My Artist Friend

Most people in the world get paid for the time and effort they put into doing something. There is no reason that artists can’t be paid in this way. Unfortunately there are many people that have a real problem understanding this concept. They just can’t bring themselves to paying for art, whether it is a painting, sculpture, writing or music. 

It boggles my mind that some people feel entitled to enjoy the benefits of another person’s hard work without compensating them for it. Fortunately for my artist friend, Julie Schuler, I am not one of those people. 

I first met Julie through facebook because we both share a fondness for the late, great Charles Nelson Reilly. Soon we found that we both blogged and were also involved in writing books. She is responsible for making me aware of Blurb, the company that I used to publish my book, “Some Kenosha Softball”.

Last year I commissioned Julie to do a painting commemorating the 50^th wedding anniversary of my grandparents, Enrico and Ermalinda Vagnoni. The painting was a Christmas gift and was created using a forty-year-old photograph. The piece proudly hangs in the living room of my dear mother.

 I was so pleased with this portrait that I commissioned Julie to do another one for me. This one was from another family picture that dated back to the same period. It is a photo of my brothers, sister, cousin and myself engaged in some horseplay at our “cottage” at Camp Lake.

Julie is a very talented and interesting lady. Not only does she paint, she also does embroidery, knits, and writes. She is truly a Renaissance woman. You can get your hands on her work several different ways.

Julie has her own “shop” on the e-commerce website, Etsy. She has paintings, prints, needlework, knitting, chainmaille jewelry and various unique accessories available. Here is the link to that website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mygoodbabushka?ref=pr_shop

If you would like to commission Julie to do a custom portrait, check out her portraiture blog. It has several examples of her work and a list of what she charges for her work. Here is that link: http://jkwiatkowskiportraits.blogspot.com/

As I said before, Julie is a writer. She has published two books using Blurb, “On A Windy Night” and “The Holiday Story”. I own a copy of both of them. If you are interested in them, here is the link: http://www.blurb.com/search/site_search?search=julie+schuler

One final way to see this talented person’s work is on her blog site, “My Good Babushka”. That link is: http://mygoodbabushka.blogspot.com/

I hope that you take the time to check out Julie’s work and maybe even purchase something from this gifted person. Just remember, art, in any form, is work and the artist deserves to be compensated for their efforts. Please support the arts. Until next time…from the booth.