You can’t live in the Ozarks without appreciating local art

I have vivid childhood memories of painting rocks and trying to sell them to non-existent customers at the end of our driveway in Big Piney, Mo. 

Granted, that driveway led to a low-traffic gravel road, but that reality didn’t phase me. After all, it wasn’t my first attempt at an artistic life. 

There was another time when I hung my artwork in a metal storage shed that doubled as my playhouse and personal art gallery. 

Naturally, I put small price tags on each piece of art. It was a pretty sweet setup for a budding artist who was still in the single-digits! 

Before I even stepped foot into an art museum or gallery, I knew art was bound to be an important part of my life. It also helps that I had a mother who indulged the antics of the child I once was.