Maybe you don’t own original art yet, and don’t understand what makes it special or worth including in your life. Here’s a short list of the beautiful reasons original art is worth purchasing!
Defining original art—
ORIGINAL: created directly and personally by a particular artist; not a copy or imitation.
UNIQUE—Original art is one-of-a-kind. As humans, I think we are all fascinated by unique things. From gemstones, animals, plants, locations, planets, stars, it goes on. I think deep down we each understand, love, and seek the truly unique in our world and life. Even if someone attempts to copy a famous work of art, it will never fully replicate the original.
COLORS—In at least painting, the colors are more vibrant and have more depth than a print can ever replicate. Some painters use techniques called glazing, where thin layers of paint mixed with mediums are applied. These layers create incredible depth of colors that can’t be reproduced with archival ink applied in one layer.
TEXTURE—Brush strokes, imperfect shapes or part of ceramic work are all beautiful marks an artist makes that creates a work of art. I find observing the texture alone in a piece of art is an experience in itself more than just what the image is or trying to portray. Only original art displays these beautiful details.
PERSONAL—An original work of art is made with the artist’s hands, heart, and mind. The human element in the process of creating art cannot be denied and is the reason we as humans enjoy art in our lives. Art is a special look into the artist’s thoughts, beliefs, struggles, experiences, and emotions. Do we really stop to think about this? I believe this is what makes original art fascinating, beautiful, and priceless.
TIME—When viewing a work of art, in any form, I think we rarely think about how many years of practice and experience it took to get the product the artist is producing currently. And think about the time it took to create the work from conception of sketches or an idea to the final piece. Extensive time and research usually takes place and all that gets wrapped up into one work of art or a series.
SKILL—Every artist has their own skills and techniques. Each artist has their own voice and vision. Talent or skill can be developed through formal education or through being self taught. Every artist perceives colors and shapes differently and application of their medium—paint, clay, other materials. Artists can teach each other their techniques but in the end artists rarely will create the same exact works. This all comes through in original artwork.
STORY—When you purchase an original piece of art, you often can get the story behind the process of how the piece was made or the thoughts the artist had while creating it. Not every piece has a special story, but some do. It’s always worth asking about. And this makes owning original art even more joyful because who doesn’t love a good story? Also, when people ask about the art in your home or office you then have a background story to give in addition to your own of why you chose it. I love each piece of art in my home because of the stories behind them.
RELATIONSHIP—Owning original art creates a special relationship between you and the artist. The artist physically handled and worked on the piece of art with deep thoughts and intentions. Purchasing original art fuels artist’s creativity and validates them in a way, to know their piece is meaningful and helping someone else. And that, when purchased directly from an artist, can create a special bond to know where their work is going and for you to know more about the artist and their work.
INVESTMENT—Quality original art can be resold if needed and, depending on the circumstances, can increase in value over time. Most reproductions do not have a resell value. Limited edition reproductions have a better chance of being resold if needed, depending on the need/want for that artist’s work.
SUPPORT—When buying art you are supporting small business over big. Do we feel good when purchasing from a big company or a small one? The impact of purchasing original art cannot be understated. Your purchase of original art helps the artist pay bills, buy food, and other parts of living, business conducting, and creating more and better art.
As you can see original art has many great benefits and is worth investing in. One of my mantras is “only buy it if you absolutely love it!” We don’t have time or space for things in our lives that don’t bring beauty, meaning, or purpose.
We live in an amazing time when an endless amount of beautiful and inspiring artwork is at our fingertips. Purchasing original art is one of the pinnacles of a successful and thriving economy and culture. If you look over the history of the world and other cultures you will learn just that, that art comes last when a people have learned how to live well. They then want to beautify their lives and homes with ART!
If you haven’t taken the jump to buy original art, what is stopping you? What do you need help figuring out about art that you might not understand? Comment below or email me! Contact@Annastasha.com
Deciding and understanding quality art is another article I will write about later. Stay tuned!
