3 POWERFUL Reasons to Buy Original Art
Before I get to my reasons, I want to start off by giving you some background about myself, my role in the art world and why I have decided to share my insight and perspective into the benefits of buying original art. After earning a degree in fine art in 2004 I went on to pursue a career in the arts as a professional Canadian fine artist doing both painting and stone sculpture. I had my first gallery representation when I was around 26 years old. I spent a year and half with the gallery. It was my first relationship with an art gallery and I was a bit naive, I thought all I had to do was make paintings and hope that people liked them. I sold a couple paintings through that gallery but it wasn’t until about 7 years ago when I really started to get a sense of what it means to buy original art and to understand why people do and to realize and see for myself why and how it can add value to your life. 7 years ago I formed a relationship with a gallery where I had the opportunity to really start selling my art and make a living as an artist. It was a unique situation where I would create art but also spend time on the gallery sales floor selling my own art and the art of others, and within this beginning to see and understand the different values and reasons for why people would come into the gallery and purchase one of a kind artworks.
Throughout the past 7 years I have maintained a relationship with the galleries which have represented my work where I have worked both as an artist and a gallery rep. This has allowed me to see both sides of coin and develop my own unique perspective on the value of buying original art, both as an artist and as someone who has worked with numerous clients helping facilitate the acquisition of original works of art.
I will begin with my – TOP 3 REASONS TO BUY ORIGINAL ART
1. The First Powerful Reason to Buy Original Art is STORY.
An original work of art is a unique item. Just as you are a unique item, the artist that created it is a unique item and the forces that brought you, the artist, the work of art, and everyone involved in the creation and sale of that work of art together is unique event unto itself, and it all converges together and creates a STORY! Each original work of art has a story and when you purchase an original painting or sculpture, you are continuing the story, the history, the journey of that work of art. As an artist, I love sharing my creative process and have works of art came to be. It fascinates me to observe where original works of art come from and how they emerge from my inner and outer environment and all the pressures and influences and points of consideration at play at any given moment. To me this Story that is behind and intrinsically linked to a work of art is also about engagement and participation with culture, society and ones life. And this brings me to my second powerful reason to buy original art.
2. The Second Power Reason to Buy Original Art is ENRICHMENT.
When you engage with your life, you cultivate a richness and depth that isn’t possible when you are disengaged and uninterested. Buying original art is a very personal thing. It’s easy to hop over to Walmart and buy an artsy picture in a frame. It is very impersonal and cold in a way. Yes, it may serve a purpose and you very well might find some real value in it. However with buying original art, you placing yourself into a more personal and intimate situation. You are buying an artists personal expression directly from them. Granted you might go through a gallery to do this, however what you are buying is one of a kind, and more personal. It may even challenge you to walk through some resistance of having to go through the whole process of interacting with people on a more personal level and discussing your own unique tastes and preferences with them. And so there are more layers to buying original art, more vulnerabilities, more intimacy, And in turn this creates more depth, I believe, and enriches a persons life.
3. The Third Powerful Reason to Buy Original Art is YOUR SUPPORTING THE ARTS
This phrase might seem overused but lets look deeper at what I mean. When you buy original art you are supporting the arts and supporting culture. To me culture is important because its actually that thing that is being lost in our age of consumerism. Culture to me has to do with cultivating our utmost potential as human beings. Mass producing images to sell and make money to fuel consumerism is not culture. Supporting the unique expressions of individuals and allowing original one of kind artworks to exist to exemplify the many depths and dimensions of life and humanity has value and feeds real culture. I personally make a living through creating and selling original works of art. Being an artist is interesting. I feel like an endangered species, because for me, being an artist means that its my responsibility to connect with WHAT IS REAL and remind ourselves of that part of us we lost in our childhood. Whenever someone buys one of my original works of art, I think to myself “I guess people do want REAL LIFE” So much of this world and living hase become ARTificial and not Offical ART. Official Art connects to what is real and I think that’s important right now in our day and age.
