Life Lesson Learned

You can be absolutely sure of something; no doubts, 100% confident that you’re right. Have proof even. And find out: you are wrong.

You are wrong.

I framed and hung this Little Bee painting on my studio wall, on my tent walls, traveled with it, packed it up multiple times. I knew, without a doubt, that I had put glass in the frame.

I always use glass. Pastel paintings need to be framed with glass. I had a certain number of glass pieces in the right size and I had the same number of frames in that size. I used them all up, there were no more frames and no more pieces of glass. All the Little Bee paintings were made.

When I sold this Little Bee, I talked up the glass I use, how crystal clear it is. Yes, it has glass. I wrapped up the painting and handed it over. Confident.

When I got an email the next day from the patron asking why there was no glass in the frame, I couldn’t fathom that she was being honest. My brain went everywhere to figure out this weird situation. I did not believe that there was no glass in that frame. Did not believe her.

We made a plan for me to pick up the piece and add glass (yeah right, I thought, it has glass). Weeks went by before I picked up the art. I was sick, I had to travel, it wasn’t a priority to me because I was confident. When I finally went to pick up the piece, I immediately reached into the bag and tapped on the glass, expecting to hear that telltale “click”.

There was no glass.

Of course there was no glass. It would be an unlikely story for this art patron to make up that her purchase had no glass.

When I got to my studio, I investigated. I had done everything I normally do to frame my pastel paintings — but I had left out the glass. It made no sense, but there was the truth. It was absolutely my mistake.

I ordered more glass cut to the right size, I touched up the painting. It took a month to get the glass. My art patron was so patient, so understanding. I reframed the painting (triple checking that the glass was in there: tap, tap, tap) and delivered it to its home. I handed over the Little Bee, along with an apology gift of a needle-felted turtle and asked for grace. She smiled at me and said she knew she’d get it back eventually.

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I still don’t understand how I made that mistake. But I learned a valuable life lesson: You might be wrong.