Top 200 Art Collectors in the World

New and Notable - "Edible Beauty"

Digital Painting by Pavel Rehurek

Now that ARTNews has released its Top 200 Art Collectors we can all be inspired by the immense number of dedicated art collectors out there who are spending millions of dollars on art. There's a wonderful article on their website about art collectors that you might enjoy reading. Now back to reality. If you don't have millions, but love art, check out these incredible works at buyoutsidethebox.com. You may very well discover the next Picasso!--Ruth Mitchell

Get Lost in Art to Find Yourself

"Echoes I" - Rene Hein

The other day my daughter called and said, "Oh my God mother, I felt just like you." The next few minutes were very revealing. Either I was going to be terribly flattered, or rightfully chagrined. You guessed it, I was chagrined. "I found my self wandering around in a parking lot, not knowing where I was or where I was going, and I'd left my cell phone at home," she told me.

Remember life before cell phones?

I have actually adapted well to being dingie. I often find myself wandering around a given area until I arrive at my destination. It's called intuitive thinking. My husband is so appalled by this way of life, he went out and bought me one of those GPS things, but mostly it resides in his car because he's the only one that uses it.

I once got lost in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, when I was in my twenties. Back then, and being unfamiliar with the city of Boston, I was more concerned with finding my ride home, than soaking up the wonderful art collections. Boy have I changed.

Wisdom, that comes with a multitude of birthdays, will tend to teach you it is about the journey not the destination.

What is Luxury and Why do We Seek it?

Luxury means something different to every person you might ask. To some its a fast yacht, a big fiery gemstone or a sleek, antique Corvette. To others it's a sweaty morning run before a busy day of work. For busy moms, fifteen minutes of uninterrupted quiet during the day can feel like the ultimate luxury. But I think the bottom line, and why we seek luxury, is that it is something a little bit out of the norm in our lives. Luxury is something special, and sometimes, the thought that if feels just a little out of our grasp, is what makes it even more appealing. Because if we attain, what we are at the moment defining in our minds as luxury, then we feel empowered, or lucky, or even blessed. Following the path of abundance is keeping your options open to experience the good things in life

We often think of art as a luxury, owning it, wearing it, viewing it in museums, or creating it. I think the ultimate reason art is so appealingly luxurious is because of its unique nature. I find this ultimately fascinating about creative expression, that it is the manifestation of someone's imagination.

Here for you now, are just a few samples of luxurious art that can be found at buyousidethebox.com!

Andrew Pollack - Ruby Candelabra

Leanne Soden - "Romanov"

Katharina Lichtman - "Rivers"

Vote for Alex Koll

Alex studying to become a comedian

He's talented, he's funny and he's our son-in-law. You can vote for him and help him make it to the finals. This week Comedy Central is running an Open Mic Fight, sponsored by Burger King. If you'd like to help Alex forward his career, please take the time to vote for him, and join in the fun.

In the Garden of Good and Evil

Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil is the title of a book of course by John Berendt, but it so describes my state of mind sometimes, that I just had to borrow if for this blog. Generally speaking I'm very upbeat and happy, but sometimes I go into the bad neighborhood of my mind. I go slumming, I'm drinking the half empty glass of rot-gut gin rather than the half full glass of water. This only makes me human, but as I watch the sands of time fall through the hourglass, I'm more interested in spending quality time with myself, and not as interested in slumming anymore. One place I continually find inspiration is at Guy Kawasaki's blog, "How to Change the World." Yes, Guy, I have an intellectual crush on you. Hope that's okay.

Cn y fll n th blnks? Referring to The Seven Deadly Sins of Solutions pulled from Matt May's The Elegant Solution the topic of our brain's ability to fill in the blanks, also referred to Blind Spots in the book, is something I had never seen so graphically presented. These blind spots include: assmptns, bses, and mndsts (r y nt t yt?) that we cannot see through or around. Apparently our "brain does a lot of “filling in” for us because it’s a pattern maker and recognizer." We are challenged to become more than our genetic makeup every day, and clear thinking May surmises, "involves more than simply filling in spaces in words."

I am guilty of almost all the "Seven Deadly Sins of Solutions." I'm not kicking myself however, because I have the ability to change, and I also have the courage to problem solve. Many professions involve problems solving including engineering, car mechanics, family counseling, real estate deal makers etc., but few people look at artists as problem solvers.

