And there’s a reason! Fall is the time for small works because the giving season is upon us. Small works can be sold for relatively small prices, thus many arts venues feature a small works show.

Last week I shipped four artworks in a 24-hour period. The one I wrote about last week went to a show in Texas. The other three are all on the way to the “Fall Small Works” show at the Kansas City Stockyards Gallery in Kansas City, Mo.

So… a pretty cheeky title, right? It was, in fact, a drizzly, overcast day. Another hurricane–Zeta, I believe, but who can keep track this year?–was threatening. I was stressed and tired. Were my bones aching because I’m an aging arthritic, or might I have contracted Covid?

Black Bayou Lake was shrouded in mist. But as is so often the case, creation heals and restores in some way, no matter the weather or what is going on in the world. Watching raindrops turn a simple reflection into a mosaic of light and line and color spoke peace.

I love this image. I love the perfect organic curve of the osprey’s wings against the clumsy architecture of power poles. I wonder at how the feathers of the wing tips mirror each other perfectly. I marvel at the size of the fish relative to the size of the bird’s body, but even more at the size of the talons so starkly revealed by that free foot.

You can read a fuller account of this #CreatureEncounter here. Although I would usually insist that luck has little to do with good photography, I feel incredibly lucky to have met this bird.

This is Wave‘s second trip to a juried show. Maybe this time someone in Kansas City will want to keep a bit of Louisiana sunshine!

The Kansas City Stockyards Gallery is at 1600 Genessee St., Suite 161, in Kansas City, MO. The show runs November 20 through January 8, 2021.