One’s a one-off, two’s lucky, three’s a collection.
There you are, going along quite nicely, no particular needs or wants and then you see it. Out of the blue and out of the swirling, sweeping, gliding colours that cover the canvas. Colours that describe every mood you’ve ever had. It’s something that speaks to you as if it has the gift of tongues and something that touches you deep inside. And from that moment on, you know that having it just live in the memory won’t suffice. You have to somehow secure daily contact with this lovely, intriguing piece and only more exposure to it’s strange allure will be enough. Now 6 ways to start a collection.
Marit Geraldine Bostad ‘YOUNG INTENTIONS’ (detail) RED DOT HERE
1. Strangely drawn.
Who knows what comes first? The instinct or the eye contact. But either way it’s not something you can argue with. It’s just a matter of choosing what you Love – painting, design, print – what you can afford, and buying with confidence. Don’t buy something you don’t like or aren’t sure of either, just because a friend of a friend said that it might triple in value. You could end up despising it.
Especially if it doesn’t.
Marit Geraldine Bostad ‘THE KISS’ (detail) RED DOT HERE
2. Pure love.
Your love of the artwork you’ve just bought should be pure and unrelenting, the sort of love that is written about but more in hope than expectation. Your pleasure at seeing that painting or print on the wall every morning, every evening, should not wither with time. That’s if you’ve read the previous paragraph.
3. Stage it.
Look after it and get it framed. A frame is like a stage. It exalts the work, creates a space for it in the universe. A frame is the spotlight, a drumroll and very much a part of the work. The wrong frame can make an artist cry.
Marit Geraldine Bostad ‘IN THE SPOTLIGHT’ (detail) RED DOT HERE
4. Try it there.
When you see a picture or a number of pictures you may well be picturing them In situ. But don’t be afraid to scrap your initial ideas and put it/them somewhere else. A willing partner will stand holding a painting in position for anything up to ten minutes before aches and impatience kick in. Strange though how a totally empty room except for pictures on the wall looks furnished. But a furnished room with nothing on the walls looks empty.
5. Show Time.
Go to the major shows, develop an eye. There’s an awful lot of emerging talent out there. It’s a great opportunity to meet and get to know the artists whose work interests you and moves you. Support them and start a relationship. It could give you that nice warm feeling inside when you can eventually say “I knew them before they were famous.”
Even artists and collectors are not immune to the Instagram buzz. It’s an increasingly relevant platform and a great way to keep up with your favourite artists and even buy your favourite works. So, from one small hand-held device i.e. sable brush, palette knife
or etching tool – to yours. How modern can you get? INSTAGRAM
Anthony Connolly Royal Society of Portrait Painters ‘HONORIA’ (detail)
6. Dreams come true.
Occasionally you see something that you’ve just got to have. You’re lassoed by its charms, mesmerised by its exquisite rendering and you’re aching to own it. It could be a painting, a piece of jewellery or another objet d’art.
You’d like to buy but you don’t have that kind of money right now. So why not pay as and when you can with Payl8r?
