When it comes to finding the right gift, have you ever heard, "... oh, you got me art - couldn't you find a real gift?" Conversely, can the gift of art rank high among the most ideal ways to make an impression in the holiday season? Wayne Weberbauer, an internationally commissioned fine artist working out of the Los Angeles area, is one who acknowledges that artwork can range anywhere from "cheap trash" to unique pieces that stand for a lifetime among the best of any gifts that can be given. But it has a lot to do with the aesthetic palate of the viewer and the message from the giver. Did the giver understand the recipient enough to make the art choice something of worth?
Rather than focusing on the lower end of what passes for "art", let's look at what true art can do. It can bring enrichment to relationships of almost any kind. It can bring loved ones closer together, it can make parents proud or children feel important and privileged among them all. It can acknowledge grandparents for a lifetime of accomplishment - for founding and carrying forward a family and its traditions. One piece of artwork can become a family treasure of increasing sentimental and even financial value. Art can remind us of the most pleasurable memories of pets and places, events and accomplishments.
Why then is it possible that such impressions and memories are to be had from art? Well, there is "art" and there is "Art!" In other words, the better the quality of the impression or emotion or idea that is being put across from it, the more it could be considered art. To illustrate, let's describe a painting as "a flat piece of cotton-based canvas with colored oils spread on it in various combinations and patterns." OK, compare this to, "a fantasy oil portrait which spotlights the most striking and impressive personality characteristics of the subject, using lighting effects the like of which have not been seen since Vincent van Gogh." It may be obvious that both descriptions could apply to the same piece of art, but what we are talking about is the quality of the piece. There are writers whose skill in description of art can make one desire to have that particular piece. There are others whose "skill" can make a fine piece sound cliché and unwanted. And here again, we are talking quality of the writer's art.
Wayne Weberbauer has some examples of such works and he does commissioned artwork. He is even available for preparatory length of the holiday season. Anyone can see some examples of his work or get in touch with him for opinions or consultations at his website: http://www.wayneweberbauer.com/.
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