A Memorable Art Piece

A couple years ago, when life was normal*, Tore and I went to the annual Rock the Inn concert and dance at the McKinney Cotton Mill. The McKinney Cotton Mill is exactly as the name suggests. It is a historic cotton mill located on the east side of McKinney. It has been converted to an event center while retaining the charm of a cotton mill. The building is incredible and I don’t miss an opportunity to visit.

We arrived at the Cotton Mill with plenty of time to spare before Emerald City started performing. We walked the main hall where there was an art exhibit on display. That is when I stopped in my tracks and pointed.

Denise: “Look, Tore!”

We walked closer and I loved the art piece even more when I discovered it was 3-dimensional.

Art is indeed in the eye of the beholder. And my taste tends toward the avant-garde, quirky and off-the-wall.

This art piece was so me.

But alas, I could not swing the price. I didn’t want to photograph the piece, it’s not the same as owning it and I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to. I did my best to capture the image in my mind and the name of the piece was embedded in my memory: “The Clothes Make the Man.” It was the perfect title and depicted so well.

I had the foresight to take a business card from the organization sponsoring the art exhibit.

One random day this year I was thinking about the art piece and had the crazy idea of tracking down the artist to see if it was still available. Shockingly, I found the business card I squirreled away and also sleuthed on social media.

And voila! I made contact with my new artist friend, David Christakos. He quoted me a very generous price that I could not resist. I said yes before he could change his mind.

We met up at the McKinney Arts Festival last weekend where I purchased my art piece. Even though I’m wearing a mask I suspect you can tell I am grinning.

I never imagined myself a collector of art (this is my second piece of art I now own). Both pieces stopped me in my tracks and both pieces seemed out of reach. Yet both pieces seemed to announce they were made for me. I’m glad I didn’t give up on pursuing either piece.

It’s also very satisfying to have a chance to speak with the artists to learn more about the pieces they create. It makes the art even more personal and special – far superior to anything mass produced for a big box store.

In speaking with David, I discovered the shirt on the art is a real tuxedo shirt that has been cut up. So clever!

Thank you, David! Your art is in good hands.