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

The Twenty-Sixth Musing

Part Three of this musing regarding local art collectors is about intergenerational art collecting and will introduce you to a mother and daughter who have both become art collectors. This pair of women have different stories to tell but it becomes clear that the thing they have in common is their love of art and soulfulness and their desire to support local artists. They know that the connection between the artists and art collectors, who purchase the art that personally speaks to them, deepens and elevates art to its highest level.

Lori Baker and her daughter Morgan Baker do not consider themselves to be art collectors but considering that they both have made a decision to surround themselves with the art that brings joy and happiness to them says something different.

Lori states that her journey into art collecting happened rather serendipitously. She has been going to Debbie’s (The Smith Gallery) business for at least twenty-five years for her framing needs and over the last five years developed a friendship with Debbie. She says that it was Debbie’s influence that moved her into purchasing art. “Debbie just sees people in such a valuable way, and I always felt that she saw me. I felt a connection to her, and that is what lead me to buying art.”

Lori saw a piece of art by Jeannine Swartz, who is an artist she has always admired, in The Gallery and fell in love with it. “I didn’t purchase it but I couldn’t get it out of my mind.” Lori feels as if Debbie was able to help her interact and see that piece of art in a deeper context and pay attention to what it brought to her. The painting is a porch in Cape May and Lori says that Cape May is a special place for her and her daughter to visit. Lori did return to the gallery and put a deposit down on the painting and soon took it home with her. This was the beginning of Lori’s journey into original art.

“A while later I was in The Gallery, and Debbie said she had a companion piece by Jeannine that would look perfect with the piece I had bought,” Lori says. When Lori saw it, she agreed it was perfect and she bought it! This became her gateway to collecting more art.

She has created a travel wall in her home and purchases various items when she is away. She takes them into the gallery and has them framed in a consistent way and hangs them with Jeannine’s two pieces anchoring each side of the collection.

When Lori moved into a new home five years ago, she realized that she wanted to surround herself with things that reflected her and who she was. She will only bring the things that have meaning and resonate with her into her new home.

 

Morgan laughingly says she has never considered herself an art collector but at this point her home is covered in art, so maybe she is. She credits her mother with inspiring her not only in art collecting but in many areas of her life. Through her travels and overseas studies in Rome, she deepened her love of art by visiting museums and began collecting pieces after she graduated from law school and had her own home. She says, “Every time I go into Debbie’s I see something I want to have, there isn’t a rhyme or reason to it, I just love it and I find a spot for it in my home.”

She goes on to say, “My mother actually bought my first original piece of art for me when I moved into my new apartment…we were in Cape Cod in a gallery and she said to me, ’you really need this piece of art’ and I looked at it and said, ’yes I do!’” Morgan later went back to that gallery and had another piece commissioned from the same artist.

 

Both of them say that their taste of art is eclectic in nature. Lori states that the piece she purchases should be reminiscent of something important to her, such as a painting of Stuart Leask’s of downtown Harrisburg, where Lori worked for years. For her it is intentional to hang things in her home which bring her memories as well as a feeling of happiness. Morgan says her art runs the gamut of styles and mediums, and she has added more abstract and contemporary pieces to her collection. She has begun collecting sculpture. “I’m looking forward to expanding more into the 3D art realm as well.”

Both mother and daughter agree that it is very important to support local artists and that means pieces they may pick up on a vacation must be from local artists in that particular area. Morgan adds that it is also important to her to buy art created by minority artists. Lori says, “I try to get to as many of Debbie’s (The Smith Gallery) openings so I can see works by new local artists and have an opportunity to meet them and learn more about their art. I may not get to talk directly with the artist but I enjoy seeing a lot of their work shown in one place.”  Morgan states that meeting an artist really supplements the piece of art for her but it doesn’t keep her from buying pieces she likes even if she doesn’t know the artist.

 

Lori and Morgan both have works by Stuart Leask and then their collections branch out in different ways with Morgan having works by artists Brad Robertson, Sten, Linda Williard, Kubur Spiro, two sculptures one of which is by local artist Mark Dennis. In addition to Stuart’s pieces Lori’s works include Susan Benigni Landis, Betty Ball, and multiple pieces by Jeannine Swartz.

Morgan says, “Growing up I thought having an art collection meant you had to have a Monet and a Picasso… but now I’ve grown and learned that you don’t have to have that Monet and Picasso…I can walk into a gallery and say, ‘wow I really like this piece, can I buy it’ and they say ‘yes, of course’ and that has been a great experience.”

Lori says that for her it is more about the journey of her life and all of the things that have brought her to this place in her life. “I guess I’ve learned that what is important to me is what I want to surround myself with …and I have to say that in my previous life stages I don’t think I would have been able to have the appreciation for art that I do now.”

Lori and Morgan have been close in many ways throughout their lives and they agree that art is one more way that they can bond. They both acknowledge that bringing beauty into your life through art does not have to be an overwhelmingly expensive project. Original art can be accessible pricewise to almost everyone and it is so important that people are aware of this. Morgan says that she bought a piece of original artwork from an art student for $35.00 and Lori has had Morgan’s childhood art and other mementos framed to keep for posterity.

This harkens back to my original statement that you are not buying merely objects, you are making a statement of who you are and what you love.

~

The current solo exhibition for Julie Riker at The Smith Gallery is in its final week! Visit us by Friday, August 30 to see the show in person and make your final selection.

Our next solo exhibition for Linda Williard begins the following week, with the opening reception on Thursday, September 5th!

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!