Collecting Art – The Intangible Moment of Looking at Something and Falling in Love – Part Two

The Twenty-Fifth Musing

Part Two of this musing about local art collectors will introduce you to a few more local residents who are building their collections of art. All the collectors have different stories to tell but it becomes clear that the things they all have in common are their love of art and their desire to support local artists.  The relationship between artists and art buyers is deep and synergistic. This connection deepens and elevates art to its highest level.

As I mentioned last month, it is important that your first step is to realize that you are not merely buying objects, you are making a statement about who you are and what you love.

Pam and Neely Frye both declare that their art collection is what has made their house into their home. Neely has always been a fan of the arts: painting, sculptures, or photography and says, “It goes back to my childhood. Even as a child I had art in my room whether it be posters of particular athletes, logos, or teams…I thought it was a signature of my own space. I even went to Spencer’s and bought little fishnets which I put on my ceiling as part of the decoration.”

Pam made jewelry during her high school years and has always been creative. “I love art and have a deep appreciation for what artists create.” She adds that since art is such a personal thing, it will be viewed differently by different people, as it speaks to each person in a distinct way.

And that brings us to the question of how Pam and Neely come together to choose the art that enhances their home. Neely says, “If I don’t see something that Pam sees in a piece, I ask her what she sees that I am missing – I don’t believe there are ever any mistakes in art. There is always a place for any kind of art that is expressive and meaningful to people.” Neely says that he is always examining and studying art to help improve his understanding of art and what he is seeing in any particular piece. “We really don’t disagree on what art we will purchase – It more or less comes down to a disagreement on where we place the piece of art.”

Pam says, “I think our taste in art is more toward a modern art style, but it also matters on where it is placed.” She adds “Neely’s office has a masculine feeling to it and my office is more about flowers.”

Pam finds appreciation in art by the artist’s skill and technique, and how it speaks to her. “I just get it,” she says. Neely says that for him, a piece of art captures a moment in time that he can soulfully relate to. Art is something that can remind him of a particular time, it brings him to a particular place in his mind where he didn’t think he would go. He remembers seeing a piece of art after returning from a trip to Italy and realized this piece of art took him right back there to that place and time and feels that nothing can do this for a person as well as art. He says, “Memories are one thing, but artwork can be the vehicle to that memory.”

Pam and Neely both attend openings at The Smith Gallery and feel fortunate that this gives them a way of meeting and talking to artists and exploring what thoughts, emotions, or visions were in the artist’s mind as the piece was being created.

The conversation turns to commissioning art work as Pam and Neely have in their collection a piece which they commissioned from Annie Lesch. Pam tells the story, “Neely and I had been on a trip to New Mexico and while in Santa Fe saw a painting of some buffalo and Neely fell in love with it. We realized that there was not a good way to take it home with us but the painting just stuck in his mind. One day Neely was in The Smith Gallery, talking with Debbie Smith and told her about the painting. She said to him, ‘I know exactly the artist who could recreate this for you.’” Pam goes on to say that working with Debbie and having her assist them in speaking with the artist and describing what they had seen made it possible for them to have a very important and memorable piece in their collection. “Annie hit it out of the ballpark with what she created for us.” Neely adds to this, “This goes back to what I talked about – art hitting a place in time which uplifts you. Being able to describe this all to Debbie, have her ask me how it made me feel, and then have her understand exactly what this painting meant to me was so important.”  Neely says that Annie was able to create the piece for them and miss nothing in the translation of feelings he had when he and Pam saw the original in Santa Fe.

Pam and Neely both say how invaluable their experience with Debbie was in commissioning this piece. Neely says, “There are two skill sets here, being able to tell Debbie exactly what we saw, how it made us feel, and have Debbie understand what we wanted and then Debbie knowing exactly which artist she was connected to that could provide the skill set and vision we were searching for.”

Pam and Neely’s collection of local artists include works by Thom Glace, Jeannine Swartz, Linda Williard, Susan Getty, and of course, the commissioned piece by Annie Lesch.

Pam and Neely express their deep appreciation for our local artists and how hard they all work to bring happiness and well-being to people via their art.

Pam ends with, “We have a very different and interesting house, and it would never be the same without the artwork that we have – it really makes it. If we didn’t have some of the artwork that we have the house would not be the same or feel the same. The artwork is what makes the house into a home.”

Holly Kricher began collecting art in 2018 after her family had a number of tragedies and culminated with her move to a new condo to begin a fresh start. She realized she had nothing in this new home to create the sense of beauty that she wanted so she decided to surround herself with art and art became the perfect vehicle for this transformation.

Holly began her collection with a series of mosaics by Josephine Alexander. “I was enthralled, it was magical, her work sparkles and has a real energy to it.”

 

Holly doesn’t collect only one genre of art as she says, “It has to speak to me, it has to feel like magic and have an energy to it that lifts my spirit.”

Holly discovered The Smith Gallery a few years ago when she went in to have a piece of artwork by Felicity Sidwell framed. She then discovered that The Gallery also has a large collection of art by local artists, and she began buying art from The Gallery. Holly says, “It was a fortuitous day for me.”

She loves collecting works by local artists and appreciates the fact that she can get to know the artists and have a dialogue with them. She often follows them on Facebook and reaches out to them to ask questions.  “I love having a connection with the artist and when I take a piece of their art home with me, I can be in my space at home and feel the energy that they have put into their works.” She adds, “They are all such sweet and gentle spirits… I find it important to support their work – this is how they live.”

Holly has pieces from local artists Josephine Alexander, Michelle DiNicola, Jim Fenster, Julie Riker, Felicity Sidwell, Jonathan Frazier, Jeb Boyd, “Vivi”, Paula Lehman, Susan Getty, Kelly Charlesworth Jones, and Peg Belcastro.

“When I stand in my home and look around or turn a corner and see a piece it just makes my heart sing.”

Holly says that her art can change as she looks at it and she can always find a new and different aspect in the piece she is looking at.

Holly mentions that working with The Smith Gallery is great because they always go above and beyond her expectations: the entire staff is always helpful and professional. She also states that she loves the way the art is hung and displayed in The Gallery, and it always gives her new ideas. “When you walk into the gallery you feel the energy and enthusiasm, and the love of art and creativity” She is grateful for the way in which local artists are uplifted by the various things that Debbie does for them including the fabulous openings that occur with each new exhibit.  “It is a celebration of creativity and life.”

Holly ends our conversation by mentioning that she is a psychologist and emphasizes how healing art can be. For her it has been an element of psychological health that speaks to all of us, as our souls resonate with it and it lifts our mood and makes us feel understood, even when we are home alone and conversing with our artwork, it is the energy and connection we feel that is necessary for our happiness.

Andy Groff has always loved having art in his home. His foray into original art happened when he went to an opening at The Smith Gallery for Thom Glace and immediately loved his work. “At the time I was really into nature photography and had tons of framed pictures of this type theme in my home. Thom’s work is natured focused so I was really drawn to it.” At the time he didn’t purchase any pieces but kept it in the back of his mind.

Shortly after, COVID struck and Andy had to work from home. He realized how empty his home felt and decided he really wanted to go back to the gallery and purchase some of Thom’s pieces if they were still available, luckily, they were. He says, “I absolutely loved the way they looked in my home, so I started collecting his art.”

He began going to The Smith Gallery regularly, really looking at all the different art styles, and he decided to branch out in his collection. “At first, I was only interested in realistic art, but I decided to move out of my comfort zone and collect a few different pieces because they spoke to me in some way.”

His eclectic collection of local artists contains works by Thom Glace, Julie Riker, Annie Lesch, Stuart Leask, Sten, Susan Benigni Landis, Lina Ferrera, Elaine Gleason, Linda Williard, and Jeannine Swartz and he loves them all.

