The Appeal of Owning an Original Painting

Exhibiting some of my original paintings at a local Bishop's Stortford pop up art gallery and then doing an art market where I mostly sold art prints got me thinking about why different people choose one over the other. So I thought I'd write a couple of blog posts about what the appeal is of each. This week I'll focus on why you might like to own an original painting.

An original painting is one of a kind

There can only ever be one of an original painting and there's something very exciting about knowing you own the only one in existence.

I remember when I went to the Louvre in Paris how there were so many people milling around the Mona Lisa trying to get a proper look at it (and then commenting on how small it was 😁). Even though they had probably all seen hundreds of pictures of the famous painting before, they were just desperate to see the original. 

So many of us have prints of famous paintings by Van Gogh, or Kandinsky, or Degas (or whoever your favourite artist is...) But going to a museum or gallery and seeing the original somehow feels different and more amazing.

Though most of us could never afford an original by one of these artists, owning an original piece of art by a (lesser known) artist that you admire or have come across also feels very special.

It somehow makes you feel more connected to the artist when you have an original painting of theirs. You own something that they've poured their heart and energy into and can hold the very same piece in your hands that they've spent time creating.

You can see and feel the texture

Another reason it's amazing to own an original painting is that you can see the actual brush strokes and surface texture of it in 3D.

The physical brush marks, layers of paint and textures bring an original to life, particularly in acrylic, oil and mixed media paintings. While a good quality fine art print can show this, it's still just an image of it on a flat surface.

If you've ever watched Portrait Artist of the Year or Landscape Artist of the year, you'll probably have heard Tai-Shan Schierenberg describing the way someone lays paint down as 'yummy'. There is just something very 'delicious' about seeing the actual brush marks, blobs of paint and drips and splatters on an original painting.

Originals can be an investment (or a show of wealth)

Some wealthy collectors of fine art pay a lot of money for well known original art as they know it's an investment. And some collectors will spend their time looking out for emerging artists and buy their art in the hope that the artist will become famous and exponentially increase the value of their collection. 

Others will spend a fortune on art just to show off how wealthy they are. The funniest example of this is a duct taped banana artwork selling for $6.2 million. (Though if you read the story you'll see that he didn't actually buy an original, so maybe it isn't a very good example after all...)

I've created an alternative version which you can see on the right - any offers?

Obviously a lot of very rich art collectors really do love art for its own sake, and while the art they buy might be a good investment, that's not their primary motivation. These collectors do a lot for the art world in general, and we wouldn't have the opportunity to see a lot of the pieces in museums for ourselves if it weren't for them.

And of course an original painting created by an unknown artist can be just as valuable to the person who buys it for their own unique reasons, as any painting that cost a fortune...

Originals can be commissioned

While art prints are reproductions of existing art and are what they are, if someone wants something specific they can commission a painting to their requirements.

This makes obvious sense when it comes to portraits (people or pets), buildings or landscapes. But paintings can be commissioned for all sorts of reasons besides subject matter. Perhaps someone loves an artist's style but the artist doesn't have any paintings in the size they want. Or they'd prefer a different colour palette, or they want a set of a certain number. 

Not all artists will accept commissions, but many do, and if you want something very personal or have very specific preferences, this can be a great option. Just bear in mind that you are choosing an artist for their particular style, so don't try to get them to do something that doesn't align with that. Or worse still ask them to create something that looks like someone else's!

If the idea of owning an original painting appeals to you, whatever your reasons, you can take a look at the originals I currently have for sale here.

Part of the appeal of an original is that it's one of a kind, but that does mean that once it's gone, that's it. So get yourself on my VIP list and you'll always be the first to know whenever I release a new collection of original paintings.