Chapter One: ART CAN ADD BEAUTY TO YOUR LIFE....

ART CAN ADD BEAUTY TO YOUR LIFE....

Copyright 2004 by Carol Pomeroy

Why and How to Select Artwork for Your Special Collection:

Every time you walk by that special painting you think, that
artist has captured, on canvas, my very own special feelings of joy
of living. We are going to show how to become a true art connoisseur,
how to develop an appreciation for art, and how to select the
paintings that go into your own highly prized art collection. All of
these aspects will grow in unison as you follow these chapters in
adding beauty to your life with art.

Selecting a collection takes time, but there is nothing like
it, because it changes your home, your life, your children, and your
friends. It makes life happier when you have something beautiful of
your own, and something special to share with others. It is almost
like looking into someone's heart or soul, when you get on the same
wavelength with the artist-- something you would paint or could paint
if you have the time or talent.

First, you don�t want to be governed by color necessarily, or
by what someone else has, but by what touches your heart. Something
that makes you feel happy, or sad; feelings of nostalgia come to the
surface.... the way you felt the last time you visited that area.... a
wedding or anniversary in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a trip to Paris to see
Monet's Gardens, your last trip to San Francisco, fall colors in the
New England states, a cruise to Mexico, or Hawaii. Or a painting of
you and your family, playing near the ocean....a portrait of someone
who looks like a family member....a walk through the big Redwoods in
Northern California.... or even something as simple as a close-up of a
butterfly on a flower... . A moment captured in time forever, and
preserved through the creativity of an artist who feels as you do...
and who thereby changes your life forever, for your benefit. You
feel it every time you look at that special painting; it was painted
just for you....

Second: Galleries... Walk though several galleries....just
looking, just getting an idea of what you may love. You may not find
something the first time...but if you do, think about it: Does that
particular painting keep coming to mind, do you keep thinking about
it? Then, usually, that is the one for you to start with, beginning
a special new collection of what you really love�. Or to add to
whatever you already have. (Perhaps you have been collecting for
some time.) What can you see in your mind's eye - in your home or
office - to make your present collection more complete, more
exquisite, and more outstanding.

Third, you want something that lifts your spirits whenever
you walk into a room, such as:

The ocean, be it seascapes, sailing ships, windswept
cliffs, the sunlight glowing through the curling breakers; day
scenes, night scenes with island fishermen fishing by torch light,
etc.

The mountains: A magnificent, solitary, snow-capped,
prehistoric volcano, or a tall, rigid backbone of an empire
stretching from horizon to horizon, a fantastic vista over the edge
of a precipitous red canyon, a close-up of the ferns and fauna in
your favorite mountain retreat, the tall sentinels of the Arizona
desert.

Landscapes of areas you particularly love. The desert, a
glisening waterfall, the giant redwood trees with the sun filtering
through, alpine lakes, tide pools, a stream, beaches, Death Valley
sand dunes, the Golden Gate Bridge, a
glacier... chunks cascading into an Alaskan estuary.

Garden scenes in this country, in Paris, England, Russia or
Canada, or other beautiful areas around the world.

Portraits of people doing things- sports- walking- riding a
horse. Courtship by a shady brook, in a park setting, such as old
New England, Central Park in New York, Golden Gate Park, in a rose
garden, etc. Or watching swans in a garden pond.

Lovely florals - your favorite flowers - roses, violets,
orchids, whatever you desire.

Animals� Nothing is cuter than a kitten, a baby panda, or
baby giraffe, a deer and fawn, a family of polar bears with their
babies..... Whatever you like... your pets... a dog or cat, seals in the
arctic, penguins in the Antarctic, a soaring or nesting eagle, or
Condor.

Beautiful still life's that take your breath away. A bowl of
fruit that could have been on your favorite aunt's or grandmother's table, a dinner
setting at a romantic café in Paris, sunlight dappling the floor in a
musty old hotel room. Something that transports you to another place
or another time....even for just a few moments....you lose yourself in the painting....

Also to be considered is commissioning a painting of the
love of your life: Make someone or several feel really special.
Is it that very special person in your life, could it be your
family-- perhaps at home-- your favorite vacation place, a special
outing, an anniversary; the list is endless.

Above all, have an enjoyable time selecting what you love.
And you may be surprised at what it is, or how your tastes can
change... Then you can include something else that stirs your soul.
Just be sure that it touches your heart; the key is finding a painting
that was "painted just for you".

To be continued....