In college, I was more connected to art because I worked in an art library, where I met like-minded people who also spent their weekends trying to find the most exciting gallery openings. Although it still has a ways to go in terms of art and culture, Denver is becoming more and more of a hub for artists to live and work, mainly because taxes are relativey low here (considering the higher prices in San Francisco, Portland, and Chicago) and the arts scene is still in a flexible, developmental stage. Not to mention, Denver will soon be home to the Clyfford Still Museum, honoring one of the 20th Century's greatest American Abstract Expressionist painters.
ANYWAYS, I feel like I have lost touch with the joy that art used to bring to my life. This loss has started to manifest itself in other kinds of ways; for example, I have become mildly obsessed with children's multicultural picture book art and how to inspire young children to appreciate visual representations of other languages and cultures. In addition, I have been teaching crafts to bilingual children at a branch of Denver Public Library, and have succeeded somewhat in that task (I never thought I would be an art teacher.) So I still have connections with art, but not in the same kind of formal way that I used to.
Living in a small space for the last two years has also inspired me to decorate my home with beautiful artwork--without overdecorating. I recently discovered www.20x200.com, an online art shop that offers affordable ($20, $50, $200) artworks without the fuss of having to schlep yourself to a gallery and deal with "those art people." (Yes, sometimes it is difficult to deal with the elitism of the artist/gallery realm).
Here are a few of my faves...
Above: Jonathan Lewis
Ideal bookshelf series (she even takes custom orders!) by Jane Mount
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