"Point of View"

Blogger's Note: Bonnie Goldberg's 'point of view" acrylic ink and watercolor crayon on canvas; 30 X 30; can be seen at Paul Sloan Interiors on Gervais Street, Columbia, South Carolina


Sometimes I see her in the park; walking with her iPod plugged into her ears. She always has a dreamy smile on her face. I wonder what she is listening to? She walks briskly, but gracefully. I wonder if she is a dancer? She walks up to a huge oak tree, reaches out to it with both hands and looks up. An apparent greeting to an old and dear friend? She gracefully bends and runs her hands through the fallen autumn leaves. She catches one in her fingers and carries it off with her.

More often than not, you can find her in the coffee shop, curled up in the over-stuffed chair in the back corner. Last week she had a copy of Emily Dickinson's collected poetry. Today she is turning the pages of Vanity Fair. Ever so often, she stops on a page and you can see her eyes dart up and down. She sips cautiously from her coffee cup. I suspect she is admiring, or disapproving, of the fashion statement of one or another celebrity. She is always smartly dressed with just enough edge that makes you think she may be a little quirky. Quirky is good. Quirky helps you survive in this often black and white world. Quirky keeps them guessing.

Last night friends and I stopped in that new pub on Main Street. It's darkly lit and hosting an up and coming local band. The music is rather loud, but out of the noise I hear a hearty, controlled laugh. When I turn, I realize it is her. She is sitting at the bar with several people; all seem so beautiful. A tall, blond, mustached man rests his hand on her shoulder. She holds a champagne flute in one hand and gestures widely with the other. They are all laughing now; sparked by her wit?

I notice that she always carries a tote and peeking from the top you can see a leather-bound journal. I think it is a journal; it could be a sketch book. And, she always as a camera; but I have never seen her take a photograph. I wonder, have I been caught in her lens at one time or another? Has she ever noticed that I show up in the same places? I wonder.

I wonder "what is her point of view"?

Herb & Dorothy, Art Collecting and Me

When you think of art collectors, you have images of the rich and famous; of people spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for paintings by well known artists. You think of the Rockefellers, Gettys and Mellons. Do you know about Dorthy and Herbert Vogel? They are my new heroes; art collectors of modest means.

In 2007, Sotheby's UK included the Vogels in their book, Great Collectors of Our Time: Art Collecting Since 1945; and placed them among the top art collectors in the world. The Vogels had amassed a collection of nearly 4,800 pieces of conceptual and minimalist art.

It's not the number of pieces in their collection that makes them so unusual; and to me it's not even the artists that they collected. Herb was a postal clerk and Dorothy, a librarian in the Brooklyn Public Library. In the early 1960's, this couple began collecting artwork guided by two rules: the piece had to be affordable and it had to be small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. Herb's salary was devoted to collecting and they lived off of Dorothy's paycheck.

In 1992, the pair decided to transfer the collection to the National Gallery of Art and later, in 2008, launched the Dorthy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States (along with the National Gallery of Art, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services). The program has donated 2,500 works to 50 institutions across 50 states. The Columbia Museum of Art, in South Carolina, is one of those lucky venues.

Art is one of my passions. I have always hesitated to refer to myself as a collector; having the image of the Rockefeller, et al, accompanying the definition of collector. Now, having been exposed to the Vogel collection and the story of Herb and Dorothy, I "admit" to being a collector.

Unlike the Vogels, I do not have any "rules" to my purchases (other than how much can I afford to spend). My selections are mood initiated. The piece ends up "speaking to me" and I take it home. There is a story behind every purchase. The local artists in the Columbia area are phenomenal. They continue to amaze and inspire me; and comfort me in the confines of my home.



One of my favorite artists, and now dear friend, is Bonnie Goldberg. Bonnie's work speaks to my femininity, strength and spirituality. These paintings to the left are "New Attitude", "Reflections of You", and "Ladies Night Out".

As I survey my "collection", I realize that most of the paintings and prints are that of women; women alone, women with children, women with pets, women with women and two pieces of a woman with a prince. Now that speaks volumes to me.


Local artist, Blue Sky, is probably best know for his depictions of the Columbia area, Lake Murray and South Carolina in general. Shortly after my brother died in 1998, I was in Blue's gallery looking for a gift for a friend that was moving out of town. I saw this print for the first time then. This woman, was fallen upon the rocks of the river's edge, in despair. A lump formed in my throat. This piece, to this day, chronicles my grief of the loss of Bob. It's not with sadness that I look upon it; I know my brother would have appreciated the emotion of the image.


Friends question just what emotions I was experiencing when I chose "Good Ole Gal" by Cecil Parsons. I think I just saw a happy, well-groomed old lady with her cat. I aspire to be a happy, well-groomed old lady with a cat.

I have been lucky enough to add to my collection works by Richard McDonald, Joann McDermott, Carol McGill, Howard Hunt, Vincent Suttles and, of course my grandparents, Christine Lange and Ferdinand Veit.


I am no Dorthy and Herb Vogel. . .I'm just a "wanna be". . .I have lots of work to do.