A few weeks ago, my wife quietly tossed out the framed picture of the horse statue on the Plaza in Kansas City. I proposed to her in front of those horses (spoiler alert: she said “yes”), and we bought that gift‑shop poster to remember the moment. It lived in a brass‑colored frame—hey, it was the 1980s—and for more than 30 years it hung in our bedroom. Over time, however, it faded. It lost its spark. So she let it go.
I didn’t even notice it was gone.
That got me thinking about a conversation I’ve had over and over this summer in my art‑fair booth. People wander in, light up at a piece, tell me I have a great eye… and then say, “Oh, I don’t have any wall space at home.”
Maybe that’s just a polite way of saying, “Eh… I thought this was the kettle corn booth.” I tend to take them at their word so lately, I’ve started asking a different question:
“Does anything currently hanging in your home make you feel what you just felt when you saw this piece? Does anything you already own make you smile… or stop in your tracks… or catch your breath?”
If they’re honest, the answer is probably “no.” That doesn’t mean what they have is bad. It just means they’ve stopped seeing it. They’ve walked past it so many times, it’s invisible now. If someone took it down, they might not notice for weeks.
So here’s an idea: Take down a current piece of art in your home. Put it away somewhere safe. Hang up a piece that makes you light up—something you just reacted to, something you can’t wait to show your friends. In a few months, do it again with something new. Then, a little later, bring that first piece back out. If it meant something to you then, you’ll feel that spark all over again—and you’ll be excited to share it all over again, too.
A collector friend of mine does exactly that with some very expensive art from world-famous artists—carefully stored and rotated every season.
Why not try the same with your walls?
At your next art show, buy a piece of art—mine or someone else’s—that makes you smile, or steals your breath, or widens your eyes. Because the best art will do that for you…again, and again, and again.