Shared passion

I set out last month to find couples in the arts to profile for a Valentine's Day feature. I had the idea in mind for some time and luckily remembered it in time to get it done.

I've always been fascinated with artists. They're passionate, detail oriented, creative, colorful and usually don't mind a little mess. I'm always spilling stuff, so that works out nicely.

I'm not entirely surprised when two art-lovers get together. People fall in love over drinks, over dinner, why not over art? It's a common interest, but more so, a shared passion.

A director loves the theater; falling in love with a thespian is the embodiment of that discipline. A painter loves art; falling in love with an artist brings their passion to life.

We were lucky to find a theater couple, the Seyers, a visual arts couple, the Thomases, and a dance couple, the Peterson/Edgecombe duo. Each couple represents a different genre and a different generation.

The Seyers have a wonderfully comfortable 30-something years' worth of memories tucked neatly into their home, where sepia-toned wedding pictures and playful stills of grandchildren adorn their walls. The Thomases, who've been together more than two decades, have paintbrushes and dropcloths in their dining room and still talk about what they might do if they retire. The dancers, Philip Edgecombe and Hilary Peterson, are still celebrating single-digit anniversaries and starting up new endeavors.

Though these three couples are featured here, several more live in the area. I was lucky enough to coerce these three couples into appearing in SE Live. I was not lucky enough to find a truly musical duo -- Ellen is a vocal coach; Dennis was a director/stage designer. I was thinking more of a band or choral couple.

These people have found another person who shares a love and whom they can connect with over an art. This Valentine's Day, I hope you can connect and share a love with someone you care about.