
2 minute read
Art & Creativity
You are in this picture!
By Laurie Lamont Murray
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Here’s a small-world, you-can-go-homeagain - story you might enjoy: I recently ‘expanded my horizons’ by starting a new gallery in Chelsea with some other artists. (I’ve been told that my art belongs there, or perhaps even in Berlin, because much as I love the Pennsylvania countryside where I live and work, I paint more abstracts than landscapes.)
As my first NY solo show was installed, I wondered (with some trepidation) what visitors to Pictor Gallery would think of my work. But it turns out that people here and in New York react in much the same way…you want to know the inspiration, and understand the process, am I right?
I love the process of creating art…thinking about what I’ll do, choosing materials and becoming immersed in the making. But what I live for is meeting visitors, hearing your stories and your thoughts. And when I’m back at work in my studio, something you said will come back to me, influencing what I’ll do next! Art does have its magic and its mystery. Maybe that’s because artists are often trying to respond to things that can’t easily be answered. We might feel an inescapable need to address climate change, racism or war – and some very powerful pieces come into being that way. Or, our approach might be more subtle, expressed with certain colors, techniques or symbolism. Regardless, I think that viewers who take the time to study a work of art become part of what we make. And for those who collect, art becomes a part of you: A landscape might carry you away from a stressful or overly gray day. Something whimsical can capture your sense of humor. A face or figure reminds you of someone, and a purely abstract piece opens you to the pleasure of design in its own right, with surprises every time you look at it. As an interior designer, I have been asked so many times, “Where do we start?” Truthfully there is no one rule that must be obeyed. A wonderful piece of art can be the starting point for a great room design and mixing different styles is usually more interesting than playing it safe with more of the same. Try grouping several pieces together, unified by similar frames or elements in the artworks themselves. Just for fun you might rotate your collection from season to season.
Does everything you collect have to be from a well known artist, or even an original? No to both. Mix and match with confidence. Who is going to care whether your secret favorite piece was inexpensive? Those who mind don’t matter, as the saying goes.

Dreamscape by Linda Dubin Garfield
WHAT’S COMING UP, NEAR YOU!
If you collect art, you are familiar with the many galleries and art fairs in our area. Most of these are juried, so you know that what you’ll see has been vetted.
Wayne Art Center’s much anticipated Plein Air Festival is coming up in May.
In July, ARTsisters will be exhibiting at Main Line Art Center.
The Delaware Valley Art League is showing at Greenbank Mills in Wilmington, April through July.
And the very popular Chester County Studio Tour will be May 14 and 15 this year.
You can get a taste of what will be showing at the Opening event, hosted by Chester County Art Association. And I hope you’ll stop by to see me and my guest artists at Studio 56!