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Art as a Gift
ASK THE
artsperts www.harmonmeek.com
by Kristine Meek and Juliana Meek 599 NINTH STREET, NORTH, SUITE 309 | NAPLES, FL 34102 | 239.261.2637
Dear Artsperts,
Would purchasing a painting be a good gift for someone With gifts for a dear friend, clients have purchased small
special for the holidays? watercolor flowers by Gary Bukovnik. A noted watercolorist,
Signed, Gary Bukovnik has works in the permanent collections of many
Holiday Shopping top museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Smithsonian, Chicago Museum of Art, and Fine Arts Museum of
Dear Shopping, San Francisco. His flowers are beautiful and make for a very special
gift for a dear friend.
Fine art is personal because it is about how the viewer relates to
Reynier Llanes is a young artist
the images and colors in a work and the feelings the work evokes.
who is gaining popularity and
With the unique nature of art, it does make for an excellent gift for
creates many
someone special – a spouse, children, or dear
small works.
friends – someone close to you, whom you
Each of his
know well.
paintings has
In most cases, works that are purchased as a
many layers
gift tend to be small works. Not only are these
of meaning
works less expensive, but their size makes them
and therefore
easier to wrap and give. Small works are also
intriguing to
easier to receive because they can fit anywhere
the viewer.
in the recipient’s home. There is always room
He works
for a small work!
in a variety of media, most uniquely coffee.
When purchasing for children, a good
He discovered painting by coffee by accident
choice is a 10”x 8” Hunt Slonem rabbit. These
in Cuba when he spilled coffee on his paper.
are the most popular works that are purchased
However, with coffee being more abundant and
as gifts for children (both young and adult).
less expensive than paint in Cuba, it became a
Hunt Slonem is well known for his rabbit
medium he mastered.
paintings and the small 10”x 8” rabbits come
When purchasing for a spouse, there are
in a variety of colors and techniques, such as
many options for choosing a work that reminds
diamond dust and metallic paint. No matter
you of your spouse. The trick is keeping it
how many he has painted, each rabbit has its
a secret from them! In one case, a client
own unique personality.
purchased a work for his wife as a gift. He
knew she loved the work, so it was an easy purchase. It became
tricky when his wife came in to purchase the work for herself.
We are normally extremely honest at Harmon-Meek Gallery, but
in this scenario, we had to come up with a quick lie to keep the
purchase a secret!
Each year with holiday gifts in mind, Harmon-Meek Gallery
features a small works of art show. This year’s feature runs
November 21 – December 30 at 382 12 Ave S.
th
Sincerely,
The Artsperts
“Laurtrec Sketch” by Reynier Llanes, coffee on paper, 9” x 11”, 2023
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22 Life in Naples | December 2023
