Beauty Is In The Eyes Of The Beholder

I recently saw an interactive representation of Monet’s paintings. The first time I saw any of his artwork was many, many years ago at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. I fell in love with the panels of Water Lillies. I sat on the bench in front of the paintings and was mesmerized. My husband kept encouraging me to leave!

Now, once again, I sat mesmerized. There is just something about Monet’s use of color and light that reaches my soul.

All museums and exhibitions make you exit the show through the gift shop. More often than not, the “gifts” are lovely but very expensive. If you want a souvenir from the experience, you usually settle for something you know you will throw away just because it is cheap.

This time, I was surprised; the items were not too expensive, but you still ask yourself, do I really want this?

I saw two contenders to bring home. The first was a lovely shawl in the colors of water lilies. It was 40 dollars. It was soft and inviting. I didn’t buy it although I liked it because I couldn’t figure out when to wear it! The second object was a poster of the Japanese Bridge over the pond of water lilies. At nine dollars, it was the winner.

Only when I got home did I realize the nine-dollar bargain would cost me dearly to find an appropriate frame? I will first look at garage sales and Goodwill stores. The next question is: Can I mount it properly, or will that cost me more?

Art is definitely in the eye of the beholder. Many years ago, I went to a garage sale in New York. I saw a wall hanging made of metal rods depicting a fantasy of hot-air balloons in flight. I had never seen anything like it, and I bought it. I hung it immediately when I got home.

I was the only one who reacted positively to it. My son called it the Carnival Nightmare.

When we moved to Virginia, the Carnival Nightmare came with me. Over the years, tiny bits and pieces had broken off, but I kept it on the wall nonetheless. I put it in an obscure place so that I could still look at it, but most people would never notice it.

After ten years or so, it was time to repaint. It was time to depart from my old friend. I put it out in a garage sale. Although it was slightly less beautiful than I initially purchased, it was still lovely. All day long, I waited. No one gave it a second look. Almost as the sale ended, a woman stopped her car and returned to the items still left from the day's sales. She had a big smile when she saw the Carnival Nightmare was still there. She told me she took a chance that it would still be for sale and waited for the last moment to return and get a discount. She loved it.

I found a kindred soul. I gifted it to her and told her I hoped she enjoyed it as much as I did.

My son was amazed that someone besides me liked it.