I still remember the first piece of original art I fell in love with. There was a gallery showing for the art school I went to. I walked in and my eyes immediately landed on this painting. It was absolutely stunning, and I knew without a doubt that it was meant to be mine. The painting was of an African American woman with a greyish blue background and as her head faded there was a swirling of brushstrokes of all these different colors. My soul connected with this piece. It reminded me of my struggle with depression as a teen and young adult. This piece was the beginning of my art collection.
As a professional artist, I believe that is vital to own original art. Having my own personal art collection offers me insider insight into what it means to fall in love with a piece, the buying process, and ultimately hanging it up in my home. I have 22 pieces of original art in my collection along with a handful of prints. I think there is a huge difference from owning a print to owning an original because of what the original brings into our homes.
Owning an original painting is making a statement to yourself and to the world. It is a declaration of belief that art is vital to our daily living not just a luxury. Our daily lives are filled to the brim with art including the music we listen to in our cars, the architecture of the buildings we work in, and how we decorate our homes. Those are just a couple of examples of how art manifests itself into our lives. Truly, art is interwoven into everything we do. When a person invests in an original piece of art, it is a message that you believe in the power, truth, and beauty of art. Original art is vital to our lives because it reminds us of the beauty of creation and this magnificent world we live in.
When buying a piece of art, you aren’t just investing in art as a whole or the particular piece. You are also investing in the artist and their journey. I think this is such a beautiful part that sometimes get missed in the height of the moment. A painting is never just the amount of hours an artist spent creating it. The painting is a compilation of all the hours of work put into honing the craft, all the tears spent in frustration, all the moments of joy when placing a brushstroke, and all the experiences that led this artist to creating art. There is so much beauty in storytelling and in believing in a good story down to your bones. Believing in the story of an artist is a work of art in itself.
My favorite reason for why owning original art is vital is what it does to the space you place the artwork in. Original art elevates your home. Not just in the traditional sense of bringing something beautiful to decorate your home, which is amazing. It also elevates your space by reminding you that life is worth living, there is beauty in the unknown, stories are worth remembering, memories are bittersweet, relationships are vital, art is inspiring, and color is divine. Original art calls us to a higher level of thinking and living so when it occupies your space it is a constant visual reminder of all the good in the world. It is a guidepost reminding you that beauty is not overrated, and that beauty is something to look for in our daily lives.
There is something really special about owning original art because of all that it declares and reminds you of. Art is vital to this world; we wouldn’t survive without it. Collecting a piece is such a magnificent choice that will continue to light up your life through all your years and then be passed down for generations to come. Original art is not just a luxury; it’s a story, a belief system, a reminder, and a transformation. Art is alive and it’s calling out to you today. It’s asking you to be brave, take the leap and invest in something that will bring only light into your world.
