Right before Christmas, I received a book in the mail. Upon opening the package, I saw it was from an antiques dealer in Savannah. I had purchased several pieces of furniture from him, and also a piece of his artwork.

The canvas I purchased is full of color, and I could see what he was trying to capture as he explained it to me while I was in his gallery. So, I brought it home with me and hung it in the hallway, right outside the doors leading to my bedroom. In the afternoon, the sunshine comes through the bedroom window and hits it in such a way that the whole painting glows.

As I flipped through the book, I was surprised to see my painting depicted there.

There was a picture of the painting, along with a description of what the artist was thinking…

Also included was an inscription from Vincent.

I had recently bought an easel for the library, and this was a perfect place to display the book. I kind of laughed at the final line that said ‘from the private collection of Tonja Owens.’

What exactly would be considered worthy of an art collection? I really don’t have a lot of fine art. This piece and 2 others are all that I would consider ‘fine’. I do have some other original art that I am very fond of. And I have some vintage wooden artifacts that are very valuable to me…and probably only me. Yes, I would consider them art. I have some fabulous photography that is certainly considered art. I also have several artifacts from Africa and South America, given to me by my parents, that would fit in the category also.

So, maybe I do have an art collection. For certain…it is mostly valuable only to me. But, that’s as it should be, isn’t it?