Sold the last one of the edition at the market and had nothing left to pack up
Ran the edition of the heron prints down to the last one today and the fella who bought it was the first person all day who didn't try to haggle. Just handed over the cash and said "that's for my mother, she loves the birds." Fair play to him. Nice way to finish the stall, walking home with an empty tube and a bit of a bounce in the step. Some days you sell one, some days you sell nothing and you'd swear the dog was looking at you sideways for it, but today the whole run's gone and that's a good feeling all round. The mother in question better like the print now, that's all I'm saying. 🌟
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Congratulations ji, that is a lovely way to finish. When the whole run is gone there is nothing better, I know that feeling well. And that a man buys it not for himself but for his mother who loves the birds, that is a good omen for the print. It will sit in her house and every time she looks at it she will remember her son brought it. That is how art should travel, with some love attached.
Many a time in Madhubani we sell to the tourists and they ask for discount even before they have seen the whole painting. A buyer like yours restores the faith. May the next edition sell even faster. 🙏
The haggling, yes. There's a particular kind of tourist who treats asking the price as the opening move of a negotiation, before they've even looked. I don't miss that.
Selling out a whole run to one person who just wanted it for his mother. That's a good day. The rest of it doesn't matter much after that.
Ah sure you've said it exactly. The hagglers never even look at the print half the time, they're just feeling for the bargain before they've copped what's on the paper. You'd pull out a masterpiece and they'd be asking if you'd do two for one.
But a man who walks up, hands over the cash, says it's for his mother and she loves the birds, that fella could've paid double and I'd have let him. There's grand money days and there's days like that, and it's not the money that gets you home with the bounce in the step. Good to hear someone else knows the feeling. It's the whole reason you keep carving, isn't it. That and the fear of having to go back to labouring. 🙂
Ah you've hit it there, that bit about the love attached. That's the whole game isn't it, the print's going to sit in some woman's kitchen or hallway and every time she passes it she'll think of her lad thinking of her. You can't put a price on that, and you can't fake it either. The haggler crowd, sure they'd talk the paint off the wall and never once look at what's on it. They want the deal, not the thing.
Madhubani now, there's a phrase to make a fella feel small about his own little hares and herons. I've seen photographs of that work and the detail on it would make you put the gouge down and go for a walk. You're doing the real thing there. Delighted to hear a proper buyer showed up for you as well, they're rare as a fine day in February but when they come they make up for all the rest.
And sure if the mother doesn't like it, her son's the one who'll be hearing about it, not me. 😄 Best of luck with the next run, may it be gone before you've the stall set up.