SO, YA WANNA BUY SOME ART??

Recently, I woke up at 2am unable to go back to sleep.  With not much else to do , I began to page through my Art Quilt calendar.  Hoping to use the time wisely by studying the works submitted by other artists, I came across one quilt that held my attention for the longest time.  It was of a woman in a long emerald green gown standing on the shore against a back drop of thunderous waves and a ship battling the sea.  With strong gusts of wind blowing through her hair and gown, the piece was very romantic and truly captured the essence of the Old World.

I then read the caption under the photo that gave the title and name of the artist.  Apparently the quilt was inspired by an actual painting done by a Pre-Raphael artist.  So, I got out of bed and went across the room to my volume of Pre-Raphaelite art (everyone has one of those in their bedroom, right?).  Sure enough, a photo of the actual painting was in it.  

I studied them both, side by side.  I was astounded at her ability to capture every detail of the painting.  How did she do the sea mist in fabric, and the hair?  Did she use paint, netting or thread?  I was in awe.

Is this art?  My answer would be NO.  The actual art was created by the painter back in the early 1800's.  The quilt artist reproduced an original painting in fabric.  Is it art inspired by the original painting?  Again, my answer would be NO.  No detail was left out or changed.  Is this fine craft?  YES.  Very, very fine craft.  Her techniques were far superior to most other works I have seen. She was correct to acknowledge the Pre-Raphael artist and the title of the painting that inspired her rendition. Still today, I am amazed at the fine quality of her work.  As far as copyright infringement... well, let's save that for next time.

With that being said, let's move on to Tiffany.  I have visited the Morse Museum in Winter Park, Florida many times to see the largest collection of Tiffany stained glass in the world.  On my first visit, I was overwhelmed by the size of the collection and the scale of his work.  I learned that he did very little of the actual cutting of the glass and leading himself.  He had his own glass factory and hordes of craftsmen working under him.  He would tell them what color glass to make and oversee the actual execution of his designs.  Is this art?  Yes.  The ideas were his.  The original sketches came from his own imagination and hand.  He didn't have to actually make the glass, just as old masters didn't have to mix their own paint.  They had under studies do that for them.
Today, I don't have to dye my own fabric- unless I choose to.

Another well known artist today is Terry Redlin.  Collectors around the globe buy thousands and thousands of his limited edition prints.  They are not buying original art.  But what about those "original" painted prints of his?  This answer lies somewhere between the two examples above.   Just as Tiffany had many craftsmen working in his studio, Redlin has many painters working in his.  He gives them the print and then maps out where all the brush strokes of color should go.  Kind of like paint by number.  In my opinion, this is not art.  The clear distinction is that Redlins' crew starts with a print of his painting and enhances it with the texture of brush strokes. Tiffanys' crew started from scratch and did not mass produce the same design.

When you decide to invest in your art collection, choose a medium that appeals to you; paint, sculpture, fabric, etc.  Then start educating yourself by attending shows on the local and perhaps the national level.  There are many wonderful art shows around this time of year.  Art festivals, galleries and art centers provide a very diverse grouping of regional artists' work.  When you find an artists' work that resonates within you, contact them and ask to see more of their work or commission them to create a piece just for you.

If you go to an art show, ask the artist themselves, or their representative, about the piece you are hoping to buy.  Good questions to ask are- is it the original piece or one of several, is it inspired by the work of another artist,  is it a pattern and so on.  And the mother of all questions is this- is there any possibility of copyright infringement?  If you don't get an immediate answer of NO to this question, walk away- fast.  A reputable artist or representative will give you honest answers and acknowledge the efforts of other artist's contributions to their creation. 

I highly recommend you allow yourself the experience of owning an original piece of art.  It's an investment, just like buying a car.  But art will give you a sense of appreciation and joy every time you look at it for the rest of your life.  I've never felt that way about a car.