The Piece Of Artwork That Started It All

By Anil Patel

First off, it is incredibly humbling to have been acknowledged in the recent Globe and Mail Catalyst initiative. Thanks to whomever submitted the nomination.

Second, Deirde Kelly from the Globe and Mail and I were exchanging a series of question/answer over email last week. She asked ‘why art and emerging artists?’

Sitting at my dining room table, thinking of a concise answer to share, I looked up from my computer for a moment. And there is was: the first work of art I ever purchased.

The last photo of mum and I before her cancer diagnosis

It remains one of my favourites. Bright colours. The lights of a distant city glowing in the background. As the article referenced, my family grew up a few kilometers from Chatham, ON. On clear, clear nights we could see the glow from several communities around us. 

Welling up, I thought of mum. She was with me when I toiled on which piece to purchase before heading off to university. Just after university she succumbed to cancer.

So my response to Deirdre was simple: Art is often evocative and emotional.  When I look at the painting, it always conjures up a range of feelings that are deeply personal and very important. 

In sharing this more with the Timeraiser community, I hope to renew the conversation around our support for local, emerging artists across the country. While we don’t suggest that Timeraiser is going to solve the ‘starving artist syndrome’, we can make a meaningful dent on it (while raising lots of volunteer hours as well). Your work is important. Your careers should be supported. 

As we’ve written about in past posts, many people who have completed their pledge feel fulfilled because they contributed their time to things that are meaningful to them and important to their community. They also have a really strong bond to the work of art that now hangs on their wall as a reminder of their goodwill: evocative and emotional.

Do you have a story to share? Is art important to you? We’d like to hear it.