A few days ago, I had a delightful surprise in my inbox. A culinary student in Mexico let me know that his class did a project where each student had to find an abstract painting and replicate the abstract in a dessert of their own creation. What a cool idea. Three of my paintings were done and he sent me pictures, which I%92m posting here. I was very impressed at the very idea of doing an abstract painting in a dessert but I was most intrigued by the adaptations they made and the ingredients they used. For my painting %92Outside the Box%92 (the one with the blue, red and yellow spheres), some of the ingredients used were blueberry mousse, red wine sorbet, cake, curacao jelly and blueberry crystal. I can only imagine how tasty that must have been. So thank you, Pablo, for sending me these lovely pictures.

That brings me to talk about creativity. I believe we all have a need to be creative and to express that in some way or other. And there are so many ways to be creative. The abstract desserts is one example, but really, on a day-to-day basis, any time we do something differently, come up with a new way of doing something, we are being creative. But for me, the most rewarding is when there is something beautiful at the end of the process, something to be enjoyed, whether it be for an hour as with the desserts, or forever, as with a painting. Whether it is knitting, coming up with new recipes, or finding a way to make the darn thingy fit into the blasted thingamajig, it is using our brain to come up with new things, new ideas. And it feels great!!

So, here%92s to everyone finding their own way of exploring and expressing their creativity.

Share your views by clicking on %92Comments%92 below.

Suzette

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe )

A comment on last week%92s blog gave me the idea for today%92s entry, and that is the idea that art appreciates in value over time, that art is an investment. You hear all the time about people who buy art as an investment.

The problem with buying art as an investment is that you pretty well have to buy art from an established artist in order to be guaranteed that its value will go up. Otherwise, you%92re taking a pretty big risk. You also have to know and understand what you%92re buying. Original, lithograph, giclee, print, reproduction; there are so many terms out there, many people would be fooled into thinking they are buying something valuable, when they might be buying one of thousands of prints, the value of which may never increase.

If you know art and have a good eye, you might be able to spot an emerging artist who is going places and whose original works will go up in price. But there are so many talented artists out there today, the rise in price, if it happens, might be only slight.

I much prefer to think that buying art is a decision of the heart. You see a painting, fall in love, and you must have it. It speaks to you. A soft %92Wow%92 falls from your lips without you really knowing it; you are captured. You feel wonderful every time you look at it. Now, there%92s a reason to buy a painting. If you%92re lucky and the value goes up, good for you, you%92re a double winner. If it does not, you still have the pleasure of that painting for a lifetime. You%92re still a winner.

What%92s your take on this subject? Please share by clicking on %92Comments%92 below.

Suzette

"The work of art must seize upon you, wrap you up in itself and carry you away. It is the means by which the artist conveys his passion. It is the current which he puts forth which sweeps you along in his passion."     (Pierre-Auguste Renoir)

I often wonder how it is that people don%92t mind spending a couple hundred dollars on a nice dinner out, a fancy garden tool or car accessory, or the latest kitchen gadget, but they%92re really reluctant to spend that or a bit more, on a painting that they love. I know they love it and want it, I see them looking at one particular painting, and coming back to it over and over again, totally enthralled, but in the end, they just can%92t do it (or their spouse talks them out of it).

Let%92s look at this logically. Let%92s look at the cost/benefit ratio.

Dinner out:   $100 to $200 - not particularly useful but very enjoyable - lasts a couple of hours.

New tool or kitchen gadget:   $100 to 300 - useful but probably not necessary, enjoyable for the first few uses but soon becomes just another tool - lasts for many years but probably seldom used after the novelty wears off.

A new lawn mower:   $300 to $500 - useful and necessary, but not enjoyable - lasts a few years.

A painting that you love:   maybe $200 to $500 (although could be much more) - useful in improving your home decor - extremely enjoyable, brings you joy on a daily basis, every time you look at it - lasts a lifetime.

I don%92t know, but for my money, the painting is just as good a buy as those other things. As the Mastercard commercial says:

Dinner out:   $150
A new lawn mower:   $400
A beautiful painting:   priceless

Share your views on the matter by clicking on %92Comments%92 below.

Suzette

"If art is not to be life-enhancing, what is it to be?" (May Sarton)