Art Show Purchase

Yesterday we went to the annual Pine Island Art Association show, which Woodrow and I have gone to every year for the last three or four years. This year we went with my Dad and his wife, who are down here visiting. My father is something of an artist, so he really enjoys art shows as well.

Pine Island and Matlacha (prounounced mat-la-shay) and Bokeelia are beautiful, quirky areas here in South Florida. The area is full of artists and plant nurseries that grow exotic tropical fruit. There is a great introduction to the area here. This area is one of my favorite places on earth.

So we went to the art show, which was held in Matlacha. I saw a number of works that I would have loved, but only had limited funds. So after much debate, I decided to go with my first instinct, which was this piece...

I'm afraid that I can't remember the name of it (UPDATE 2/23/10: The piece is titled "Why Me?"), and I'm not certain of the artist's name, although I think that it is Maria Bouman (UPDATE 2/23/10: The artist is Deanna Berko). (When I bought it, the association kept the tag that had been on it. If I'd known they were going to do that, I would have written it all down!) I hope that the artist will be contacting me and letting me know any information on the piece. This item won First Place for Pastels. It is really stunning! I couldn't believe that no one else had snagged it yet, but I think that they were held back by the subject matter. It seems that people only buy portraits of dog breeds that they have some direct connection with. Everyone would ask me, when finding I was interested in it, "Do you have a St. Bernard?" Then everyone would go on to comment on how remarkable the portrait really was, and the eyes are unbelievable! The eyes almost glisten with reflectivity, and you feel like you can reach out and grab the dog's scruff and bury your face in his fur. It's just really remarkable.

So finally, after three or four years of the art show, I purchased a piece. It wasn't the sunflowers in a red pitcher/vase that I've spent years looking for, but I am very happy with my purchase. I feel that at $250 it was a steal!