He finds that he likes to keep the art displayed in a particular room in one particular style and says, “I would like to mix the styles in my collection, but I’m not sure yet what is the best way, so I keep the art consistent.”  Andy enjoys going to The Smith Gallery and seeing how they have mixed the art that is exhibited on their walls as it gives him inspiration since he knows they have a good eye for mixing various genres.

Andy has met almost all of the artists that he has in his collection “I like to feel that I’m supporting art in the local area and getting to talk to the artists and finding out more about them, hearing the story behind the piece. This is one of the things about collecting local art, you can talk to the artists and find out more about them.”

Andy mentions that he has watched The Smith Gallery’s YouTube channel and saw Jeannine Swartz’s interview. He was so drawn to her work that he went to The Gallery and purchased one of the paintings that was in the interview. The piece entitled ‘Trunk Show’ is a painting of vintage elephant figurines found in a flea market which she had arranged to her liking. He says, “If I had gone to that flea market, I would have never given those figurines a second look but because of the way she arranged them and composed them into a meaningful work of art I was drawn to the painting.”

Andy enjoys having friends over to his home and finds that everyone will be drawn in by different pieces from his art collection. “I find it interesting to see which particular piece of work captures someone’s eye.” People are always surprised when he is able to say that he has met the artist and believes that more people should consider that in their selection of art and try to buy from local artists. He also notes that there are so many different price points available for people who want to invest in a piece of original art that it can be affordable for almost everyone.

Andy mentioned that he thinks his walls are full, but then he read Musing #7 Creating Space for a Growing Art Collection, so he is sure when the right piece of art shows up, he will find a space for it.

Andy loves that The Smith Gallery is branching off to include sculptures in its offerings to customers. “I haven’t bought any yet – I’ve come close, and I know I will buy one as it makes sense to be able to support local artists for more than just paintings and at the same time branch out with my collection.”

He loves going to galleries and museums when he is visiting other places and mentions that he always goes to the Harrisburg Arts Fest held in May to see what other local artists are creating.

Andy goes on to mention The Smith Gallery’s attention to framing. “There are a few pieces of art that I may not have given a second look except for the fact that the framing drew me into the painting.” He speaks about all of the different styles and methods of framing available at The Gallery; mixing frames together, using bold colors, creating texture, and selecting distinct and eye-catching framing. He specifically mentions the piece in his collection by Annie Lesch of a ram and notes that the texture in the framing spoke to him as much as the piece of art. He also talks about a piece of art he purchased from the artist, Linda Williard, and given the colors in the painting he wanted a bold purple frame. As expected, the gallery had exactly the color he was looking for. And he is the only person to have ever selected that frame from the gallery.

In closing, Andy reiterates how stepping out of his comfort zone with the purchase of art has grown his collection into a comprehensive assemblage of artists’ voices.

The Smith Gallery offers services to customers for in-home consultations on art and furniture placement to assist you in exhibiting your collection in a pleasing and cohesive style. The Smith Gallery can also work with customers to procure an artist for a piece you would like to commission for your collection. Stop by the gallery, email Debbie@FineArt2U, or call 717-774-4301 to set up an appointment.

Visit The Smith Gallery to view more art by the artists shown in this musing, and many other talented artists whose works are also featured.  View the YouTube channel ArtTalks2u for The Smith Gallery Artists Talks with many of the artists exhibiting in The Gallery.  Make sure to follow The Smith Gallery on their Facebook page The Smith Gallery & Fine Custom Framing and online at FineArt2U.com to make sure you don’t miss any upcoming events.

The Smith Gallery & Fine Custom Framing has added a new feature to their website. In honor of their 37^th anniversary in business, you can now shop for art in their online gallery, https://www.smithcustomframing.com/shop-art/ . If you are hungry for local art and it is late at night or a Sunday afternoon, just click on this link and replenish your joy of viewing amazing artwork!