The End of Time

Hear that?

It's the silence which follows when the end of an era happens.

For as long as the Ole Trawler has been in Coos Bay, about eight and a half years, the Snoddy's, Jane and Ken have owned Easy Lane Frames and Select Gallery.

They have without complaint or attitude arranged shows, held classes and displayed art and of yes, they have done the best framing in the area.

This week all of that came to an end.

Easy Lane Frame and Select Gallery is no more. Now the Snoddy's didn't run into financial trouble, although the Gallery was never a gold mine and they didn't fall to illness nor did they lose their lease, they just got tired of not having all of the things the rest of us take for granted.

Ken and Jane have listened to, held the hands of and taught artists in this area for many, many moons and they did so at the cost of skipping family gatherings, lost vacations and the continual strain of keeping the lights turned on and in the end they just decided that they ought to have a bit of fun while they were still on this side of the grass.

Now they would never say so but you know when you have a shop everything in your life revolves around that shop. When you are there you are trying to make enough money to keep the doors open, when you aren't you worry about what you will do when you are there and when you take time off you know that every second away from the shop is a day's worth of catching up which will have to be done when you get back to the light keeping on part.

They wanted to sell the business but they were too honest to let someone buy it without knowing that there are months when it just doesn't cover all of the bills. Ya see, all this time they have been subsidizing your art work and they never said a word.

Some of us dropped by this week to say a sad goodbye and to move a box or carry out a crate, maybe buy some materials just to keep it from going to the dumpster. Ken and Jane were there and even when you did buy something they cut the price to near give-away levels.

Now they are gone and the building where so many of us had our art displayed and never gave a thought to what it cost the Snoddys to offer such a service sits empty. Just another ghost in the real estate landscape.

Jane and Ken for all of the things you did, for all of the people you helped and all of the lessons you taught, artists you supported and the warm personal manner you carried on your business with, thank you.

You done good and there won't be another to fill the void.

But maybe when we see you out on the road, painting and taking pictures you'll still take a minute to speak and nod and let us capture some of the joy and comfort you brought to the art scene for so long.