Why Buy Art?

Why Buy Art?

You go to an art gallery, or an art show and your senses are filled with beautiful hand crafted things,

and your inner self starts down the "you don't need that" rabbit hole.

What your eyes and your soul say:

That is gorgeous!

I need to touch it.

How did the artist do that?

I love it!

I want it!

I NEED it!

What your head says:

That's a lot of money!

I can't afford that.

My husband will kill me!

I'm sure I can do that!

I posed this question to many of my online art friends.

Why do YOU buy art?

 Yes, artists buy art.

They buy a lot of art!

Here's why.

Barbare Ball Pask:  Barb and I grew up in Mason, OH and she graduated a year after me.  We connected online several years ago about painting.  Her reasons for buying art include:  "As an artist I understand and appreciate the skill and work that goes into producing a piece of original art.  I feel good supporting other artists  and I am extremely touched when another artist want to own my work. I am proud to own art by other artists and I buy what I love."  Barbara Pask.  You can see Barb's work on her blog at http://wwwlovetopaint.blogspot.com.  

Barb is pretty clever.  Note the title of her blog.  There is no dot after the www.  She used it as part of the name of her blog.  

Meredith Adler:  Meredith and I met online and we have never really met face to face.  When I said that in a recent blog post, she was surprised.  We talk on the phone, we email, we blog, but we've never met face to face.  Meredith is a terrific artist who works in a number of mediums.  She is always stretching and learning and growing.  

Reasons she buys art include:  " As an artist, I look at a LOT of art online. When I buy a piece, it has to really grab me, and usually it has to nag at me for awhile (I go back and look and look again). And when a piece will not let me go, that's when I usually buy. I can think of a couple times I bought a piece quickly, though. One time when Peggi Kroll-Roberts posted a beautiful gouache piece, I must have been online receiving the post right after she hit "publish," because it was still available when I went to her etsy shop, so I purchased that one right up :) And one time at a workshop, Elizabeth Mowry offered to sell us a few pieces at a very nice price. It happened to be my birthday, so I bought myself a present--went right up and bought the one I loved :)

Meredith has a very creative blog titled, Paint Like Nobody's Watching and can be found at http://meredithadler.blogspot.com/

Terri Buchholz:  Is part of an online group of friends, (Meredith is a member also) and we try to encourage and support each other.  Terri is from Indiana and does some of the best glass paintings I think I've ever seen.  

Her reason for buying art says:  My first reaction was, "because I love art, of course!". But then I look up and within distance of where I sit now, I see a print of "Flaming June" by Fredrick Leighton hanging on my wall and I remember how I spent a lot of money getting it and other prints framed when we built this house. But since that time, I've been able to invest in my own development as a serious artist and subsequently, because of time spent in the presence of beautiful original art in the gallery that represents me and with friends that are artist, I see paintings from much different perspective. To me, now, an original painting represents a living thing that, with a few strokes, separates me from the artist's experience of making that art. I appreciate what she or he perhaps saw as they tried communicate the image through their medium. And how the work was crafted using their skills and intellect in choosing the focal point, molding the composition, and selecting the palette, the temperature, and the notan of values. When I'm grabbed by a piece and not only experience the "love at first sight" reaction, but can appreciate the elements I just mentioned, then I know I can not only live with looking at it for years (like my prints), but can learn from it and therefore justify the investment. I just bought a painting by Tim Horn that I love and it is like having a workshop hanging in front of me. There's so much to learn just by seeing it "in person".

Terri's work can be seen at http://splattermark.blogspot.com/.  

Check out the name of her blog, splatter.

Laurel Daniel:  A super artist whose work I am inspired by.  She lives in Texas and paints beautiful landscapes and skies from there.  Laurel teaches workshops all over the country.

Her comments on why she buys art are:  As an artist, I buy art because I love to be surrounded by beautiful and inspiring work. The great thing is that my husband and I make art choices together, and pretty much agree on what we like (kind of important since we live together!) Our collection includes both pieces by artists we admire, and pieces that captured our hearts with no knowledge of the artist at all. We have landscapes, still lifes, collage and figurative work. The common denominator is that they are works that move us deeply and that we know we want to see every day.

Laurels work can be seen online at http://laureldaniel.blogspot.co.

I love her cover photo on her blog.

Becky Joy:  Is an incredible artist whose work is amazing.  She is a southwest painter and you can see and feel that in her paintings.  Becky is a plein air painter and she regales her blog audience of her adventures in the desert and other places.  She teaches workshops all over the world and has won many awards and honors. 

Becky's answer to my question about why artists buy art: That's difficult, but simple. I LOVE art. A personal connection is very important to me, which does vary with each piece. Some paintings and sculpture that I have are by friends. There have been some from painting trips and shows with friends in which we have traded and others that I have purchased. One of my favorites is a piece of sculpture by a good friend and accomplished artist, Vala Ola. I really like art that is very much the style of the artist in which it feels like their signature.

I love sculpture and especially when I can run my hands over it and feel where the sculptors fingers have been. Paintings often have the same feel with brushwork, the individual artist's signature. It feels like more of a connection and gives a sense of awe to me.

Accomplishment in the fundamentals is important to me, but most important is the individuality.

Becky's work can be seen at beckyjoy.com.

All of these artists work are worth your time and hard earned money.  Their art makes my heart sing and I have my own little gallery where works from some of these artists reside.  I hope to own them all before I'm through.  

Hopefully, the next time you're looking at original art, you'll feel some of the things these artists feel, and realize you can't leave it at the show or gallery.  You also want to see it every day, feel it and love it just like the first time you saw it.

Another great resource for those interested in collecting is this blog post by art auction site Invaluable."

Enjoy