Paints, brushes, canvases, not to mention a lot of passion, are what drive the visual art majors at Dreyfoos High School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. For these students, art isn’t just something you hang on a wall. It’s their feelings, ideas, and imagination splashed in bright colors for everyone to see.
Every piece they create tells a story. But there’s a big challenge young artists face today. The high cost of art materials. Some professional tools cost more than a car, with prices ranging from $1,000 all the way up to $400,000. For young artists who are always on a budget, those amounts can be totally unreachable. For example, a large canvas these days can cost upwards of $100 and some oil paint costs $10 to $20 per tube! So, how do young and beginning artists deal with this?
“If I paid that much for a canvas, I’d be afraid to put a mark on it,” said Amber Asher, a student artist on social media. “It’s also cheaper to just buy the wood frame and rolled canvas and do it yourself, lol.”
In the midst of that sad reality something extraordinary happened this past February on the ground-floor level of a Palm Beach condominium. Artist Ellen Liman opened her brand-new E. Liman Fine Arts Gallery and Studio in the Palm Beach Towers on Cocoanut Row. When you walk inside, you’re surrounded by bold colors, huge canvases, and artwork that feels full of energy and magic.
All proceeds from the sale of every piece of art go to the visual arts department at Dryfoos. Liman hopes students who dream of seeing their own work in a gallery someday will walk in and think, “Maybe that could be me.”
As reported by the Palm Beach Daily news, Liman said, “I just really think it’s a great opportunity for people to get a terrific picture and help the school at the same time.” Even though art can be pricey and sometimes overwhelming, Liman’s new gallery proves that creativity and compassion always find a way to shine.
For the young artists at Dreyfoos, this space might be the spark they need to dream bigger, paint bolder, and keep creating no matter what challenges they face. Because in the end, art isn’t about the cost of the supplies—it’s about the passion behind the artist.
As Bak visual arts students look forward to advancing their school career at Dreyfoos High School someday, it’s good to know they have a benefactor already investing in their future.
