Blog: One-In-A-Million Works To Be Exhibited

Featured image: Bearing Fruit

Some of the works (as many have sold) from Christine Alfery's "One-In-A-Million Collection" will be exhibited at the Fall 2020 Northwoods Art Tour October 9-11.

That one-in-a-million work of art. Artists throughout history have sought that Perfection, that Utopia. Yet few artists ever create a one-in-a-million work of art.  

No matter how hard an artist wishes to become one in a million, through their concepts, through their hard work – it remains elusive. We would like to think that it isn’t just a roll of the dice – we would like to think we can control what happens to us – and be that one in a million. But we can’t control it – it is just the way things are.  

During the upcoming Fall 2020 Northwoods Art Tour, I will have a gallery filled with the few pieces that I have left in my collection that are part of my "One-In-A-Million" series. They are very, very special pieces and only happen once within a million tries. 

Those works I consider one-in-a-million did not happen because I worked really hard to make them become – they became on their own, I was merely part of the process. 

For me, that one-in-a-million work is free, vulnerable, unique, and exemplary of my creative spirit. It is not coerced, it is not influenced by what has worked in the past. It is not determined by what sells, it is not tight, not controlled, not safe. For me, it means venturing out into the unknown – not remaining a cog in a well-oiled machine. 

It is no easy task to deny the sanctuary of the familiar and rather seek the vulnerability of complete open freedom. I have been an artist for over 50 years, yet I still find myself anxious as I approach a white sheet of paper – afraid to make the first mark. What am I afraid of? What causes this anxiety? For me, I am always afraid the work won’t be as free as I want it to be. 

For a work to be free it must stand alone. It must be independent of me, yet I am in the work. One-in-a-million works explode with freedom. Discovery, exploration, creativity only happen when my soul is free – when my marks and colors are free. One-in-a-million works become a thing in themselves. They are why I paint every day – seeking freedom.  

Those one-in-a-million works quickly become my favorites. They often sell right away. The people who own one of my one-in-a-million works are very fortunate. The one-in-a-million works I still have left will be part of my One-In-A-Million Gallery during the Fall 2020 Northwoods Art Tour . To learn more about how you can visit my studio during the Fall 2020 Northwoods Art Tour, please CLICK HERE.

“when I see freedom explode in a work – when I see it become a thing in itself – I stand back in wonder. I know it is a one in a million work of art.”

Thistle by Christine Alfery (c. 1990's)