Pleasure in the Small Things

Yesterday, I was cleaning up my living room and glanced over the map chest where I store much of my finished work. I was so taken with how nice it looked that I took a quick picture and dropped it into my Instagram stories. My stories get very little traction, but this image did.

What I see:

• a framed work returned from a gallery

• a damaged grid collage that needs repair

• a collage back from a juried show

• two clocks, each with a different time, that need winding

• a horse sculpture that once belonged to my grandmother

• three small 4” x 4” collages that I love

• a shark tooth and a mineral belonging to my son and kept here for safe keeping

• a hinged wooden box that I just realized is full of paper ephemera

What you may see:

• a curated collection of art and vintage pieces

As the holidays approach, don’t discount the small pieces.

Visit your local art association and shop for smaller, less expensive, still beautiful pieces. Consider gifting functional pottery to the school bus drivers and small art to the teachers. They don’t need more gift cards for coffee (trust me, as a former teacher). If you are filling your Christmas stocking, add something beautiful and long-lasting instead of the chocolate bars and bath bombs.

Every time you shop at a local art association, there is an artist who will be thrilled that someone loved their work. That’s an incredible gift to give.

A few places online where I’d shop for myself:

The typography candles from Stockhome Goods

A botanical print collage from Maren Oates

A letterpress printed calendar from HoosierTypeCo

These cotton woven blankets from Made in 8H

Handmade art brushes from Leslie Rottner

Pottery from my local art association’s holiday sale

Add your wishlist items and shops in the comments so we can all find ways to support other artists.