The Fine Art of Real Estate

At Allen & Selig Realty's Bath Office, we practice The Fine Art of Real Estate! I'm happy to report that Art and Real Estate are both alive and well in Mid-Coast Maine! The Mid-Coast Region of Maine has one of the most vibrant art communities you will find anywhere. In Bath, during the summer, the Five Rivers Arts Alliance sponsors Bath's 3^rd Friday Art Walks from June - September. During these precious summer evenings, local artists open their studios, as do galleries and local businesses displaying their art, and invite everyone to come see the work and meet the artists.

At Allen & Selig Realty's Bath Office, we are members of the Arts Alliance. This summer, we have been so fortunate to have members of the Kennebec Art Clubdisplay their work on our office walls - - each month, two different artists display their creations and we hold the house open for the Art Walk evenings. Inasmuch as our office is located on the periphery of Bath's Downtown area, we put out a call for artists to create interest in the location by having artists sit out and "Paint the Bridge" on Art Walk evenings. What we have is a rather "industrial" view with BIW cranes in the background, a long line of abutments disappearing into the horizon, train tracks, street signage, etc. This has been the best part of Art Walk for me, personally, as I have met some wonderful, creative spirits this summer.

During the month of June, it rained, rained, rained and I was the only one out there drawing - - you know us real estate sales people - - nothing if not persistent; I wasn't going to let a little bit of rain (it was actually a downpour) dampen my plans.

Then in July, Tricia Scottof Falmouthsat and painted with me - Tricia is an adventurous soul who paints in acrylics - she created a fantastic vision of my work-a-day world where bridge abutments are whales' tales - - she invited me to join her in a place where it was OK for me to paint a pink bridge.

So, the August Art Walk rolled around and after a long, crazy, hectic day when nothing in The Fine Art of Real Estate was easy and I was still working as the artists and visitors were arriving, I thought, "How am I going to make it through the evening?" But, once I forgot the work, and enjoyed the people and their creative energies, the exhaustion slipped away and I was revived, in a happy, serene place - - and I was still at the office! My "Paint the Bridge" artists were a wonderful couple from South Portland - they arrived on the scene a bit late but quickly assessed the views, set up and got to work. I will never forget the sight of Rachel Guthrie perched on the trunk of her car, happily painting the Carlton bridge towers with ominous thunderclouds looming, completely unnoticed, behind her. And Chuck Ott, so intent on his panoramic piece under the lights on the veranda - - I knew it was best to leave this intense man alone while he was working - - but what a smile at the end!

I do believe they will both come back to paint in September - - it will be the 18^th - - put "Bath's 3^rd Friday Art Walk" on your calendar right now! The two artists with work on display in our office "gallery" also sat on the veranda and painted - - Sandra Johnson and Kathleen Sutherland, both of Bath. I, too, found a bit of time to sit with my sketch pad and refine my studies of the abutments - - too much fun!

This is why we need art, this is why right-brained people are so important to my left-brained world, this is why I do what I do - - so go to a local gallery or art show, meet an artist who lives or works in your town and buy a piece of their work; hang it prominently in your home and tell everyone who notices the piece about the wonderful person who created it - - you will enjoy the art so much more for having met the person who made it. Leave the manufactured pseudo-art on the shelves at Target and get the real deal, direct from the artist.

And if you already have art and need walls on which to display it, I can help you with that! Give me a call, shoot me an email, check out my website or find me on facebook because I practice The Fine Art of Real Estate.

See you at the next Bath Art Walk!