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Why Buy Original Art Work?

All artwork copyright 1996 - 1999 Donna Barnes-Roberts All Rights Reserved

"California Poppies" Original Watercolor

Well, most people don't. Americans especially stay away from original artwork in droves. It's not surprising, I suppose - we are used to getting stuff cheap. Stuff that is mass produced. Made by machines or by poor people all over the world for a little rice.

Original artwork is sweated over, worked on by the hand and mind of an artist, and that costs something. Sometimes surprisingly little to the buyer - but still something. Original artwork should be bought because it excites, entices, stimulates. It should not be bought because it is a good investment. Any dealer or artist that tells you that art is a sure-fire investment should be forced to go to art purgatory and look at bad art for the rest of time.

So don't choose artwork to cover your walls and match your decor. If that reflects your requirements, buy a poster. There are lots of great ones out there. Put it in a stylish frame. It will probably fade or yellow with time. But you can replace it easily and cheaply when you get tired of it. If, however, you want to collect things that reflect the touch of humanity - a reflection of the artist's soul - you will find yourself collecting fine art or crafts. If you yearn for an environment that includes work that was built by hand - layer by layer - one of a kind - unique - if you do not want your entire life to be composed of mass produced automata, then original art may be your cup of tea.

"Scarlet Macaw" Original Watercolor

The first thing you need to know is what makes something original art, and why you should spend your hard-earned money for it. First things first. Original art work is original. This means that it is a one of a kind creation. An artist may do a series of similar paintings, but should not be painting the same painting over and over again.

"Emergence" Original Watercolor

It should not be painted from pictures in magazines - except sometimes as a crude reference point. Original art is not a copy of a famous or not so famous painting - that is not original. Original art CAN incorporate photographic images if they were taken by the artist, and are part of his personal vision. Original art does not have to be avante-garde (an old term by now ) or abstract. It does have to be an original vision created by the artist. That includes traditional, impressionist, expressionist, conceptualist, and all of the other -ist visions. If you don't know what these terms mean, it doesn't matter - if you are interested, you will learn. But the first thing you need to know is what is in your heart. What speaks and is important to you.

The art community has spent a lot of time and money trying to tell people what is good and bad art, and occasionally they know what they are talking about. But too often art critics, curators, and other art movers and shakers are people who love art, but especially love their kind of art. Only their kind of art. They are frequently unkind to art that they do not appreciate or cannot linearly link from "art movement A" to "art movement B". The real world does not really work in linear lines - influences fan out, become diverse, coalesce and reformulate into both new and old.

Art works this way too. In other art forms this is easy to recognize. In music, we recognize many different genres like classic, jazz, country, easy listening etc. Within these categories there are many sub-categories, mixed influences and music that is impossible to pigeon-hole. When concerts and recordings are reviewed, most media outlets have a knowledgeable jazz critic review jazz, or rock and roll critic review rock. If it is well known that a critic hates Mahler, it would be unwise to have this critic review a Mahler-athon. However, in the art world, exhibits that do not reflect the latest trend tend not to be reviewed, or to be reviewed by a hostile critic - the equivalent of sending a jazz-hater to a jazz festival. The mainstream press barely reviews art at all except for the biggest and most spectacular exhibits. When they do review exhibits, their columns can appear confusing or childish to the unititiated. (It may still be confusing or childish to the knowledgeable, but that is another issue.)

"Lotus" Original Watercolor

You may therefore not want to rely on mainstream criticism to help you find art. You have to rely on yourself. Go to art shows. If there are national or regional art competitions in your area, go see what is exhibited. Take your time. This is how you learn what work is important to you. It is not necessarily important that you follow the latest trends. That is just fashion. Art should transcend fashion - but often doesn't. And quality isn't always expensive. A collector with an experienced eye can find quality whether at an outdoor street fair or in expensive galleries. You may be surprised at what great quality work you can get without having to take a second mortgage on your house.

Don't expect to become an expert overnight. Talk to artists. Some artists are good at telling you why their work is special - others aren't. An artist with the gift of gab doesn't reflect on the overall quality of his work, but it can help you know more about the artist and where he is going. I like to collect work by an artist who is going to continue to work and grow; who produces consistently high quality work, not just occasional gems within the chaff (that is a sign of an artist who cannot critique his or her own work).

The more variety you see before you decide on a piece, the more likely you are to continue to appreciate the work in the future - you won't see something later that you wish you had waited for. You may want to find a dealer who knows your tastes and can direct you to pieces that you will appreciate. Or go it alone, and wallow in sensual overload. But please, if you go it alone, don't be afraid to ask questions. The only stupid question is the one you were too afraid to ask. Most artists and dealers love to tell you about what they are doing.

"Sunflower and Shadows" Original Watercolor

"Nodding Sunflower" Original Watercolor

Watch out for these venues. Art auctions can suck you into buying something on a whim that you would not want to keep for years. A good rule of thumb when buying art - if someone tries to pressure you to buy now - let it go.

This does not mean that all auctions are rip-offs. Southeby's would surely be upset to think that they are being included with artistic rif-raf. But some auctioneers I have seen sell in a highly charged emotional atmosphere where they tout certain well-known name artists and "others" to the unknowing artistic novice. Make sure any auctioneer you deal with has a good reputation and has been around for a while. Hotel art sales may have some legitimate quality pieces - usually for a high price. At swap meets they may be selling production painting. This attempt at artwork will have a signature on it. And is probably an oil or acrylic. They are simple paintings to execute, and are frequently made in factories where one painter does one part, then hands the canvas on to someone else who does another part. Then somebody signs it. This is factory production artwork. Not the real thing.

"Chinese Magnolias" Original Watercolor

Get to know the look of this stuff and you will know it anywhere. I have been surprised by the supposedly sophisticated people that have this stuff on their walls, and then brag about how they have so much original art. Please spare me!

I'VE BEEN THINKING OF HAVING A PORTRAIT PAINTED.

HOW DO I DO THAT?

Portraits are a special instance of fine art. Since portraits are custom made to order, you need to find an artist that paints in a way that pleases you,

and then contact the artist. You can usually find local portrait artists by contacting a local art association. You can also find some by searching the Internet. I also do custom portraits and other custom work, so if you are interested,click here There are also some large galleries that specialize in portraits. Once you have decided on an artist, and have made contact, the artist will most likely show you some examples of his or her work and discuss how you want the portrait done. Some artists work from live sittings, some from photos taken by the artist, some from both. I know I find photo sessions easier when working with busy children. You will need to discuss the method of payment. Usually you will pay half of the fee when the project is undertaken, and the 2nd half when the painting is delivered. Normally, if there is a dispute as to the suitability of the final painting, the artist does not refund the deposit, so make sure you are choosing the right artist for you.

"Me and My Shadow" Original Watercolor