Art Unboxed The Print Store

Years ago, after years away from drawing or pursuing art, there was a store in the Bristol Mall. I don’t even remember the name of it, but I remember it fondly. There were all kinds of different landscapes and animal artwork. I remember one print I bought of a sea captain overlooking the ocean.

While I had forgotten that store for years, I remembered it today. I realized, listening to a podcast, how much that store impacted me years later. I also remember being fascinated at inspirational paintings and sculptures in our local Christian bookstore. As a child, animation and the illustrations from story books filled my imagination.

I’ve heard artists talk about the first image they remember having an impact on them, which led to their careers in art. Some were paintings, some were picture books, but they both had a lasting impact. The value of art is not in the form or the price tag, but the impact it has.

Those of us who appreciate art, who draw and paint, can get preoccupied by the means and the media. As a child I did not realize that a sculptor may sculpt in clay, but either hire a stone or marble carver, or have a foundry produce the bronze. I thought every statue was chiseled or cast by the sculptor themselves. That lack of knowledge didn’t diminish the impact on my life. To me The Lincoln Memorial was a unique work of art, and now that I know more, it’s still a unique work of art.

I’ve said all of this, and I would guess you’re probably agreeing with me, but thinking what is the point. The point is simply that the art that you and I are doing is impacting someone. Whether it’s a pencil sketch or instagram, or a drawing for your child, you are making an impression. I do not know whether my or your artwork will ever hang in a gallery. Yet if it hangs in the art gallery of someone’s mind, it’s a work of art.