I jump up from my seat.

"Sunny I did it! They want my art in their gallery." He meows and turns to face out the window again. I sit back down and reread the email more times than I would care to admit. None of it feels real. I take in every single word on my screen top to bottom. They say they'll reach out to me later with more details on hanging up my work.

I had to text my best friend Hannah. She still lives back in Michigan, where I grew up. I haven't seen her in 6 years but we've kept in touch since the day I left. It can be hard to find time between our busy schedules, or should I say *her* busy schedule. She's a nurse at Bronson hospital. Her hours are always changing and her shifts are so long. I mostly just have weddings on the weekends, maybe a weekday here and there. I don't always make huge trips for them either. Living in New York means there's thousands of people getting married within a short distance, whether they're from here or doing a destination wedding. I'll be traveling for Hannah's wedding though in just over two weeks. She asked me to paint for her and offered to buy my plane ticket. How could I say no?

I grab my phone and open our messages. I told her about the contest the day I signed up as she's my biggest supporter, aside from my parents. They love the art that I make but before college they always tried to push me towards a subject that would land me a "better job" and a "better future". I saw where they were coming from but I had a dream and couldn't let it go. You can imagine their faces when I told them I was moving to New York to attend Pratt Institute and major in Art. They stood by my side though in their own ways. I think they felt like they owed it to me. They got divorced my freshman year of high school and a lot changed, so their love for me couldn't.

I got lucky and Hannah happened to be at home. She immediately called me and I read her the entire email as we squealed together. I'm excited to say the least. This was going to be huge for me and open up so many more opportunities. I could just feel it.