Adopt An Artist

The thought recently occurred to me when visiting the Art Co-Ops in Cedar Key, how patrons blessed with means could be such a blessing to the arts. It is truly a blessing when a patron who has a heart for the arts,   give of their means to advance the arts, benefiting the entire community. Can you imagine the wondrous works Rembrandt could have produced, had he not spent his days in poverty, painting government officials portraits to make ends meet, or if Theo, Vincent's brother or a patron could have supported Van Gogh?
If you are such a person and find that you have a heart for the arts, take the initiative, or gather a circle of your friends and invest if you will, in an artist. If you are not familiar, visit the Co-Op's and local galleries. The two in Cedar Key were full of wonderful works. Most artists are by no means people of means. A few are. They dabble in the arts as a leisure past time. I am not speaking of these people. They have their own means of support. But seek out a true artist, one who would paint or photograph or sculpt in poverty, because it is their passion, their life force, their testimony. Who knows, you may be discovering the next Adams or Monet, hidden in some obscure gallery in Levy County.
Help this person by purchasing their work, by commissioning them, by gifting them with creative support funds so they can continue in their endeavor, purchase paints, paper,etc. Many artists, unfortunately, were not given the gift of being financial wizards, of dabbling in stocks and bonds and investments. There is a reason they are artists. They long ago found little interest in the analytical, but gravitated toward the spiritual, the ethereal, the mysterious.
You, the patron, if you will, can help these wandering souls to find some security, to find shelter from the harsh world they are attempting to interpret for us, allowing them to pursue the interpretation of our dreams.
A true artist will paint a scene, often with a passion, forgetting or even abhorring to bring into play the distasteful subject of funds. That is where you, the Patron must step in and partner with the artist. Place a gift in the offering plate, if you will. No true minister would refuse to preach until the plate was passed. No true believer would dare receive a gift, a blessing, without doing their part in giving the free will offering.
 In the least,  give to your adopted artist, the tithe, if you will, in the form of purchasing their work, offering studio space, promoting their work to your friends.  There are many creative ways to help, even if quiet and anonymous. It will be a blessing to you, knowing you have carried along the torch of  the arts, and it will be a blessing to the artists, as a few perhaps will know that they are appreciated and  the yellow lights can swirl  under a starry, starry night.