Many clients are curious to hear about my personal art collection. The goal of this blog is to talk about my art collection, living with and without my collection, and to write about the work that I would like to acquire. I’ve put a lot of thought into the order of entries - should I start writing about my first piece, then the second and so on? That’s far too orderly and boring for my synchronistic approach to life, therefore the order will be random. Most of my collection is still in the States. The only pieces I brought to Germany were the ones that I flew inside my suitcases (which reminds me of the piece that was damaged when I carried it on a flight returning to the States from Europe. I cried pretty much the entire 8 hour flight. Those who know me know that I’m not a big cryer, but some things are worthy of a good hysterical cry...in this case, a magical still life). My first summer in Germany was funny because I didn’t have any summer clothes - none, nada, keine. I chose to pack artwork instead of clothing. I’ll begin the blog with the piece that I desperately miss. Not a day goes by without thinking about this piece. Odd, it’s a photo (my heart usually lies with painting). I’m not a big fan right now of collecting photography for myself, but I went through a 2-year period a few years ago where I only collected photography. Thomas - maybe this is the reason I’m pushing you so hard to move into other media. 

Should I write in English oder auf Deutsch? Schwer zu sagen. I suppose we’ll have to see what happens. I feel like I should write in German, but it’s so much easier to convey exactly what I wish in English.

Another word about my approach to art collecting. The only rule is to buy what I love. The rule varies by collector. For example, Diane and Bruce Halle focus on work from a certain place - Latin America. In the most recent issue of ARTnews, Diane Halle said “a work has to be museum quality. It has to fit in with what has already been established in our collection. However, we are now focusing on the 21st century, and there are no rules there. It’s wide-open.” Source: ARTnews, The ARTnews 200 Top Collectors, Diane Halle (interview), author Sarah H. Bayliss, Summer 2008.

I am always looking at my art, greeting it as if it were a friend, moving it from room to room depending on my mood. Example -- Paratrooper Woody, 2007, Joan Hiller, mixed on wood -- was just moved from the ceiling in the living room (get it? He was hanging from the ceiling preparing for his next top-secret mission) to the table beside my bed because I would like to look at him more closely. I took a picture of his new location to send to the artist. Sometimes artists like to hear about the life of their artwork when it leaves the studio. There is a lot of breeze in the bedroom so Paratrooper Woody falls down a lot, thank goodness he’s painted on wood panel. What makes me love a piece? It changes with time so I’ll provide an explanation for most pieces.