Art can be recycled, replaced, redesigned, and transform into innumerable forms by the artists who create them. Those same remarkable works of art can then find their way into a home, business, gallery, or square. And sometimes, those very same pieces will take journeys unlike any we ourselves may venture on in our lifetimes. We’ve heard that every work of art has a story behind it, but we often overlook the tale of the art’s voyage from artist, to collector, to storage, to rediscovery. Art has the incredible ability to change minds, hearts, and hands – simply by existing.
I myself have created works of art that have been concealed, transformed, digitized, manipulated, mashed, smashed, and even trashed. However, I’ve also produced art that has traveled across the globe, into the earth, and found its way high in the sky. Are you an art collector? Are you on the endless journey to enrich your life with beautiful creations once envisioned by some of the most intriguing minds? Where did you find your most prized collection? Where do you look for your treasures? How far would you go to procure the manifestation of someone else’s dreams?
This month marks that time of year when Sedona Arts Center collects, catalogs, and assigns lot numbers to those spectacular works of art that journey from one place to the next. This year, mystery is the name of the game for some pieces that were hidden away in private collections. Take for instance a certain Tiepolo that appears to have traveled across the country over the past three decades or more. The piece bears a striking resemblance to an authentic sketch on display in museums by masters, however the authenticity is questionable, or unknown at this time. Is this a hidden treasure? Can this be a lost work similar to a Picasso that was acquired a few years back at a garage sale for $2?
There is a secret life to art that remains lost in some cases, and rarely explored in others. A simple sketch that was once displayed in a long forgotten gallery in New York may have toured the globe for decades longer than we will ever know. Imagine the ghosts that are married to its expedition through time. Was this art party to secret plots and elegant rendezvous; or did it slip quietly through the years in silence, hidden in a damp dirt basement? Now that it has found its way to the auction block, what will it know next? What story could it tell in the years to come?
The art in our lives not only tell us stories of life; they experience existence with us. Our souls are collected and delivered through every sculpture and painting we pass along through time. Art has meaning and interpretations that are known to the admirer that can also be shared, transferred, and passed on to the next bearer. We are merely couriers, passing along history while stroking our egos and our imaginations.
Take the time to explore the art in your life. Journey with your collections and find the mystery behind every piece you hold close to your heart. Allow yourself to fall deeply in love with a painting, or madly enraged by a photograph. Let your expressions be known by the art, as if it were alive, breathing, listening, and feeling every ounce of you. You never know where that art will turn up, or who’s story it will become a part of next. But for now, know your art and the secret life that your art knows.
You can collect a piece of art that’s traveled near and far on Saturday, May 5, 2012 at the Sedona Fine Art Auction (SFAA). Over 25 Live Auction pieces and more than 80 Silent Auction works are searching for homes in this fund-raising benefit for the Arts Center. The SFAA benefits the educational programming and ongoing mission throughout the year at Northern Arizona’s oldest nonprofit Arts Institution. This prestigious auction will feature works from Arizona’s finest artists and award winning plein air artists from across the country. All auction items will be on display starting Wednesday, May 2nd through 5th from 10am – 5pm prior to the close of the Silent Auction at 3:30pm Saturday, May 5th. The exciting Live Auction begins at 4pm on Saturday May 5th at the Sedona Arts Center, 15 Art Barn Rd, Uptown Sedona. You can preview the art online at SedonaArtAuction.com or call 928.282.3809 for more information. The Auction is Free to the Public.
Remember: grow; learn; conserve; preserve; create; question; educate; change; and free your mind.
