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Buying An Abstract Painting
You may be mistaken in thinking that buying a piece of abstract
art would be a simple thing to do. You just select the work you
want... and buy it!
The truth will creep up on you as soon as you look at the first
painting "it is not quite the right one, so I will look for
another".
Here is the first realization - and question to ask yourself -
why exactly is this piece you are looking at "not quite right"?
The answer can be manifold:
1. It includes a colour I do not like 2. I am not sure it will
go with another item in the space I would like to place it 3. A
slow realization that a certain personal undesirable association
is being emitted from the painting 4. It looks great but I am
not sure it will fit the space 5. It is just right but the price
is a little bit more than I wanted to pay... and the list goes
on.
Although I do not have all the answers I will endeavour to
reveal, from my own personal experiences, a few solutions.
So, you see a picture you like but the colour combination is
wrong. Put simply the thing to do is to contact the artist and
tell them your dilemma. You will find that some of them will
either be able to reproduce a similar work in the colours you
prefer, or they will be willing to notify you when and if they
produce a work that might be nearer to the colours theat you
require.
If size is an issue then I would advise the same as above -
contact the artist and tell them the problem. I believe you will
receive a similar reply to that which I have written above.
Make sure that when you do make a purchase that the artist is
offering a return policy. I have a ten day return policy which
means that if you buy a painting and hang it in your space - if
within ten days of purchasing it you become uncomfortable with
it for any reason and you cannot live with it, then you may
return the piece and your money will be returned. An important
point here worth mentioning is the fact that you have made
certain decisions on buying this piece of work, therefore it is
worthwhile mentioning it to the artist which will enable them,
if they so inclined, to produce a work that has omitted the
undesirable entity. This way you may well end up with a work
that will be of greater value to you - having communicated your
dilemma.
Price can be a tricky challenge - but many artists offer
different ways to help you buy the piece you want. If, for
instance, the piece you like is too expensive for you then you
have a number of choices. Perhaps the most preferable choice is
for you to negotiate the price with the artist. However, please
bear in mind that the artist has produced a totally unique
painting - there is nothing like it in all the world! Also spare
a thought for the fact that the artist will
have spent time
struggling to get the work out onto the canvas. A well known
saying is that a piece may well have taken only a few hours to
produce, but you should also take into account the years the
artist has been at work - so if someone says to me "it can only
have taken you three hours at the most" I reply "no... it has
taken me FORTY YEARS and three hours!" If you keep these in mind
then negotiate with what you might see as a realistic price for
you and a price that will have taken the above into account for
the artist.
Some artists will not barter prices - but they may be willing to
sell you the work if you pay by installments. You have to ask
yourself here "Do I REALLY want this piece?" If you answer yes
then you will find the money... because you want to - you want
the work.
Let us say that you see an artists work - you love the style -
you would very much like to have a painting on your wall... but
you see nothing that grabs you. Try contacting the artists and
commissioning them to painting you a picture... this way you may
be able to influence the end result by instructing the artist to
use certain colours, or specific shapes. Or if they are not
inclined to work that way then they might put you on their
mailing list that will inform you when their latest piece is
about to go on show - you will be offered "first refusal".
One final thing worth mentioning is the fact that a growing
number of artists are making their works available as high
quality giclee prints. These reproductions are very close to the
original work, and some of the reproduction houses actually
ensure that every brush stroke has the appropriate texture and
"feel". So in many ways you could purchase a work that is almost
identical to the original piece except for one very big fact -
the price of the print. The print will be of a limited edition,
making it a collectible investment - and it will have been
checked, numbered, and signed by the artist.
If none of the above proves to be useful to you then the
simplest thing to do is contact the artist and just talk to
them, tell them what you think of their work, what you are
looking for - anything... just communicate with them, and I
think you will find that you will not only buy yourself
something that you will love and cherish ... but you will also
bond with the artist themself in a way that you could never do
if you walked into a place selling paintings and chose a piece
hanging on a wall.
About the author:
Tim Seaward is the author of "Buying an Abstract Painting". He
is also a practicing fine artist living and working in the UK.
Visit his site to find out exactly what he paints.
http://www.ablot.com or mailto:tim at http://ablot.com (replace
"at" with "@" for the actual email address).
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