Since I was a very young boy, I’ve been trying to create and collect artworks. I’ve covered many of the stories and experiences in other blogs. Recently I was looking for one of my artworks in storage and stumbled across this piece, my first purchased original artwork., over 40 years ago.
Bodies of water have always captured my imagination. Living near Lake Michigan, the Great Lakes, visiting the Atlantic as a child the Pacific as young adult. Rivers, creeks and ponds do it for me too. As a newly wed of 19 and in our first apartment we went searching for home decor and wanted an original. Back in the early 1980s there were what were deemed “starving artist” pop up exhibition’s mostly in the large hotel chains, as was the case here. The Ramada in Oakbrook was having a show and we decided to attend in hopes of finding a piece for the living room, over the sofa. There were thousands and thousands of these pre-framed ‘artworks’ wall to wall of which I remember none but this. It spoke to me deeply. So atmospheric, if not moody, bordering on melancholic but hopeful, yes this was to go home with us for $39.99, which was a lot of money for us as young newly weds in our teens. Being just kids and me grappling with my own sexuality, we divorced after a year and half. Of our possessions this was the only thing, this was the only thing we both wanted, as she wanted it for her dad, it came with me. It’s in terrible shape after 40+ years and I had did the very worst thing you could do to clean it up 35 years ago, using soap and water on oil. Huge no, no, I was young, oops. It still holds a fond place in my thoughts & imagination, an inspiration, to be sure. The cost of restoration for this $40. piece of art would be in the thousand dollar range so for now it remains in storage.
Those of you who follow me or know me, know where I travel to, what I paint and what my passions are. Here stands an early representation of my earliest original art collection piece. I haven’t only aspired to be an artist throughout my lifetime, but have sold and collected others, as well. I have a nice collection old & newer pieces of every genre imaginable. I purchased what I like and what spoke to me, it’s what I recommend everyone does. Buy what you like, because you like it. My collection has inexpensive print repros to more costly originals and each are meaningful to me. As a teen I could afford prints, in recent years I acquired an original by the same artist now these 45 years later. When purchasing artwork the only thing that should matter is do you love it and then do what you can do when you can do it.
It was fun sharing a piece of my life and going down memory lane.
Remember you thoughts, comments & questions are always welcome,
Richard
