Bonnie was an aspiring artist. She painted. She had little to no talent, but at an artists’ convention she won a chance to have an exhibition at the local gallery.
Bonnie was over the moon. It motivated her to paint even more incomprehensible works of art. By now, the town was plastered with posters advertising the event.
Bonnie had gone along to the gallery – not to supervise – but to excitedly witness the curator and staff hang the exhibits. What a thrill! It was while sitting down to rest her weary feet that Bonnie overheard the curator chatting in the next room.
“Bonnie’s paintings are rarely awful.”
Bonnie was tickled pink! The curator’s standards were astronomically high. Rarely awful! Rarely awful! She glowed as she repeated the phrase out aloud with delight all the way home.
Bonnie’s paintings are rarely awful. Rarely awful! Rarely awful!
At the opening of the exhibition on the Thursday evening the curator was even more effusive. He heartily shook Bonnie’s hand and practically burst with enthusiasm. He said, “Good is not the word.”
Weave a Web 
Criticism like that is bound to make a person fall into a cesspool of doubt. It’s worse than outright disapproval. But Bonnie’s still very naive. Great story because there are tons of critics who actually say things like this lol.
LikeLiked by 3 people
The painting in the picture was done by Hunter Biden!
LikeLiked by 3 people
It’s rarely awful but good is not the word.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I went through some of his paintings now. It’s like Disney buying Jackson Pollock’s art and making them PG (figuratively speaking). But I’m no art critic! I can see why you chose it for your story though!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A recent French movie called ‘Blue is the Warmest Colour’ is about young lesbian lovers and features one of them holding her first exhibition in a gallery. All the arty-fartiness about such social circles can be found in this movie.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sounds very blue!
LikeLike
It’s one of the greatest movies of the 21st century, don’t get me wrong, but the scenes in the latter half of the postmodernist arty-farties getting hold is impressive.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t really know how to describe this story. Good is not the word.
LikeLiked by 2 people
And you’re rarely wrong, Herb.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😉
LikeLike
The curator is a connoisseur of criticism.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The “Good is not the word” is what Laurence Olivier would say when he had been dragged along to an amateur theatre performance and they hoped for praise.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I don’t whether to feel sorry for Bonnie…or to hate critics a little more.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m not a fan of critics – one day I might tell you why! But I don’t (usually) swear on the blog. I’ve had several thousand play productions and maybe 6 good reviews! Nothing to do with the quality of production or the script! Why did they do my plays if they were crap?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yea…there are some critics that I will listen to the opposite of what they say…
It takes a different kind of person to be a critic for sure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a friend named Bonnie, who is a watercolorist – but she is a very good, prize-winning one! The curator was obviously very talented in saying just the right words!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The character in my story (Bonnie) had a friend called Noelle but I never mentioned her!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😉
LikeLike
Let me be the first to say that reading this story is a better experience than getting a root canal.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m sorry to hear that. I hope the dentist first knocked you out with a hammer – there are more humane ways but it’s good to collect real experiences for novel writing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let me be the second to say what Sarah firstly said!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Ana. Glad you could get your teeth into the story.
LikeLike
😬
LikeLike