A mother and her two daughters tentatively enter the garden, not really knowing what to expect once inside. It’s an unseasonably pleasant Sunday afternoon in August and the trio has come with light snacks and sodas. There’s a young couple sitting on the corner of a marble bench that encloses a small patch of land with young trees and other greenery. The mother relaxes on the other end of the bench while her youngest daughter starts to explore the in-ground fountains. Dressed in skinny jeans, a T-shirt and Converse sneakers, she peeps at the fountain spout in front of her and waits for the water’s next appearance. The water peeps out from the concrete about 2 inches then retreats. She anxiously waits for the fountain’s next appearance, which comes out higher and a little more forceful, soaking her pink sneakers and both the younger girl and her sister begin to giggle. They start to run through the fountains, laughing, giggling, getting soaked – finding pure joy in something so simple.

.

When you first see an Alicia LaChance painting you are mystified by its fresh effortless beauty. When you meet Alicia in person, you are struck with that same mystification. Besides being one of St. Louis most sought after female artists, Alicia coowns Hoffman Lachance Contemporary Gallery in Maplewood on Sutton. HLC showcases “Midwestern gems that are maybe a diamond in the rough or perhaps a treasure not yet on people’s radar,” Alicia boosts. As a gallery owner she hopes “people can walk away with a knowledge that these makers of things are the real deal – dedicated and gifted”. She’s currently represented nationally: in Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Naples, and is working with a publisher in London. “It took time to develop these relationships,” Alicia mentions. “Having these people give you their time and space and effort….. so when they agreed, if not with my children, I found myself in the studio around the clock”. If you are looking for a mentor in the art industry and self promotions, you might want to start following and listening to every move she makes. Alicia is, in factdoing, what many artists, and all people for that matter, long for, making a full time living doing what she loves.