Art and Creativity: Art as Gifts - Temporary Experiences and Lasting Value

When I was a kid, my dad was always talking about creating things with lasting value. 

Although he was not an artist, per se, he was a great woodworker and cabinetmaker, as well as a professional restorer of antique paintings.

Whenever he was in the woodshop, his focus was on making furniture and cabinetry that would "last for generations."

More often, however, I would watch him restore old paintings. One of his favorite things was to cruise estate sales and antique markets (particularly in London and Amsterdam) in search of really old, dirty and damaged paintings which he would then carefully restore to something close to their original beauty. 

Several times, I watched him remove centuries of grime, smoke residue and grease from an almost-black painting from the 1600s or 1700s to reveal an early "Master" work... and the attendant lesson was always that work with "lasting value" would never be out of style.

These memories came to mind this morning as I was looking through old photographs of my father at the restoration easel... and then thinking about the changing face of art in our times.

Things seem a lot more temporary, these days, as artistic expression seems to become more and more of a fleeting expression and experience, rather than a permanent object.

Not that that's a bad thing, mind you.

For example, I have great admiration for the Tibetan monks who spend days and weeks creating intricate mandala paintings with colored sand... only to brush them away with the stroke of a hand, as a reminder of the impermanence of life.

That, in and of itself, is an artform.

In somewhat stark contrast, I think about the people who visit our gallery with the intent of buying a piece of art as a gift for a friend or family member. 

Personally, I think art makes a beautiful gift-- it can be very personal, and it conveys that element of "lasting value" my father always talked about. But many people are not comfortable with the idea... "I just am not sure my friends would appreciate it as I do," they say. Of course, quite often we also know the "friends," this being a fairly small town... and know their friends would be thrilled with the art.

Sadly, people leave without the art, and instead end up at a department store where they spend a similar amount of money on some "popular novelty" that will get a good laugh for ten minutes and then end up in the recipient's next garage sale.  Which is pretty sad.

Which leaves me pondering the greater sociological (and human) question of why we so often reach for the lower common denominator in decision making, rather than the higher one. What do YOU think?

Meanwhile... don't be afraid to give the gift of art!

Thank you for reading! Red Dragonfly is a proud member of the @sndbox creative initiative.

The Red Dragonfly is an independent alternative art gallery located in Port Townsend, WA; showcasing edgy and unique contemporary art & handmade crafts by local and worldwide artists. All images are our own, unless otherwise credited. Where applicable, artist images used with permission.