About Abacus Art of Asheville

“Art teaches nothing, except the significance of life.” Henry Miller

To exist, we eat, drink, sleep. But to live, to flourish, to thrive? We must have art.

Growing up, I was blessed to live in a creative community. I spent much of my time in my best friend’s house, which was overflowing with art — and it was here I absorbed the notion that these things we create are a vital part of living. Fifty years later, my mind’s eye still wanders through that house on Colobaugh Pond Road in upstate New York. I can still feel the wonder of the sculptures, the paintings, the wood carvings — am still mesmerized by the many different cultures and forms of creativity I encountered within those walls.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t personally gifted with any considerable artistic ability. My finest achievement is almost certainly a picture I drew in my 30s…of a bird with four legs. Talk about artistic license!

The four-legged bird did, however, make my daughters laugh — and herein lies the magic of art.

It’s about the subjective. The sublime. The experience.

Eat, drink, sleep, exist. Laugh, and make cherished memories with your loved ones.

Thrive. Flourish. Art does, indeed, teach us the significance of life.

My goal at Abacus Art Acquisitions is to spark in others the same sense of wonder and connection that art has long offered me. I aim to showcase visual pieces by artists whose talent catches my eye, for the colorful reasons art has such power to do.

So thank you wholeheartedly for joining me, the Unlikely Gallerist (and originator of the four-legged bird!), on my journey. I hope it inspires you to begin a journey of your own.

Lisa Michaels

Creative work is a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.” – Steven Pressfield