Among the challenges of living in a mass-produced, consumption-driven society, is a decline in appreciation of individual creativity. There is wide preference for a large amounts of cheap "stuff" as opposed to satisfying needs with high-quality and carefully created items. One of the most glaring examples we see in our gallery are the pens painstakingly created by Ann Hast. Each of her pens requires about 3 hours of her time to create...plus the cost of materials. Prices for Ann's pens start at about $35...certainly a reasonable price for 3 hours of time and creativity. But, we are constantly reminded that a perfectly functional (machine-produced) pen can be purchased for less than $1.
Another example is the stunning glassware produced by Phylis Denton. It takes Phylis several hours, and a number of steps to create each of these, using high-quality glass, and very specialized equipment. Functionally, they serve the same purpose as glassware that may be purchased for about $5-$10 at high-volume retailers.
In a prior post, we spotlighted Rebecca Glasgow's oil paintings, and the 100+ hour labor of love to create them.
The items being created by Artists and Artisans are rarely necessities-of-life. But, they bring color and value to our lives. Wouldn't it make sense to fill one's life with a smaller number of unique artist creations, rather than a large number of mass-produced items?
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