ART SAYS WHAT WE CANNOT. IT IS THE GREATEST COMMUNICATOR.

I have a stack of tattered envelopes that I've kept for over 25 years now. They are small and very simple...nothing fancy. Except that they each have a small drawing my brother quickly sketched before the postman arrived to take the mail for the day. Each envelope has pictures of me and memories or jokes that my brother and I share. They are treasures to me now. Just like the postcard sized painting my mural teacher sent when Jeff and I got married and the small picture my mom carved for me one Valentines Day when I was a child.

That is the power of art. It gives you the ability to share your love and creativity with someone else in a medium that is so intimate and special. Art is a gift you can give to both the person who has everything and to the person who has nothing at all.

Your children or grandchildren will treasure the painting you make just for them.Your best friend from school days may not be nearby, but a card with a painting of a flower and a note about its meaning will melt the years away and remind her of the good times you shared.Your spouse loves and supports you in so many ways. What better way to show them your appreciation than with the gift of your creativity?

Regardless of who you give a painting to, or how you decide to present it — framed, in a book, or a card — the unique and handmade quality of it will always mean so much to both the giver and the recipient.

GIVE AWAY YOUR ART! Art says what we cannot...it is the greatest communicator.