Melanie and Mike’s collection is highly personal. Melanie is an artist and has been painting for 20 years. “She has the knowledge,” Mike says. With a smile, he adds, “I’m the banker.” He undersells his role in assembling the collection, however. They collaborate on commissioning pieces for special occasions, acquiring works by teachers and their students and, sometimes, they wander on their own through art shows only to meet up and discover they both like the same piece. That happens when you’ve been happily married for 50 years.
“When I started painting,” Melanie recounts, “the idea developed that it would not only be fun to paint but also to collect. The first piece we bought was in Carmel. We had spent time there and it was a reminder of our visit. It triggered the desire to have more art. When we moved into this house there was a whole lot of wall space.”
“When we started off, we collected impressionists and later moved into contemporary art as we grew in knowledge and gathered more information,” Mike explains.
“We met Vanessa Rothe at Vanessa Rothe Fine Art in Laguna Beach,” Melanie says. “She’s been instrumental in helping us build our collection. She’s well connected to artists and to the art world. That has been extremely valuable to people like us who were starting at zero. She has since become a friend.” Rothe’s description of her gallery is an apt description of the couple’s collection—“contemporary realism and impressionism, with a hint of modern.”
Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av American Art Collector.
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Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av American Art Collector.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
FULL EXPOSURE
Photographer Conor Martin documents the present using photographic methods of the past.
Autumnal Light
The landscapes and nature scenes of painter Jennifer Sowders are irresistibly tactile, filled with varying textures that seem to leap off the canvas.
Art for All
Members of Art Dealers Association of America come together for a philanthropic affair.
Modern Marketplace
Redwood Art Group brings together the San Diego region for another class-act celebration of contemporary artwork.
An Enchanting Evening
Scottsdale Artists’ School knows how to throw an art party.
Timeless Tales
Soft, warm undertones underscore the mood of enchantment that runs through Nom Kinnear King’s paintings.
Next Exit New York
Coming off his series that focused on San Francisco and Los Angeles freeway signs, artist Eric Nash’s sights are now set on New York. Now on view at George Billis Gallery's Manhattan location are seven of Nash's new oil paintings and two drawings that explore the signage of New York City freeways. Although Nash's work is tightly rendered, he doesn’t consider himself a photorealist, but rather someone who utilizes those techniques to express ideas.
Monster Mash
Vampires, witches, ghouls and all things that go bump in the night are the theme of the exhibition Monster Mash, now at Abend Gallery.
Inside/Outside
Those familiar with Geoffrey Johnson's populated by inky figures and trailing shadows that bleed into the wet streets, and architectural elements obscured to varying degrees by the misty atmosphere.
Bold Figures; Bold Color
For Brooklyn based painter J Louis, it’s all about balance, which can mean many different things in a composition, but for Louis, it’s about balancing his female figures among a unique landscape of color.
