Mary Kate Johnson

This blog has been sorta stagnant lately.  Sorry,  it’s really because we are actually working on a complete overhaul and redesign, combined with life, the blog has taken a back seat.  And when you are trying to develop a small business whether as a hobby, or a full time, you CANNOT allow it become stagnant.  So we will be trying to keep up on this a bit more.

First thing is a series I will be writing about Collectors and Artists and how each can work together to ensure the value of the art that is collected, and how the relationship between the two is vital in the survival of the artist and their subsequent works of art.  It will also be simul-posted over on Natasha Wescoats website.  So for the first one….This topic came up as I was talking to Natasha about Collectors and Artists and how us the collector can effect the Artist and how we depend on each other for the success of the Artist and the value of the Art they produce and we (the collector) invest in.

Collectors,

Collectors and Artists are a symbiotic relationship. Artists need collectors to purchase their art, and collectors need artists to keep working and producing. However, the relationship is much deeper then that. Many collectors expect the artist to do all the work themselves, in keeping the value of their work high and continually appreciating in value. However, that just isn’t true. The artist needs the collector to do their job in helping them do that.

Collectors are the people that drive the price of the art. Much like buying and selling stocks. If a particular artist is “hot” the value of his work goes up. When the artist is not, expectantly the value declines. This is where the collector comes in. There is only so much an artist can do to ensure the value of his work. Its up to the collector to keep the artist working, his job is to continually by word of mouth advertise the artist. Display your pieces in high visibility area’s and where visitors will be able to see the art and comment. When asked about your proud pieces, talk about them and the artist. If you know the artist personally or have a relationship with them in some manner, discuss it, and show more of their work if you have multiple pieces or direct them to the artists website. Whenever traveling, stop at local Galleries and ask specifically for the artist, this helps generate more interest in the artist. Keep updated on new pieces the artist is working on. If you know somebody that is redecorating, ask about the colors and décor, and if you can suggest particular pieces by that artist or artists that may fit well in their new room. As a collector you should be interested in everything your favorite artist or artists do. Keeping them working is possibly the single most important thing you can do to ensure the value of your investment. A stagnant collector is doomed to always own worthless artwork they paid too much for.

While we ultimately purchase art for its beauty and placement in our homes we cannot ignore the investment. Art is an investment in every sense of the word. We all hope to make good decisions in our investment and hope that the pieces will appreciate in value, doing a few simple things like this will help ensure that happens.