I’ve known my wife since my 3rd year of college. At the time, she was studying for an Arts Administration degree, a Bachelor’s from SUNY Fredonia. It’s a degree that combines fine arts skills and knowledge with business skills so that a person is well versed on the fundamentals of handling administration of art related facilities; museums, galleries, and businesses that deal with art as a primary product or service.
It’s a tough field to build a career in, because sadly, these days, there’s not the appreciation given to art that existed in other times. It’s not to say people are uncultured, but the appreciation to really allow for the skilled artist isn’t strong enough for many people to build a career on, even if they have the talent that should allow for it. And likewise, the number of gallery and museum jobs aren’t that diverse. Realistically, you almost need to have a Master’s degree.
Fortunately, my wife had the business skills that made her a candidate for some varied jobs in other industries. Combined with the mind she has, she has pursued a career path in the medical industry, and she’s done quite well, working her way up. All this in spite of any form of medical knowledge from college.
It started with working for Quest Diagnostics for about 5 years, and has since lead her to a higher position as a clerical staff member at a hospital in Buffalo, NY. She makes me very proud with what she does – it’s not a position that people always respect, but the simple fact is, if she does wrong, people can be hurt by it, as much as if a doctor screws up.
But sadly, that means that she didn’t get to build the career she really wanted; to be an artist. It’s something I want to change for her, even just a little. Because frankly, she has a talent that so many people simply do not have. She brings life to beautiful art pieces, and gives soul to the subjects of those pieces. Maybe it can’t be a full-time career for now, but I would love to see her transform her talent into something that has serious opportunities, at least as a side-job in the near-term.
That leads me to Dexter. One of our two Siberian Huskies. The big, bad-ass, strong… baby. No, really, he is bigger than usual, he’s a pretty tough dog when he wants to be, he’s very strong, even an effort for me to control sometimes because of his musculature. He’s also the biggest baby – thinks he’s still a puppy, scared out of his mind of loud noises like fireworks, and he is so much a momma’s boy.
But for all that, he is also a beautiful animal, and when he has the chance to run, or is out for a walk, he does so with his head high, his tail wagging, and an excitement that is nearly unparalleled. He’s an awesome dog, if somewhat mischievous. And he was the subject of my wife’s latest art piece. It was a piece that took her some time. Our move interrupted her work for quite a while, as it took time to find all of the necessary stuff for her to resume her work, and other health and personal issues got in the way for some time.
In the end, though, Kelly finally managed to get this piece done, and it is absolutely gorgeous, as is all of her work. I am hoping this will remind her that her skills and unique talents are absolutely breath-taking, and if she really wants to do some more with this work, I support it. I hope you will, too. If you enjoy her work, you can reach out to me and ask to see more. She is working towards setting up a site for her own portfolio, and I know she’d be happy to do the work for contracts – she has the talent, and doing this truly gives her happiness and a good feeling.
But for now, cast your gaze on the beauty of this image. I’ll try to get a higher resolution version soon, but this was all I had for the moment.
