HOLD EVERYTHING...

     I have a confession to make. I absolutely love gallery hopping. There should be some way to turn this addiction into a respectable occupation.(I’m working on it.)

     I was in Santa Fe recently, where I went gallery binging. I dragged my poor roommate (my husband) around town until he cried, ‘Calf Rope’!

     Always, when I have the opportunity to view as much art as one can find in Santa Fe, I look and enjoy until I’m completely filled up. I know when I reach that point because my mind then begins to see beyond the paintings.

     I see the artists' who are capable of taking a scrap of canvas, some tubes of paint, and a handful of brushes and create something so wonderful that I stand before it and feel the breeze, smell the flowers, and hear the stampede.

     I’m moved to a deep respect for persons with the vision, and yes discipline to master the craft of painting. I paint and draw——master it? Never. I’m happy to support those who continue to strive——and sad because I can’t buy them all.

     Which brings me to another point. Gallery hopping is great fun, but there’s so many paintings you’d love to own; some you think you can’t live without.

     But... Most of us have the old budget.

    

     Normally I’m not to good with figures. But I’ve been known to stand before a real find, and in seconds, recall the balance in my checking account, rainy day money, three credit cards, and even the cash I saw in my husband’s wallet when he paid for lunch.

     All in a sweep of the hand and a smile on my face, I say, ‘I’ll take this one’.

     Google has nothing on an art collector when it comes to ‘search and find’.