I shared a painting or two by Duane Keiser a long time ago.  In case you forgot, he’s a painter, and I like him.  This painting of his recently made its way to my email inbox:

And here’s why that matters to me:

I somehow ran across Keiser’s “Painting a Day” project a few years ago.  He painted something small-scale every day and auctioned off each painting, sometimes months in advance (you could reserve a future painting if you wanted to).  If I hadn’t been extremely strapped for cash at the time, I’m sure I would have bought one of his paintings.

They were paintings of things like jelly jars and pencils and flowers, and I loved them.  They were simple and extremely well done.  They depicted exactly the kinds of things that bring me joy each day–things like my favorite red spork and a pb & j sandwich.  Things that aren’t important in the big picture but that are an integral part of life nonetheless.

Then I kept getting Keiser’s emails after that project ended, and I got to see how his work progressed over time.  And today, when I got the painting in my inbox, I felt like I was getting an update from a friend.

I don’t know this guy at all.  I’m not under any delusion that I do.  But I’ve seen the things he enjoys looking at, and I’ve glimpsed these small parts of his life and home. 

Isn’t that nice?  It’s like walking into an old friend’s house.  You know you’re going to like it, and you know that even if something has changed, it’ll be okay.  You can be happy for your friends when their lives change.

I’m so glad that artists and writers and all sorts of talented people are willing to let others into their lives like that.  Even if it’s only a small piece of their lives that are open for public consumption, I still appreciate the gesture.  Thanks, Duane!  Love your work.