City Place, Beach Place

Most everybody has their "what I want to be/do/have when I grow up" thing. Some are lucky enough to live it from the start, many come to it much later, and a few poor souls can't or won't dream.

I wanted to be an artist, but settled initially for being very connected to the art world as a collector, donor and board member. I collected, donated and volunteered for decades, and finally came to a place in my life where I could make art again as more than a hobby. In the past several years I've exhibited my paintings regularly and am grateful for my loyal collectors, helpful fellow artists, and supportive friends who offer me venues to show my work.

The other half of my dream was to have a city place and a beach place. I'm happy to report that having temporarily banked the artistic flames resulted in corporate and consulting income sufficient to accomplish that dream years ago. My condo (now an apartment) in downtown Hartford was crammed full of art, and within walking distance of theaters, a museum, concerts, restaurants, a park and many of my meetings. My beach place was where I went to hide, paint, garden, sail and recharge.

Through the marvels (maybe) of the internet, I can now work from home at the beach while staring longingly at the water, so city and beach have merged somewhat. For me, balance still comes from having both. The city place is full of energy, culture and a diverse group of friends who are super-connected to the community. The beach place offers calmer, more solitary times, as I've always found it soothing to be near water. Oddly enough, though, both inspire me in similar ways, as you can see from this painting – of a city, not my usual water, sunset.