A seasonal reflection and a thank you note from my art website, as 2019 is coming to a close.

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Thank you for your orders, all of which will be with you before the 20th of December. The shop will close on the 18th of December and reopen on the 10th of January 2020. Sincere thanks for your support and your purchases.
I used to be skeptical about the price of art and until I received a beautiful print as a leaving present from work colleagues. I suddenly realised that this was a once in a lifetime object, something that would be handed down in my family for generations. I started to see the value of art as potential inheritance and as an embodiment of what one values during their lifetime. Since then, my attitude to selling art has changed drastically. I do not mean to imply that my work will live forever. I realise how conceited and improbable that sounds. It really is not about that, but I no longer feel guilty about selling or for making a living out of my work. I am making objects which I hope will have a life beyond mine.  A work of art may just carry a message for a brief time, or for longer; who is to know?  No matter what the legacy of something I make, I now think of it as something that carries within it a story that in the right hands, will retain its potency and fascination.
Art documents and curates knowledge, feelings, ideas and cultural contexts, including aesthetics and political beliefs. Neutrality is possible, of course. Beauty can transcend political statements and other human constructs and altruistic love certainly does.  I find beauty and love, in honouring that which matters to me and in telling an authentic story of our individual and collective humanity. That sense of beauty is deeply personal, like falling in love with someone's character rather than their compelling physical appearance ( I know...the two are inseparable, of course; as in life, so it is in art).  So of the work here is not for everyone, nor will it appeal to all that see it. It will hopefully, speak to some of you and if so,  I hope that it brings you joy.
2019 has been an amazing year of residencies, public commissions, and exhibitions.  The travel and work created both in the UK and elsewhere have nourished and challenged me. It sounds like a cliche, but the people I met and worked with this year were the real highlights of 2019. I learned a lot and I am moving on with great anticipation as I continue to work on next year's plans.
Have a wonderful Holiday and New Year.
George Sfougaras December 2019.

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