I hope this small post will get you thinkin gabou tsomethin glik ethat. Chck t ths btfl pntng by artist Rene Hein.

"Cheshire Mummy Cats" - Rene Hein

Oops!

"Salmon Day Lily" - Laurin McCracken

It's inevitable, even with electronic publishing. Our August newsletter just went out this morning, and Laurin McCracken wrote in to inform us we had spelled his name wrong. Duh...we're sorry Laurin, just put us down in the human category, and we'll try to do better. For your pleasure here is one of his beautiful watercolor paintings.--Ruth Mitchell

Great Gift Idea

We offer some products on the blog page as affiliates. And one of our favorites is the personalized jigsaw puzzles you can get at Jigsaw2Order. Now for a very limited time you can get a great discount on puzzles. This is the time to get out those family photos, or that favorite photograph from last month's trip, and have a custom jigsaw puzzle made. Just scroll down on the right hand side of the blog to the puzzle icon, and create an heirloom gift today. Thinking holiday gift season? I am.--Ruth Mitchell


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Innovators

Innovation is a common thread for creative personalities. I'm not just talking artists, but scientists and some engineers, writers, and others who are constantly challenging the status quo.

For instance, I know an artist who used to plant wheat in his front yard as a decorative element. It was beautiful as it waved in the wind. Not so innovative you would say, a little quirky, but not really innovative. That was 10 years ago. Now it seems a little book called Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn, by Fritz Haeg is due out in 2008.

Edible landscaping is popping up all over it seems. Even in people's front yards if that is the sunniest, most veggie friendly spot.

For all out there listening, I just want to jump right in there and say, I've been on the leading edge of this trend for years. A visitor to my house last year remarked. "I can't believe you got those beautiful tomatoes out of that gravel pit."

Not coincidentally my husband, brought me a few red ones the other morning after walking the dogs. This is quite a coup, considering that he once spent hours in the heat extracting rocks out of a postage-size city garden for me. Not at my behest I might add, but because he wanted the garden to be perfect, unlike life. Unfortunately, while I've been on the leading edge of the "Let it grow in your yard too" movement, I've never been much of a tidy gardener. In fact this year's crop of tomatoes, is hanging precipitously off the edge of a cliff. It's great really, no need for those pesky stakes. My husband has never plowed that field again.

Since I have had my own household, (a long time) I have almost always grown something that was edible. In my mother earth years I did a lot of growing, and since I lived on a dairy farm there was plenty of natural fertilizer. You should have seen the asparagus! The first child was raised on all organic, home grown pureed food.

Why I do this is because I long for an attachment to the earth, the same reason I feed the birds and hummingbirds, and live in the country. I don't want to toil too much, and my fingernails aren't always filled with dirt, but I want to maintain that connection. Besides, there is nothing tastier than fresh produce. I know a chef that is into growing much of the produce he uses in his restaurant, and to this day, the crowds still flock to his doors.

So, sometimes innovation is nothing new, just something that has been around a long time with a fresh perspective. That in essence is the art of life. Take for instance this beautiful pottery by Allan Buitekant. It's simplicity is its innovation. Earthenware has been around almost from the beginning of man, and yet it can be as fresh as a ripe tomato.--Ruth Mitchell

"Faceted Cream & Sugar" - Allan Buitekant

Collecting Art

"Matanzas No. 2" - Priscilla Humay

I look at a lot of art. That doesn't make me the definitive source of information on art collecting, but it does give me a certain skill level. Often I'll be viewing an artist's portfolio, and I'll like one or two pieces out of a dozen, and on rare occassions I will see a portfolio where I like almost every single piece. This signifies to me that this would be a good artist for me to collect.

You do become accustomed to almost instantly recoginzing quality despite the subject matter. And I am one that is truly affected by subject matter. If I don't like the subject matter, chances are I won't like the art overall, even though I might recognize and respect the quality to the piece of art.

There are many facets of selecting art for the site, and I can't always foresee which pieces will be instantly snatched up, but of course we like it when that happens. I don't always seek out an artist based on my personal likes or dislikes, but I try to keep you, the Creative Consumer in mind.--Ruth Mitchell