expensive taste syndrome

if i had a lot of money (which i don't), i'd constantly be buying things for my house. even now, being the poor, straight out of college, human being struggling to live pay check to pay check, that i am, i manage to find ways to pull new things into my home. i mean, its a refreshing thing to do, isn't it? its amazing how throwing a picture on a naked wall can transform a space. i am addicted to this feeling. unfortunately, my problem is that i am extremely picky and even worse, i suffer from "expensive taste syndrome" which inhibits me from enjoying or viewing artwork in my home due to the fact that everything i want to fill my walls with is so down right, ridiculously expensive. thus delaying my completion as i wait in anticipation for that one day when i can afford more than a lovely decorative couch pillow purchased from the nearest target. let me exaggerate on this notion by mentioning that i have a delightful fondness for the painter turned photographer, the one and only Loretta Lux.

her kitschy style has been deemed anywhere from 'monstrous' and 'creepy' to 'charming' and 'lovely,' yet ms. lux defines the imagery of the children to a tee when she says

"they are all things real children, to the consternation of parents, can be; awkward, distant, and unengaged, yet beautiful and fascinating in their own flawed way."

i first was introduced to loretta lux when i worked in santa monica, ca at a film production company one summer. my boss had two different pieces of her work displayed in his office. and to say the least, when i laid my eyes on those photographs, it was love at first sight. and since then, i've been searching for a bargain on any of her work. even stooping to the level of convincing myself i'd be satisfied with copies of prints rather than originals... up to this point in time (my search has gone on for more than 2 years and so far, the thought of purchasing a print doesn't even exist and a pricetag can't be traced) i had yet to come across a price tag on the photos. i assumed, at worst, i'd be able to afford at least one of these bad boys within my lifetime... and then, to my dismay i came across an internet site just the other day that sells her work. encouraging? not even close. my heart broke when i discovered an estimate price for her photographs: $12,000 - 18,000. even if i do become a worldwide known architect, i don't think i could talk myself into purchasing one photo for 12k. ms. lux, your work is beautiful, but even someone, like me, who suffers from expensive taste syndrome wouldn't risk taking out a loan for you.

if, once in a blue moon, any of your work happens to go on sale, ms. lux, i hope and anticipate that i will be the first to know. until then, i'll enjoy your photos from the luxury of my (cough) dell computer and satisfy my walls with second best.