By DARLA MCCAMMON

Lakeland Art Association

WARSAW — Lakeland Art Gallery will open for the season with a fascinating exhibit.

Dave Taylor is a familiar face in our community. He has worn multiple hats during his life. From positions spanning twenty-five years with companies such as Rabb and Collier’s he developed expertise in those areas and construction in general.  He then became an entrepreneur. For twelve years he owned Blue Lion Coffee House and for the last eight years has been the proprietor and collector at Blue Pearl Antiques and Art Gallery nestled in Pierceton. The latter position is one in which he has become more and more knowledgeable over time. People frequently solicit advice from Taylor today about art and antiques. He offers free opinions and advice and has gained a reputation for credible information.

Taylor enjoys helping people learn more about art, and educates in starting a collection or making good investments that will grow over time, “rather than spending their cash on prints that often end up in a garage sale where people will purchase it in order to use the frame!”

The collection on display will feature some of his wins as well as some of his less fortunate purchases. Most of the pieces are those he has purchased for less than $50 and he will show what has evolved over his forty years of collecting. Taylor’s wife, attorney Joanne Kolbe, enjoys competing with him and has made many astute purchases herself.

Taylor is amazed how one can pick up things in thrift stores that turn out to be worth quite a bit more than the purchase price. He shares, “As you become more educated, your palette becomes more refined and you learn to discern what can become a very good investment—and this is why I am advocating for our community to have a fine art museum. It will give the youth of our community an opportunity to study fine art on an almost daily basis if they desire. Among many things we plan to offer if we make this museum a reality, is allowing young people to participate in the Lakeland Art Association Young Docents program.”

Taylor is open and frank about his love of collecting. He has one piece he purchased years ago for $2.50 and he laughs when he admits, “It is still worth exactly $2.50!” He has purchased and collected many paintings that have appreciated enormously over the years

The exhibit will be at the Lakeland Arts Association gallery, 302 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw. Open at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Taylor will also be offering a program on this exhibit at 7 p.m., Feb. 27 at the gallery titled “The Art of Hunting Art.” Taylor likes to say, “if you have a judicious eye and you are out there, you can make those good buys and you will surprise yourself.”

Upcoming and Current Events:

• Lakeland Art Gallery, Forty Years of Garage Sale Art, 302 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw, Feb 2 to March.
• Grace College Faculty Exhibit: Jan. 17 – Feb. 4, 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1-4 p.m. Saturdays. Mount Memorial Hall is located at 808 Kings Highway, Winona Lake.
• Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery through March.  Open 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Perry Olshein oil paintings on view.

For more information on topics in this column, please contact Darla McCammon at [email protected] or (574) 527-4044.  Columns will be available on this site soon, following our news media versions.