Sharon Eade
That thought was brought to my attention lately and made me think about it. Anything that goes beyond what we truly need to sustain life can be defined as a luxury. There are many things we own that begin as a necessity: a car, a telephone, clothes, etc. They start out as necessity but we find joy in having a make or model that goes beyond that necessity. You need a car to get to work; fine. It doesn’t have to be a Cadillac, but if it makes you happy when it is, and if you can afford it, why not? You need a phone to do your job; it doesn’t have to be cute and small and smarter than you are, but if it makes you happy when it is and you can afford it, why not? You want something on your wall that makes you smile and feel happy every time you look at it. That’s a painting. You don’t eat it, wear it, or live inside it, so it’s technically a luxury, but if it makes you happy and you can afford it, why not? And if you are one of the artists who creates these beautiful oil paintings, sculptures, watercolors, drawings, and the like, then stand tall and be proud of what you offer the world around you: a luxury, but a necessary one.
Our Art Club provides us a place where we come together to share the joy of creating art as we grow in our abilities. We are lucky to be able to have the opportunity to showcase our works in SunBird and if you find yourself viewing a piece of art that gives you that feel good emotion, I would encourage you to contact the member who created that piece. One of the highest forms of praise is for something we have created to be appreciated. It is also possible to purchase pieces of art from our members to enhance your homes for very reasonable prices. There is great joy in owning a piece from someone whose art makes you smile. So is owning art a luxury? Or is it one of life’s greatest pleasures?