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Happy New Year 2012!
12/30/11 09:53 AM
I can hardly believe that I am entering the 20th season of my own art gallery…. from our sweet tiny space on Subway Street in historic Bisbee, to our big luxurious location in Plaza Colonial at Skyline and Campbell…. we've come a long way baby !!
I can't say time flew by, more like each year was a new step of its own, in the dance to where we are now.
When I opened my gallery, I was a divorced single Mom raising my four children!
I had the ideals of a third world micro entrepreneur woman which was to feed and educate their children . I would also add , I wanted to keep them with me at work, after school, or stay home if someone was sick, and eventually travel to help them find colleges …… without some boss saying, "NO, YOU CAN'T TAKE OFF" !!
I had already had worked in New Mexico and Arizona art galleries, both good and bad for 13 years prior, so I guess... I thought I could make it go…. but the truth was... I just wanted to do it, and succeeding was the icing on the cake !
Now that my children are all grown and living their own lives, I realize that by being part of the art world, all of us gained .We gleaned from the artists, the collectors and many gallery friends, that we were an important part the community in which we lived.
Fast forward 20 years….
As much as I enjoy my vocation as an art dealer, I am also keenly aware in our changing times, how we help keep the culture alive. Sometimes I comment to a new collector "Thanks for voting for the culture!"
Every time you purchase a ticket to a play, concert, opera or purchase a piece of fine art you vote for a culture to stay alive.
And since I'm now navigating my 2nd or 3rd recession in a precarious business. My party line is still the same. When you invest in art your enjoyment of everyday life is enhanced. The best investment for anyone is not about money but beauty .
I am grateful and thankful for every artist, collector, friend and family member that are a part of this seemingly impossible venture becoming the success it is today.
And, most importantly I thank God for the opportunity to live out my dream.
I can't say time flew by, more like each year was a new step of its own, in the dance to where we are now.
When I opened my gallery, I was a divorced single Mom raising my four children!
I had the ideals of a third world micro entrepreneur woman which was to feed and educate their children . I would also add , I wanted to keep them with me at work, after school, or stay home if someone was sick, and eventually travel to help them find colleges …… without some boss saying, "NO, YOU CAN'T TAKE OFF" !!
I had already had worked in New Mexico and Arizona art galleries, both good and bad for 13 years prior, so I guess... I thought I could make it go…. but the truth was... I just wanted to do it, and succeeding was the icing on the cake !
Now that my children are all grown and living their own lives, I realize that by being part of the art world, all of us gained .We gleaned from the artists, the collectors and many gallery friends, that we were an important part the community in which we lived.
Fast forward 20 years….
As much as I enjoy my vocation as an art dealer, I am also keenly aware in our changing times, how we help keep the culture alive. Sometimes I comment to a new collector "Thanks for voting for the culture!"
Every time you purchase a ticket to a play, concert, opera or purchase a piece of fine art you vote for a culture to stay alive.
And since I'm now navigating my 2nd or 3rd recession in a precarious business. My party line is still the same. When you invest in art your enjoyment of everyday life is enhanced. The best investment for anyone is not about money but beauty .
I am grateful and thankful for every artist, collector, friend and family member that are a part of this seemingly impossible venture becoming the success it is today.
And, most importantly I thank God for the opportunity to live out my dream.
Remembering Rose Johnson
06/03/09 08:18 PM
Rose Johnson was an artist who's work inspired people, with her use of oils in figurative paintings, that often told storybooks and " truly came out of her soul".
Her paintings and murals alike brought "happiness to color" with a little bit of mischief thrown in for fun.
The dancers, the dreamers and the whimsical look at life from her homeland of England to the southwest, gave originality setting her apart from others merely looking for formulas in their work.
The great series on the electric buses for example totally contrast the powerful mural of the "Prayer of Saint Francis " on the wall surrounding 16th and Thomas block of a mortuary in Phoenix.
Roses' last series and I believe her personal favorite, "Beautiful Bali" were created for a show that we had a year ago, celebrating her love of the spirit, people and place of Bali.
It was her lifelong dream to go to Bali, and there she found much love and peace, with renewed inspiration for her work. She even tried to get me to open a gallery to sell her work there !
She will be remembered for her kindness to others, her generous spirit and the power her paintings had, and still have among her many and varied collectors. I believe that many called her friend.
But as for me, I guess I remember the fun she and I had, brewing up a new show, or theme for a series together, and enjoying her excitement together over the continual growth in her work.
I hope it doesn't sound trite to say that Rose Johnson was an artist who's life work truly will live on, bringing hope, joy and happiness to its beholder.
Jane Hamilton June 3, 2009
Happy New Year
01/19/08 02:03 PM
Having just reviewed last year's blessings... I was thinking about how fun it would be to write our own histories. Our own story that creates the who we are today, from the where we were before.... Sometimes when I look at art with people I see them look for meaning beyond and through the colors they see. Recently, a lady was staring at a great painting by one of my artists Billy Blomquist called "Pelican" when she said, " neither one is flying, even though they both could move ( or fly or soar). They both, the Angel and the Pelican are standing still. What do you think ? HAPPY NEW YEAR...
Don Swanson bowl gets shipped to famous restaurant in FRANCE !! Where art reverses life ? Tucson artist Don Swanson's lovely country french pattern bowl was shipped to France, by a collector of the gallery who wanted to give a gift to a restaurant in Fleurie, France where a great meal was enjoyed.... The US post office can't be beat for overseas shipping !
Don Swanson bowl gets shipped to famous restaurant in FRANCE !! Where art reverses life ? Tucson artist Don Swanson's lovely country french pattern bowl was shipped to France, by a collector of the gallery who wanted to give a gift to a restaurant in Fleurie, France where a great meal was enjoyed.... The US post office can't be beat for overseas shipping !