Art is an extremely personal thing. One
connects with specific creations because
there is chemistry. Whether a painting,
print, or sculpture each is an expression
of the artist's soul and hence some, not
all connect with it. There are plenty of
very pretty or striking images out there.
What makes one different from the next
is all about how YOU see it. That's what
separates the wheat from the chaff - that
unique bond that all of a sudden makes
something someone else created yours.
And when it's right, it's beyond fabulous!
From the moment I first stepped off the
airplane in Montana I connected with it.
Deep within me there must be a pioneer
lurking because in a nano second I felt
like I was "home." Therefore it makes
sense that much of the art in our home
is Montanan in content. However not
everything we own is about a physical
space, it's also about emotional context.
In our living room hangs an abstract
that captures a time and place. Hanging
on many walls is my best friend's work.
In the end, it's all about love.
Living in the best city in the world,
I was more than a tad spoiled. As a
boy I thought everyone had access
to masterpieces. My youth was spent
wandering the Met, Modern, Frick,
Guggenheim, and Whitney. The works
of art within became familiar friends
that I visited on a regular basis. When
I moved to Chicago I was shocked that
there was really only one art museum.
While it's collection was impressive,
somehow I felt cheated. I missed my
friends... my dear companions.
There is an intimacy to art. Once
we fall in love, we bring our newly
beloved home. Within that context
everything changes. Finding that
perfect spot often requires that we
rearrange an entire space. Not one
to fill a room with frames, I prefer
to treat the things I adore as jewels.
Why hide beauty? I enjoy letting
my treasures work the room and
dazzle all who meet them. In the
end creativity continues to live on
in the eye of the beholder.
Just like finding the right mate,
what frames art can make or
break a relationship. Recently
I visited a frame shop with "P".
An accomplished artist, she's
not afraid to voice her opinion.
Together we yanked samples
off the walls layering them with
fillets and mats. At times we
agreed, others not. Then all of
a sudden magic happened. The
perfect combination lay before
us and it was time to hang it up!
In the end it's all about affinity. I've
spent my career "clipping." Long
before Pinterest my office always
featured a wall of gathered bits and
pieces. Fashion requires identifying
and chasing trends. After I'd hung
something that interested me, layers
of related items would slowly build.
When my assemblage became thick,
I knew something viable hung before
me. I don't have any sort of "board"
in my new office just piles of stuff.
Maybe it's time to get creative...
