musings | falling in love with art

*come back soon for the grand opening of lowercase gallery!*

once, when i worked at the robert langen art gallery while doing my undergrad at university, i fell in love with some art. i didn't know it was love at first - but i would stare at this artwork* and become totally entranced by it. i used to get up and just wander by the pieces, admiring the intricate layers and clever use of materials. i even went so far as to look at the price book to look up the cost of a specific piece. of course, i was young, and the thought of buying something so large (and yes, expensive) was completely foreign to me.

but this is how i know it was love. a year later, the artist in question (bonnie lewis) came up in conversation and when i went home to google it, i felt the same as i had a year before. you know - i just had that feeling in my stomach, my heart and my throat. like butterflies and not being able to breathe. it felt as if i might burst with happiness. and so, i took out a loan and made it mine.

now two years later, it's happened again. don't get me wrong, i'm a one man kinda gal, but when it comes to my relationship with art...well i'm a bit...promiscuous. when i first saw this work by annabelle marquis...i thought i might have died because it sure felt like i was in heaven (look! i wrote about the experience here!). but i left. i had to! we have a wedding to pay off and that's the responsible thing to do. but love...that wicked mistress. i went back a month later and put down a deposit. 

and now, khroma is home with me for christmas! joy to the world! because of the christmas tree, i had to move around a lot of our art. so i put this piece in the bedroom temporarily. but everyone night when i go to sleep, and every morning when i wake up looking at it - i'm just so happy! so it may just stay there!

this is how you know when to buy art. when your heart beats fast, you feel nervous in your stomach and your throat closes just slightly. when you go home and you can't stop thinking about it. when one viewing leaves you feeling bouyant for days. when you worry that someone else will get to it before you (goodness no!). then you just make it happen, and you make it yours.

* i worked right in the gallery space - a fact which has it's ups and downs. half of the galleries i've worked at have been like this - others i worked in the lobby at the front desk. the "up" being that i am literally surrounded by the art, which is awesome. the "down" being that visitors probably don't feel entirely comfortable because i'm there.