(BONUS REASON)
4.The Fourth Powerful Reason to Buy Original Art is EXPRESSING YOURSELF CREATIVELY
What I noticed about buying original art is that its is a very creative process. You are essentially doing what an artist does when he or she decides to create an artwork. You are expressing yourself creatively. You are making decisions about what you like and what you would like to place together in an arrangement that is an expression of you. Buying art is as much a creative process as creating art.
Here are a few more questions you might have asked yourself about buying original art.
Why should I buy original art?
How many products do you own will last you your entire life? This to me is one of the more interesting things about original works of art. They are designed to last forever. They are something that will become parts of your life, that will last longer than the vehicle you own, the phone you have, all your clothes, even the house you live in. And in fact your art will outlive you! Your art could possibly be around for generations.
Why is original art expensive?
When you consider that the fine art you purchase will last 100 or 200 years, and will be something passed down to your kids and possibly your grandchildren, you will begin to see that for the amount of value that this one item is bringing into your lives and the lives of others, it is worth the initial investment.
Another reason why original art is expensive is because it takes time to create! Original art is not a mass produced item and in many cases your vehicle actually took less time to manufacture than some of the art you may end up owning. For me as an artist I know first hand how much time goes into creating an original work of art. My job as an artist is to create something unique and in a way to slow down time. The year is now 2020 and our entire lives are more and more being centered around mass consumption where the shelf live of products, ideas, and expressions is becoming shorter and shorter along with our attention spans. The focus of creation has become about speed rather than quality and longevity. As an artist it is my job to stay grounded and connected to the natural rhythms of life. Interestingly, no matter how short the shelf live of the products we consume has become, the natural cycles of the earth, the sun rising and setting, the tide breathing in and out, have remained consistent and the same. I would like to think that original art is more aligned with these natural rhythms more than the even increasing pace of our consumerist appetite. We sometimes lose touch with how long things actually take to create. Original art is hand made and is connected with the slow and steady process of physical creation. That is one reason why Original Art can be so expensive because it takes TIME to conceive and create. This to me is a REAL and Valid component to pricing artwork. I am not so much talking about speculation that drives up or inflates the the cost of artwork but the real time and investment artists have dedicated to developing their crafts and creating individual works of art.
What kind of Original Art Should I buy? or What should I consider when buying Original Art?
My answer to this questions is you should buy whatever art you connect with! This is part of the VALUE of buying original art. The value is in the connection that you have with it and the story that is then created through that connection and that artwork being a part of your life. I think if you like the painting or sculpture you are buying, than that is really the most important thing.
How much should I pay for Original Art?
This is different for everyone. Some people are willing to pay a few hundred or thousands of dollars for the right piece and others are willing to pay many times more than that into the hundreds of thousands or even millions. My view is that you can find amazing art anywhere at any price point. I would just work with your budget and not really compare yourself to what others pay or that ‘the more you pay the better your art will be’ It doesn’t always work like that. In some cases more refined artistic expressions do cost more to purchase, but It doesn’t necessarily work that way all the time. That is why I recommend finding something you personally connect with, then it will be worth the money, also considering that when you buy original art, you are investing in that artist and helping them grow their career and develop their creative expression. That is one of the hidden values in buying original art. That is why I also recommend not trying to find the cheapest art possible or haggling to much when it comes to buying from a gallery or artist. For me I know that my prices are very specific and based oncreating a dignified life for myself where I can continue to develop my art, and support myself, my family and others and contribute to my community and world in a meaningful way.
Where do I buy Original Art?
As mentioned you can find great art anywhere. You can buy original art from art galleries who represent artists and support their careers, or you can buy original art directly from artists. There is a lot of great art at art fairs or local markets. When you buy from a gallery you also support the gallerists who make a living working in the gallery and so your supporting more than just the individual artist.
How do I buy Original Art?
