Why
Buy Original Art? 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 an
investment should be forced
to go to art purgatory and look
at bad art for eternity.
No
dealer knows what the future
will be for art prices. The
darling of the art world today
may be considered a hack in
10 years time. The painting
by an unknown hack may become
the darling of the future art
world. But more likely an unknown
artist will remain unknown.
And the famous artist can totter
from his pedestal. In other
words if an art dealer sounds
like a huckster - he is a huckster
- no matter what kind of art
he is selling.
When
you purchase art, it should
be because you love the work.
It should speak to you. And
if you choose wisely, the piece
will continue to speak to you
for decades. If I choose poorly,
the piece becomes a piece of
expendable stuff. Fodder for
the land fill or some future
yard sale.
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
arts or crafts. If you yearn
for an environment that includes
work that was built by hand
- layer by layer - one of a
kind and unique. If you do not
want your entire life to be
composed of regulation mass
produced automata, then original
art is your cup of tea.
So
What is Original Art?
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. Original
art is not a copy of a famous
or not so famous painting -
that is not original.
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.
Original
Art and the "Art Community"
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, and 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 divers, 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. When concerts and recordings
are reviewed, most media outlets
have a knowledgeable jazz critic
to review jazz, or rock and
roll critic to review rock.
If it is well known that a critic
hates Mahler, it would be unwise
to have this critic review a
Mahler-athon. 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 Mahler-hater to
a Maher-athon. The mainstream
press barely reviews art at
all except for the biggest and
most spectacular exhibits. When
they do review exhibits, they
can appear confusing or childish
to the uninitiated. 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. Original art
should transcend fashion - but
often doesn't - the art establishment
seldom allows this. 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. Most artists
that I know are good at telling
you why to buy their work. 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
or where he has been. You should
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 that
often happen in spite of ones
abilities. Don't be afraid to
ask questions. The only stupid
question is the one you were
too afraid to ask. We artists
love to tell you about what
we are doing ...so please ask!
Roy
Elmer is a watercolor artist
who works out of his winter
art studio in Milan, TN and
his summer art studio in
St. Albans West Virginia. His
works are currently being sold
through the Dickson Gallery
of Fine Art, Jackson, TN; Serendipity
Gallery in Boca Grande, FL;
Good Earth in New York; and
New Orleans Art Services in
New Orleans. The above article
is copied here by permission
from Roy Elmer.
