I’m a fan of all sorts of art, from the cave drawings of Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc to Paul Klee. Like many, I scour art, travel and architectural publications looking for any kind of image - sketch, painting, watercolor, photograph - that tickles my fancy and engages my spirit. Though I’m by no means a scholar, I’m an avid enthusiast and do not hesitate to say great things when I see great art. If you’ve seen my abode, you’ll know that I have some pretty far-flung and strange pieces - cool tin repros found at Big Lots juxtaposed with modern lithographs and 500 year-old Thai funerary art. It’s all about the soul, people! I happen to think Boticelli would’ve adored Salvador Dali!

In a bid to spruce up the hallways at work, the company decided to showcase the staff’s artwork. What a great idea! We have quite a few artists that dabble in - or make a living at - painting, photography, etc. The first series up belongs to Matt Higby, one of my sister’s friends, who has the reputation of being a wild child but also possesses one of the keenest eyes for composition that I’ve ever come across. His work is good. Really good. National Geographic good.

Fortunately for me, he enjoys traveling through Asia. His trips have netted some of the finest pictures I’ve seen to date. I hesitate to call them “amateur” because that’s such a misleading adjective. “Amateur” is what I do. What Matt does is phenomenal. So phenomenal that I’ve purchased a couple of his works and have my eye on a couple more.

Go here, peruse, purchase. matthewhigby.com. Tell him Babs sent you.