Trauma!

I went to the library this morning, 17 paintings in tow, ready to hang.  A member to the Arts and Exhibitions Committee was supposed to meet me there to show me how to use the gallery hanging system (which I ultimately learned to distrust/hate).  But he/she never showed.  One of the librarians finally showed me where to find the hanging tools, hooks, etc.  The stuff was in an absolute tangle.  And I wasn't sure what kind of weight capacity I was dealing with.  I was slightly frustrated, but undeterred.  My stepdad arrived to help me.  We began to get a handle on the "system."  We hung Fish Rain.  It looked good.  We hung Into the Wood and I stood back.  Suddenly, the "system" failed and the painting came crashing to the ground.  I could actually feel myself go pale.  The instant it hit, I saw the (ridiculously expensive!) frame break.  Thank God for plexi glass, because the whole thing stayed basically intact, despite the crack along the bottom edge of the wood, and a partially detached corner, which my stepdad kind of hammered back together while I swooned nearby.   The backing behind the painting also got torqued, and partially shoved forward, but it's not that noticeable from a distance.  So I'm going to leave it in the show as is.  If no one buys it I will get it fixed at the end of the month.  Even though it is eating away at my soul.  I sooo can't wait for my economic stimulus check!