The gift of inspiration

Artists come in all shapes and sizes. Painters, sculptors, carvers, writers …. Who are we to define art?

Not so long ago, one of my friends started to do paper-cutting as an art form. She told me how she suddenly felt compelled to carve and shape paper in different ways. Amazingly, she has found different things to carve and shape from paper. Photographs, magazine pages, paper of different textures and shades.  

Her delicate and time-consuming work keeps evolving. She found out that there is a history of paper-cutters in her lineage and a small community of paper-cutters out in the wider world. 

What she creates is really quite beautiful. It catches light and casts shadows. It can portray any number of different interpretations and meaning both to its creator and to those viewing it. I can talk to this artist friend of mine endlessly about her art.

Finding the right gift can be difficult. She has sculpting tools. She has a room full of paper and materials from everywhere. 

How would I begin to purchase her something that can help her in this endeavor? Painters have paint, often a specific paint. They also already have brushes, often a specific kind of brush. Photographers have cameras. Potters have clay. And so on. 

What do you buy an artist? My latest and greatest advice is: inspiration.

There are so many artists here in the Hudson Valley.  This is their time to shine! Our local artists are often at the plethora of handmade local craft fairs throughout the holiday season. They use the season, as do our local stores, to get them through the slow and quiet winter. They are eager purveyors of their art forms and they love to tell their stories.  

So why not support a local artist this season by passing a piece of their art on to your own artist friends? It could be a print or piece of pottery. We have a lot of jewelry-makers, clothing-makers, bag-makers. 

The gift can be for practical use or something to view from afar.  However, no matter what it is, it is a story of an artist making a go at what they love.  If they happen to have a card containing their website or a postcard, make sure to take that. When wrapping the gift, place the card at the top. 

Perhaps when the gift is being opened you can tell the story to your artist friend.  This person set up the most beautiful table … this person was inspired by … this person uses only salvaged materials … this person went to school for this … this person traveled here to learn more.

Art is a story of the creator as much as the thing they create. Pass that story on to someone who will appreciate it.