{ Joy! } Art and Lucy Schappy
I first spied Lucy Schappy’s work a couple of years ago at the Atlas Cafe. I kept taking breaks from conversation around the table to walk around so I could gaze at them a little longer.
Whimsical… Alive… Dreamy… Magical…
I met with Lucy at her home a few weeks ago. She showed me around her studio and we chatted about her work . It was apparent to me that each one of Lucy’s paintings is the building of a relationship – complete with ups and downs, breakthroughs and disappointments.
These relationships began as humble exploration into oil painting after Lucy attended a local art workshop. At that point, Lucy was a dentist – practicing locally and enjoying a rewarding career. But after a 3 year leave she came to a crossroads where she had to decide between art and dentistry. During a coffee-date with a good friend she came to vivid epiphany - what she wanted to do, despite of the all the challenges, was paint. Lucy followed her love and left her profession as a dentist behind.
The career of an artist is not an easy one. As an artist, one has to shed stresses and distractions in order to bare their own souls to their creative hands on a daily basis. And with all that soul-deep emotion being poured into each piece, I often wonder how it must feel to let go of the creations when someone purchases it for their own home.
Before I was a family-gal living in the Comox Valley, I worked at a well-known art gallery. I spent 2 years there, helping everyday people make connections with original art. Naturally, most of my interaction was with the customer. It never ceased to amaze me how unique each client/art connection was. I never really had much of a chance to talk one-on-one with the artist, and frankly, I’m not sure I would have had the insight to start a decent conversation anyway. But now that I’ve had time to ponder it all, I find myself increasingly curious about how artists feel when it comes to letting go of their art so that other’s may hang it in their own homes.
What happens to the relationship between the artist and the piece of art when it is purchased?
What kind of relationship forms between the purchaser and their new art?
Lucy and I discussed these questions….
The relationship that an artist builds with a painting isn’t tangible. It is part emotional, part spiritual perhaps - it cannot me measured. The relationship exists without end, even when the product of that relationship (the painting) ventures on to become the property of another. Each painting represents a deep relationship with the artist. Complex and meaningful on so many personal levels, these works of art will start a new relationship when they become part of someones home but will never loose intimacy with the artist.
For the purchaser, the relationship is different. In my experience, there are few people who desire to connect with a new painting on the same level the artist did when creating it. Art speaks to us all individually. There is no magical equation for understanding art – and there is no requirement to understand the “deeper meaning” before falling in love and making it a part of your home. As I pondered how the new relationship between the purchaser and the painting could be described, the word “JOY” was resounding my my head. This is the appropriate word to use for myself as a collector of original art. I purchase pieces for my home that become a visible emotion.
Original art is a beautiful way to infuse your home with extra energy and emotion. We are so lucky to have many talented artists, such as Lucy Schappy, living and working here in the Comox Valley.
If you want to see more of Lucy’s art visit Magnolia Gallery in Cumberland. Current works are available for viewing and purchasing.
Lucy’s Website is: www.LucySchappy.com
“Joyfully cheering you on, Lucy!”
~ b
