Buying Original Artwork

Cyndee Banister

Buying original artwork can be a daunting experience if you've never done it before. But it can also be one of your most pleasurable shopping experiences.

It's hard to know when to buy art. Sometimes you have a space on a wall that needs something. Sometimes you just want to change the look or feel of a room. Then there's that time when you aren't actually shopping for art when you see something you absolutely MUST HAVE!

When you buy art, you buy more than just the painting. You buy a piece of the artist. It may be a feeling they're expressing with their painting. It may be a long lost memory that welled up and had to be painted. Or it may be a vision the artist has held in her mind and finally came forth.

For me, I love seeing someone discover a piece of work. It's fun watching a person suddenly sense a painting from across the room and make a bee-line directly toward it.

And when they smile at me and say "This is JUST what I was looking for!" it makes my heart skip a beat. It's the connection between artist and buyer that creates a special relationship.

So, if you are looking to buy original artwork, what should you do?

1. 1. Don't settle for something you "like." There's something you "LOVE" out there that was created especially for you.
2. Look for something that creates an emotional connection for you. An original painting is something that you'll have for a long time and you want to  be in love with it for the whole time.
3. Don't try to match your couch or a favorite chair. Furniture comes and goes over time, but a piece of original art will be with you for life.
4. Try to find out about the artist. If you buy directly from the artist, be sure to listen to the story they tell about why they created that particular piece. You then get the story to share with anyone who you show the piece to.

Buying original artwork will give you something that no one else ever has - a one of a kind piece of artwork you'll be proud to own.