Art in the City
A Present for All
A couple weekends ago, we made a trek to NYC to look at art and spend time with friends. The trip was also for undisclosed purposes not to be revealed until we arrived in New York. I’m not the most stealth when it comes to surprises, but I was hoping that this secret meeting wouldn’t be exposed before our meeting occurred.
Warren’s next birthday is a milestone year, so I wanted to make the occasion special in some way. Years ago when we were in New York, we were gallery hopping and came across a wonderful painter who Warren really admired. Actually, I never saw him respond to a piece of art like that before, so I knew that one day acquiring a painting for him would be a great gift. With the birthday coming close, I thought this would be a great time to make the investment.
The artist’s name is Melanie Vote and she is definitely as amazing as her paintings. In April, I emailed Melanie to ask about which paintings she currently had available. Warren’s pick was long gone, but she invited us to come to her studio to check out her new collection and some of the old work that she still has available. All Warren knew was that he had to meet “his present” while we were on vacation in the city.
The meeting was inspiring and we learned about Melissa’s process and the connections that both her and Warren had. It turns out that both of them grew up in Iowa. With most artists’ aesthetics being strongly tied to their environment, it could have been coincidence or something from Melanie’s “Iowan life” that somehow connected with Warren through her art. Either way, her Iowan narratives that intertwined with her work made the art connect to Warren all the stronger.
Melanie’s studio space was inspiring and I would love to drop everything after hanging out with her and become a fine artist. Currently, Melanie was in our area visiting her sister and also working on a new art project. We got to take both of them to dinner over the weekend. Hanging out with Melanie helped Warren with his final decision. He decided on a piece called Refuge in Ruins.
Here are some pictures of work in her studio. I really hope you enjoy!