You can simply walk into a gallery, see something you like and inquire about the price and buy it right there on the spot. All galleries will ship world wide. Often the customer will have to pay the shipping cost as well or sometimes the gallery covers it, but its usually quite reasonable.
You could also try looking up local artists in your area to find paintings for sale. Like for instance for me in Canada I could search for ‘Canadian Abstract Painters’ or ‘Canadian Landscape Paintings For Sale’ or ‘Canadian Stone Carvings’ or ‘Canadian Wildlife Artists’ You could even refine your search to your specific city and I would guess that any legitimate professional artist working in your area would have a website that should come up in those searches.
Where is the best place to buy original art online?
Now with the internet you can buy art online quite easily. Most galleries if not all galleries will sell to clients through their website if a client sees something they like online. This is the same with artists.
I for instance post a lot of my work onto my Instagram account and my website of course, and if a client is interested in a piece they can simply send me a direct message to inquire. There is no real formal way or method to do this. If you are interested in something, the main thing is to just reach out and ask for details about pricing and purchasing. I will from there connect you with my gallery if that particular piece is committed to them or I will send you information directly if the piece is in my own inventory. Any artist would follow similar guidelines as this.
So regarding where to buy art online, there is a lot of places to buy original art online like etsy, or ebay, or artsy, or satchi art, and there seems to be new online art marketplaces popping up all the time, but I would also just recommend going directly onto artists websites and looking through their inventory. Artists are typically happy to receive requests for information on particular works of art, and then from there they will give you all the information you need to complete the purchase and ship the artwork to you.
How can I find the original of art I saw online?
I suppose it depends where you saw it. If you have the artists name then it should be easy. You can save the link where you found the image you saw and often can find the artists personal website or gallery that represents that artist. From there all you need to do is contact the artist or gallery with the link or the image and ask if they know about the piece. I personally know of and remember every single artwork that I have created and will know exactly where it is when asked. Sometimes the art might already be sold but there is also a good chance they have a lot of other work that is similar and they can point you in the right direction.
How do I connect with an artist I like?
One of the best ways to do this is to simply begin following them on social media or sign up for their newsletter. I personally read every comment that is left on my social media and am always happy to connect and field questions from admirers and collectors of my work. For me part of creating and selling art is also connecting with the people that buy my work and maintaining that relationship into the future.
Should I buy only famous artists artwork?
Definitely not. Even collectors that do buy work of famous artists will usually also collect work from emerging artists. This is a great way to support the development of new talent. I would also recommend looking at the track record of an artist if you are unsure of their legitimacy. How long have they been creating art or selling through a gallery? Are they formally trained? Are they just starting or have they been doing it for a number of years? That’s why its nice to meet the artist and you can get a sense of who they are and if they are serious artists or is it just something they are trying out but aren’t that invested in. I also think you should buy art you like! If you see something you like and love it and then meet the artist and find out they are just starting, that can be a great opportunity to support that artist in developing their career. Some artists just starting out are serious artists but are just getting started. Others are just ‘trying it on’ but aren’t really that into it.
When I was in Italy looking at the famous masterworks, I had to stop myself from reading the name tags on the artworks because if I saw a name I recognized like Leonardo Da Vinci or Michelangelo it would influence my perception of the work instead of just admiring what I liked without the influence of ‘what is famous’ which apparently makes it ‘good art’.
You can always consult with a gallery rep or even another artist if you are unsure and are looking for high quality work. Usually other artists know can tell if something is quality or not because they have spent thousands of hours studying art intimately and have developed an ability to see DEPTH and QUALITY in art.
Thank you everyone for reading, I hope I was able offer some new perspectives on the Value of Buying Original Art.
If you have any questions about anything or would like more info on this topic please feel free to email me at andrewgable@hotmail.com
Andrew Gable.
Explore my collection of Original Artworks – http://andrewgableart.com/product-category/sculpture/