Gallery of Art

“He has made everything beautiful in its time:” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

As a child, our walls were bare, except for the 1970’s octagon shadow box filled with seeds, grass, and dried flowers my mom received as a wedding gift. She eventually purchased a picture or two from a popular MLM company. With oak veneer frames, the pictures featured children with washed out peach palates and country blue clothes. In Maslov’s hierarchy of needs, my mom expended her energy on getting dinner on the table and paying the bills by working overtime in a diecast factory, setting aside any idea of creating beauty.

As I entered my teens, my artistic style budded by plastering magazine pictures of Duran Duran, Tom Wopat (yes, I was one of the few who chose Luke over Bo), and Andrew McCarthy across my walls with scotch tape. In college, the fangirl pictures came down, and I hung Anne Geddes prints and inspirational sayings on my dorm walls. After college, I discovered discount design stores and commercial art. Later, the 2010s highlighted the modern farmhouse look, coupling chicken wire with inspirational scriptures declaring my Christian faith. I jumped on the bandwagon, including a large “Welcome to our Nest” sign on my living room wall.

Somewhere along the way, I discovered art and dreamed of having some original artwork on my walls. My Aunt Brenda, an artist, created a picture of cypress trees in the Tuscan countryside for us. I hung this picture as a prized possession, hoping someday to add more to my walls. Meanwhile, I continued to shop at discount stores for artwork, pleased with the esthetic I was creating.

About six years ago, Terry and I spent a weekend away in West Chester, exploring the Brandywine Museum of Art. We fell in love with George Weymouth’s landscapes, along with the fact that he had a Wisconsin connection, being a friend of Herb Kohler. We bought two prints and quickly framed them. It was then that I realized that art was attainable for me. I started hunting for treasures to fill my walls.

At art fairs and local markets, I felt like a child digging through a treasure chest, hunting for the perfect print. I would hold one up and ask Terry’s opinion, only to set it aside because I thought I would find something better. I didn’t know what I wanted, I just knew I would love it when I found it. Some I passed on with regrets, and some I passed on because of budget constraints, but I continued the hunt. Eventually, I found a fruit print in Charleston, SC along with a vase of flowers print from Lancaster’s own Lucy Smucker (her parents own Nooks, one of my favorite independent bookstores). A friend gave Terry and I some artwork that had been collected by her late father-in-law, and soon I had enough pieces to create a gallery wall.

This weekend, while the massive heat dome oppressed our area, Terry hung my gallery wall. Despite missing a few 5×7 frames I plan to fill with original artwork done by my grandchildren; I love how it turned out. It makes the room feel complete, emanating beauty from the dining room throughout our living space.

I may not have celebrated America’s 250th with parades, BBQs, or fireworks. But knowing some of the founding fathers’ art collections, I believe that when they wrote that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” that they were envisioning a country where people could flourish. Human flourishing is not only about providing basic needs, such as food and shelter. It is about creating a world where beauty is celebrated both in nature and in the creativity of human beings.

Today, my mother is no longer hustling in a factory and raising four children. Despite her health problems, she chooses to surround herself with things that bring her joy. It may not be paintings, but instead artistic tchotchkes that delight her, along with music that fills her life with beauty. At any age, we can make a conscious choice to pursue beauty. It points us toward our creator and helps us flourish.