The Beauty of Small Things

I think this may be the name of a book or something. Not my original idea.  Nevertheless, I love the sentiment, literally and figuratively.

I love tiny flowers that sprout unexpectedly from sidewalk cracks, bare ground or a field of weeds. I love small birds (well, I love all birds), chickadees, hummingbirds, finches, picking their tiny way through this massive world. I love the sound of bees, crickets sawing on a summer night, wind in the grass, leaves rippling. I love the feel of sun on chilled skin, the smell of a child’s neck. I love the events, actions that we think of as small, laughing at something funny, the scents of spring, an arm around a friend’s shoulder. Small things, everyday things.

I saw a video recently that reminded me how unimportant small annoyances are. How it’s important to remember what you actually have to be happy about. It sounds somewhat holier-than-thou, but it’s true. The beauty of small things is really the Big Picture so to speak.

So I promised to report back on my progress. I’m still struggling with the email and social media thing. I’m deeply aware, so that’s something. Also, I have dipped a toe in a short story. It’s progress. A small thing. Slow. But progress.

THE ART FORGER- APRIL 2019 BOOK SELECTION

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro takes the reader into the world of painters, famous and not, museums, curators and collectors. The story centers on a struggling artist with a shady past. Claire Roth is an accomplished artist trying to make ends meet while trying to outrun a questionable reputation. She makes a living working for an organization called Reproductions.com. She is quite talented in reproducing famous artworks but the pay barely enables her to scrape by.

A powerful, well-known gallery owner, knowing her past and her ability, approaches her with an altruistic proposal. The gallery owner, Aiden Markel, has possession of a famous painting called After the Bath by Edgar Degas. This painting was stolen along with several others in the actual, famous heist of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The thieves were never caught and the paintings until now, never recovered.

Markel wants Claire to copy the original painting, sell the copy to his buyer, and return the original to the museum. In exchange, he will give Claire a show in his gallery which will kick-start her floundering career. Conflicted but intrigued, Claire agrees to this Faustian bargain.

Shapiro interweaves the story of Isabella Stewart Gardner, her possible relationship with Degas and how she may have come to possess the painting. Shapiro’s novel makes a commentary on human nature and examines the lengths people will go to get what they want, the rationalizations they use and the unforeseen outcomes of such choices. Shapiro skillfully blends fact and fiction into an entertaining read.