My friend Amrita has a mission: to make art approachable. She has recently opened Tinku gallery in Toronto with the goal of creating a space that takes the intimidation factor out of buying art. I have been reading her blog for a little while, watching as she builds the story of her gallery through her posts. But a few weeks ago, when I clicked onto her blog, I gasped aloud. I fell complete and instantly in love with this painting:
Needle in the Hay, Andy DeCola
Oil on wood panel, 18" x 24"
$900
I didn't think too much about why I was drawn to the painting, but I found myself going back to that blog entry multiple times. I thought about the painting when I was not at my computer, fantasizing where I would hang it if I found $900 under the sofa cushions (which is the only way that I could justify the purchase).
Finally, I showed it to my husband. He didn't care for it. I was surprised.
"I love it," I said. "It would look great in my office."
"Of course you love it," he replied, with a smirk. "It looks like a the cover of a book, but without any text."
He may be right -- that could be part of the attraction. I admit that I am slightly book-obsessed. But instead of putting me off, his comment opened up other possibilities. Now I'm not thinking just about the painting -- I'm thinking of the book that it would represent.
I'm imagining that it's the story of a family -- one of those quirky but sweet families.. Maybe they own a traveling carnival. The teenage daughter desperately wants to be a normal kid, but the family business makes that impossible. The son just wants to play the saxophone. They have a crazy dog. Who wants to write it for me?
That is the power of art -- everything else that it can inspire. This work obviously fits into my life.
Unfortunately, there's only crushed Cheerios under the cushions. But now I have this image here, where it will serve until I get to Toronto.
What about you? What does art inspire in your life? Do you ever see connections between visual art and literature?
|