Welcome, September, and Beautiful Autumn. Someone on Facebook the other day asked a question about the four seasons of the year--which season did I like the least--and my answer is easy.  I'm not a fan of winter.  I do, however, love the other three seasons.  It's one of the reasons I enjoy living in the Midwest.

Covid is still thriving in our area, but a return to appreciating the arts is thriving, too.  There are many autumn arts festivals and occasions to support arts and artists in our area, and people seem to be showing up to appreciate the artists' work, especially if the gathering is outdoors. 

I think it must be difficult to earn one's living as an artist.  For one thing, artists are asking people to purchase something that they don't require; it's not like spending money to put food on the table or making a mortgage payment so families will have a roof over their heads.  And yet those of us who appreciate art and DO art, find that we DO require the arts in our lives because the arts--all of them (and the humanities in general)--enhance our lives like nothing else can.  I listen to music when I paint.  Do you?  I attend theater performances and music performances, and I read every day--sometimes more than one book at a time.  I have a studio in my home where a friend tells me that I "play with paint."  And he's right.  I do. 

I also support Indiana artists.  In our home I have original work by Jerry Smith, Henry Bell, Bob Myers, Jeanne McLeish, Peggy Brown, photographer Mike Jack, Lee Popei, Rena Brower, Connie Sands, Rena Brouwer, Rob O'Dell, beautiful photos of the Michigan City lighthouse by my brother-in-law Kent Lange, and, of course, some of my own work.  And, with the exception of the lighthouse photos from my brother-in-law Kent (which were a gift), I purchased the works of the artists whom I mentioned.

It's important that we support our own people.  I had a decorator tell me the other day that when he decorates the homes of people in the area they sometimes pay a great deal of money for work from "fashionable" photographers and artists which is not nearly the quality of the work produced by artists here.

Therefore, my advice as this autumn seasons gets underway, "Support your local artists."

But that's just my opinion.

Pat

PS:  Paint beautiful things.