Art Appreciation

Every now and then you come across an artist whose work really speaks to you. I am certainly not a connoisseur of fine art in any sense of the word. I follow my heart when purchasing art. I only purchase pieces that I truly love and that “speak” to me. Of course, I’m not able to buy every piece of art I love! Many a time I’ve walked away from a painting because the price tag was simply beyond anything my budget would allow!

Several years ago Hubby and I toured the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. We discovered the work of Gilles Cote and fell in love. His folksy, whimsical works are absolutely breathtaking in person. Sadly, the price tags on his originals are just a "tad" out of my price range. The one I just "had to have" was $55,000!!!!!

Because I grew up not far from the Gaspe, the characters, architecture and landscape depicted in Cote’s paintings touch me deeply. I’m feel a sense of being drawn into the scene and can almost feel the ocean wind whirling my hair. I felt this same connection the first time I held a piece of pottery created by my cousin, Sarah Branch of Branch Designs. (Sarah is actually my mother’s cousin’s daughter – but that is way too complicated for me!) She too grew up on the Bay of Chaleur in Northern New Brunswick. I’m magnetically drawn to her work, which often depicts some of my favorite nature treasures – moon snail shells, starfish...etc. My collection of her work is growing! What I love most is that one can interact with pottery on such a personal level. I sip my morning tea from one of her mugs. Our family munches on Friday night popcorn from one of her beautiful bowls. When I first spotted this silver fiddle head pendant she created, I knew instantly it was meant for me. Hey, I grew up in Tide Head, the unofficial fiddle head capital of the world! As a knitter, I’m absolutely in love with her pottery buttons. I have a list a mile long of projects to complete that incorporate her unique, earthy creations.

I was back to my hooking this past week with Sarah on my mind. I completed this little rug - “The Stars and the Moon Snail”. Since we both share a love of sea treasures, I thought it made sense to incorporate them into the design. Sarah’s parents live next door to our family’s summer cottage. Her father tends a beautiful flower garden and I’ve always admired his beach roses in particular. After a few final touches, this little rug will soon be on its way to the sweet and talented Sarah! I’m glad to see it headed to a good home (: