Stephanie Paige/Holding Space

I’ve loved modern art since the mid-1970s, the day I walked into the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC and saw their incredible collection. It was my first real exposure to contemporary art and since then, I’ve spent many engaging hours in museums of modern art and among gallery collections.

Over the years, I’ve fallen in love with and bought a few pieces that called my name. 

On a recent weekend in LaJolla, we strolled into a contemporary art gallery and I was blown away by the fantastic work being done today.

I was first drawn to the beautiful Orlando Agudelo-Botero piece above. He’s well-collected and the piece was museum-worthy. So was the price. $30,000.  But I couldn’t take my eyes off it.  I stood there, maybe, 20 minutes?

When I finally could move away, I saw so much else that I was crazy about. The deeper I walked into the gallery, the more eye-catching work I saw, including some unusual Pascal wall sculptures and one in particular that I crave.

And then I saw the mixed media piece that is pictured at the top of this blog post. Something about it spoke to me. It was peaceful, its depth and worn texture spoke of its history. I could visualize it in our home. I took a photo.

After I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I emailed the gallery and a few hours later, we bought it.

And then, the artist provided the backstory. Here’s what Stephanie said:

“…made with a old weathered fence post I found on a hike in the mountains. What a profound memory creating this and the title was inspired by sitting in a quiet place to hold that space inside of us where we are authentic and true.” 

“Holding that space inside us where we are authentic and true.”

Knowing what she had in mind when she gave it its name, I love it even more. Because, here’s a fact: being authentic and true is not always a popular path. It doesn’t make one popular with traditionalists or a comfortable member of any group. People are not always accepting of authenticity, even though another’s authenticity has nothing to do with them.

Despite this, though, being authentic and true is the only way to live. In fact, there is no othe way to really live.

And I love that this piece, which I now look at every day in my home, reminds me of that.