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Meet


Robert and Nicole


H O EXCLUSIVE COLLECTIONS GALLERIES


COLLECTOR PROFILE You are not at the Buena Vista Cafe, scene of Michael


Flohr’s Luck of the Irish, but at home in the Lone Star State. Texas natives Robert and Nicole Howsey first discovered


owsey


Michael Flohr’s art on an annual anniversary trip to Las Vegas. Although they have only been collectors for about 8 years, they became enamoured with Flohr’s work early on. The ability of a painting to draw them in and make them want to be in that same scene was what originally captivated them. “You just want to be there, kind of like a vacation.


You see a scene and you want to be in there,” said Robert Howsey. “[Luck of the Irish] made me want to be sitting there at the bar talking to the patrons.”


An appreciation for art was instilled in them indirectly


by Robert’s father, an owner of a few Renoir lithographs. After his passing, it was in unpacking and hanging the art pieces in their own home that the Howseys really began to long for art of their own.


“You want to be surrounded by


things you enjoy and appreciate and that are beautiful to you.”


n the corner of Hyde and Beach streets in San Francisco there is a neon red sign luring you into a café. Upon


entering, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee envelopes you, creating pangs in the depths of your body leaving you daydreaming about that cup of joe. The clanging of silverware and the clinking of glasses creates an acoustic symphony, snapping you back into reality. Wanting to make a beeline for the bar, you quickly see that you have to map your steps to make it through the maze of people — people from all walks of life, speaking many dialects and yet somehow speaking the same language, warm, familiar faces all buzzing with the same glow. Once at the bar, you notice the friendly face behind the white horseshoe mustache. He nods to you as he finishes up with another patron. While you wait, you take a look around, noting the art student fervently sketching away, the elderly couple gazing into each others eyes as passionately as on their first date. You turn back to the bar and waiting for you is a devilishly potent Irish coffee. You raise the glass and the ringing from the passing cable cars outside interrupts you. The ringing continues, this time louder and longer than before. It takes a few moments for the sound to register before you recognize it, not as the bell of a cable car, but as the ringing of a landline.


“That’s what we look for in our art. I really want to love it for the rest of my life,” Nicole said. “We quickly learned that if you don’t love it, it’s not meant to be.” In addition to being avid Michael Flohr collectors, the self-proclaimed foodies also have a deep admiration for Asencio. They have named Asencio and Flohr as their top two favorite artists. The Howseys have been enchanted by their unique styles and have never seen one of their paintings that they did not like.


When the Howseys are not busy working, they love to travel and enjoy the excitement of visiting different cities and getting to see different artists. Throughout the past 8 years, their art collection has grown in size while their tastes have remained the same. They have treasured and held on to every piece they have acquired. “It’s a marriage,” Nicole said. “You don’t ever want to get divorced from one of your paintings.”


“Luck of the Irish”, Michael Flohr, Fine Art Limited Edition, 48” x 28”


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