I wrote an installment on the Watson Kennedy website a year or so ago, about buying art. After watching the film ‘Herb & Dorothy’ I went back and re-read it. Here it is.
One of the easiest ways to make your home truly personal, is to fill it with artwork you love & have collected over time. To me, very few things are more personal or telling about a person’s personality, than the art they have in their home.
Buying art can be overwhelming and at times intimidating. My advice on this is to think out of the box a bit, and don’t feel like the only way to buy art is at a gallery.
*Art schools have auctions where the students sell their artwork. This is a great way to support the arts, and also get artwork at reasonable prices.
*Lots of retail shops such as mine also carry a variety of artwork, so the experience of shopping for a piece is far less intimidating.
*Many beginning artists have shows in studio space they share with other artists, so attending studio shows is a great way to add to your art collection, while also helping out a novice artist.
*Be on the look-out when you travel. Buying art on a vacation is one of the most lovely ways to remember a trip. One of our very first pieces was purchased in New York from an artist selling on the street. Over the years I have kept up with her work, and have bought more pieces of hers from shows she has exhibited in over the years.
*Artwork is not reserved only for things that hang on the wall. Think sculpture, ephemera art, pottery.
Art is truly personal. Buy what stirs an emotion. I think too many times, people worry about whether their art will be liked by others. Buy what you love, as you are the one who will be living with it each day.
This is the first piece of art we purchased, which I mentioned above. Here is a glimpse of some of what we have collected over the years.
Buying and living with art is a pleasure we have embraced from early on. We have purchased pieces by all the ways I mentioned above, as well as from galleries. As Dorothy said in the documentary “if it stops being fun, then we would stop collecting” which I think are perfect words of advice. Have fun!
Our dog section continues to grow. I am just finding so much fun stuff to add to it. We found some apropos vintage flashcards that made a whimsical piece of art, staying with our ‘art’ theme of the last few days.
The Denise Fiedler pieces of dogs are always a hit, as well as our variety of pooch themed reading material.
We just got these in yesterday. The perfect water and food bowls!
The Hugo Guinness dog images are charming too.
Such a face, and what incredible eyes.
And our selection of Harry Barker goods is sure to delight.
