OK, have a seat. This newsletter is going to be a little bit longer than usual.
I want to thank all of you who have purchased both original paintings and prints (some examples above and below) over the last couple of months. The support is certainly appreciated. Those of you who haven't been able to take home a piece have been very supportive with your kind words. I mention this not to brag about sales, but because I feel there is something very significant happening here.
Historically when we as a global society have entered periods of crisis such as war and economic recession the art market has been one of the first areas of the economy to feel the impact. In 2008 when the Great Recession began I could almost hear the iron doors slam shut. Behind these doors my most ardent collectors kept there resources and it was years before the doors began to open. Not surprising, of course, people were feeling very insecure. This reality just begs the question: What is different now? Why are people buying this time?
Essentially I see these purchases as an act and affirmation of faith. Faith that we will get through this uncertain time. Faith that we will return to a semblance of "normal." Faith that embodied in art (in all it's forms) are qualities that uplift, enliven and sooth our lives especially in darker times. This last expression of faith is perhaps the most powerful message at the root of these purchases. Jordan Schnitzer, the Founder of the Jordan Schnitzer and his Family Foundation, who amassed a 14,000 piece art collection that he lends at no cost to museums and other venues certainly believed this when he said: "For me, waking up each day without art around me would be like waking up without the sun. When you live with art around you, your mind and soul are filled with the beauty of life and the creativity of the human spirit." I think many are reassessing their priorities. What are the most important, affirming and meaningful ways to anchor our lives? I know people who are asking these questions. It makes me feel very happy and USEFUL to be in a position to contribute in some way to peoples lives.
People are reconnecting with an appreciation for the uniquely human capacity and drive to create. To bring into being something from nothing. In one form or another everyone has this capacity. Art is one of the most obvious expressions of this so it becomes a symbol that one can live with, appreciate and use as a reminder.
And speaking of reminders....the offer I made regarding prints runs out in about three more weeks. I should have mentioned from the outset of this offer that it is not limited to my Email Newsletter subscribers. If you know someone you feel would be interested please pass it on. If they, or you, want the particulars click on Email Newsletter in my website menu bar. Then click on Read Past Issues. This takes you to the archive of past newsletters. The one titled PRINTS has the information.
If you have made it this far, thanks for indulging my philosophizing.
Having gone for many weeks not personally knowing anyone touched directly or indirectly by this virus, I now know two. Both pulled through. One quite easily and the other with a great deal of difficulty. I sincerely hope any interaction you may have is benign.
Peter
