Have you ever thought about buying art as a gift? Christmas in New Harmony Indiana is this weekend and there will be plenty of chances to buy art there for yourself or as a gift.
This is my last show of the year and it’s usually my best show for selling my paintings. I’m not sure if it’s the gift giving season and people are gifting art or perhaps people are buying art for themselves while they’re out Christmas shopping for friends and family.
Either way, I’ll take it. Having someone love my art enough to spend their money on it so they can enjoy it every day of their life… well there’s just not words adequate enough to express how that makes me feel.
Have you heard or seen the meme going around that goes…
When you buy something from an artist you’re buying more than an object. You’re buying hundreds of hours of errors and experimentation. You’re buying years of frustration and moments of pure joy. You’re not buying just one thing, you are buying a piece of a heart, a piece of a soul… a small piece of someone else’s life.
It’s a quote by Rebekah Joy Plett about buying art from an artist. The frustrations and joys of being an artist. The feelings of failure when I have a bad show, and elation when I sell a piece. I really relate.
It’s funny how we all try to act like we don’t care if we’re accepted or not but I think really deep down, we do.
When my art is bought and collected it does give me that feeling of acceptance. That someone “gets” me. And I think that’s close to what anyone really wants in life, not just artists.
Do you buy art for yourself? Do you gift art for family or friends?
But wait, isn’t art too personal? I used to think that art was too personal to gift, that I couldn’t… I wouldn’t… assume someones taste. For some people that may be true, but why wouldn’t you want to buy something personal for them?
Now though, I realized that gifts ARE supposed to be personal. Heartfelt. Given with joy. I want to enjoy giving a gift as much as the person receiving it!
Who wants an impersonal gift?
I hate giving a store card or or gift certificate for dinner somewhere. Where’s the fun in that?
Kinds of art collectors
Some people just collect art because they love all kinds of art, and there are types that collect specific art to go with their design esthetics. You know, it’s gotta go with their decor. There are even those that just put something on the wall to have something on the wall. It might not even appeal to them.
Mostly though, I find my collectors buy the art that speaks to their heart so it doesn’t really matter if it matches the couch and drapes. They buy art that has meaning to them, makes them think or smile or remember.
Newflash: Art doesn’t have to go with anything!
It just has to speak to you. It’s that “Oh I’ve got to have that in my life” little voice that comes singing from your heart sending little love whispers to your brain. Then the brain releases endorphins of pleasure each time you see it again. The heart and brain are more connected than we think.
One of my favorite quotes by Blaise Pascal:
The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing
When you encounter that… get out your pocket book or wallet. Because that my friend is what life is about… experiences.
How can buying artwork be an experience and not just a possession?
It’s an experience for you each and every day in that you are the lucky one to enjoy that piece of someone’s soul… that part of someone’s heart that was poured out in the form of paint, paper or whatever with their hands… and it has the power to affect you every. single. day.
Let’s say an art piece brings you joy, wouldn’t you want that joy everyday? Wouldn’t you want to give that joy everyday?
I do.
I’m an art collector as well as an artist. I’ve gifted art and I’ve bought art from other artists for myself. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t look at the art in my home and feel joy among other warm feelings such as nostalgia, love and hope. Never though is regret one of them.
So if you’re at odds at what to get someone this Christmas or as a birthday gift or just because. Buy art. Gift art.
Support the living artist.
Don’t be afraid. Buy it for yourself. Buy it for your friend or loved ones. It will have meaning to you and to the lucky receiver of the art not only because it came from you but also because it is so personal.
Okay so I’ll come down off my soapbox now. Buy hey, if you’d like to see me do a happy dance and own a little bit of my heart… buy some of MY art! I have many pieces for sale here on my site and even more than that in my inventory. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, consider a commission.
Also, a good place to see all my paintings even if I haven’t gotten them in my shop yet, just go to my painting archives page. I’m pretty good at marking if they’re sold or not.
Now, go and buy some art! Then, please come back to visit my blog often, let’s continue the conversation… Do you buy art?
Learn more about me on the ‘About’ page in the menu at the top. I’m an artist – a painter mostly and an avid gardener. I paint a variety of subjects including birds, koi fish, my gardens, ponds and flowers as well as anything having to do with nature especially trees and tropical scenes. I also enjoy painting abstracts and have started created more and more of them. My most favorite thing to try to achieve in my painting is is mystery.
If you would like to keep up with what I’m doing, I have a newsletter e-mailed about once a month that gives you special status for invitations, birthday greeting and more. I’d love for you to add your email to my Friends and Collectors list!
So many wonderful things in this post. And it reminds me of when my husband and I first got married. He bought a painting because he’d heard the artist was no longer going to paint in that style. It was a huge amount of money for us; more than we could afford, but he felt it would be an investment for our future. And that is my least-liked piece of art we have. And it’s not worth much more than what we paid for it. The art that speaks to me in our home are the old pieces that belonged to my grandmother. Because, like you say here, there’s that moment of connection when I look at them. I have gifted art but only to my son because I feel confident that I know what he will like. There’s a beautiful framed dragon piece sitting behind my couch waiting for him to get moved into his new place. If it doesn’t happen soon I’m going to hang that dragon on my wall. And by the way, a lot of your pieces speak to me. One of these days I’m going to scrounge up enough funds to splurge on myself. If I walked into one of your shows, I’d stand there silent in the middle of the room, in awe of your talent. Hope you do well at the upcoming show.
Oh that is so sweet of you to say Lisa about my art. I’d be honored for you to own my art. While I know you probably prefer originals, do know that I have many lovely prints available and I collect many prints myself of other artists.
I don’t believe in buying art for an investment, I’m more like “If you love it, buy it”. Having only pieces that speak to you and like you said pieces that one has a connection with are more a sound investment. However, if the piece naturally increases in value then great! Some times art will increase in value, almost obscenely so. But the only people that benefit from that are the probably already very wealthy people who bought it… think blue chip art. They basically flip the art. I just saw a documentary called “The Price of Everything” and it’s about art being sold like that and it really made me sick to my stomach. It’s currently on HBO if you have it, it’s interesting none the less.
I’d love to see that dragon piece you’re talking about. I’m partial to dragons a bit myself. I illustrated a dragon years ago and kept it for myself, I’ll have to post it sometime. I have a few dragon sculptures that I’ve acquired through art shows and gifts. How lucky of your son to have you hold that piece for him, I’m sure he’ll be very proud of it on his wall when he moves into his new digs.
Thank you for sharing your art story with me 🙂
I’ll have to see if I can get a photo of the dragon piece for you. I remember a woman who was organizing an art festival who told me she only chose art that would be in a museum in twenty years. I asked her what the criteria was, how one could look at art and know it would end up in a museum. She told me ‘I decide’.
Ugh, a gate keeper. That’s what I call people like her. Well hopefully she has since realized that not only her tastes matter, but more than likely not.
That’s the great thing about the time we’re living in for us painters, authors and anyone in the arts with this age of the internet. We don’t have to rely on “gate keepers”. We can share our work for all to see, yes we have to work hard at that but it’s so much better than being subjected to only one person’s personal opinion as to whether we get to move on and have a career or not. Wouldn’t you agree?