In 2018 and again in 2019, one piece of my artwork has been accepted into the Artemis Journal spearheaded by a group from Hollins University, north of Roanoke, Va. When I first moved to the Blacksburg area I became vaguely aware of the journal which I thought mainly focused on poetry. In 2018, I discovered their call for entry asking for poetry, prose and art representing the theme "Women hold up half the sky." I had produced a lot of art between the time I first heard of the journal and 2018. I knew I had crossed a threshold in my art. I was producing better, more creative,
more skilled pieces than ever before. Reading the name of the theme, I instantly knew I had a piece worthy of entering, never expecting to actually get accepted. I had produced Stand Out while in independent study with my friend Danie Janov, an extremely good professional artist. I entered it. I had been accepted into a few juried exhibitions already and enjoyed the thrill of that, but exhibitions go up and they go down and even the artist, at some point, finds themselves wondering "was I in that show?" The Artemis Journal is different. It is beautifully printed and many copies are produced and sold online and in a variety of locations. Being accepted to this journal means a hard copy record of my acceptance, proof that I am no longer just a hobby artist, proof that even though I don't sell lots of work, I don't consider myself professional, I am not in gallery collections; it means this book will remain available in many places, owned by many people. This book will be a reminder that I and my work existed and someone considered it good enough to save for posterity. I wish there could be a way for me to know, when I am dead and gone, each time someone who knew me opened the book, found my name and my painting and said with a smile on their face, "I remember Gerri. I loved her and her work."