My own personal taste consists of three elements. A colour palette which speaks to me, simple forms (which could be lines or shapes), and sensitive subjects which soothe the mind.
When I look at a landscape, surface pattern or still life arrangement – when these elements come together, they have the power to settle and comfort.
In his publication A Short Book about Painting (Quadrille, 2017) writer and broadcaster Andrew Marr discusses creativity, inspiration, and beauty. He asks, ‘how an artist makes good work?’ and ‘What constitutes 'good'?
For the buyer, these questions feel so important. How do you decide what you like, and how do you justify it to others?
Buying a painting is a form of patronage – an ancient activity whereby someone with resources can support an artist by commissioning their work. Arguably the balance of power lies with the patron and artist can feel compromised in this relationship if their own creativity is stifled by the economics of the situation.
When an artist has created something personal and you are able to own it and display it in your own home, a relationship is born. The artist has shared their view of the world via an image they have freely created. To share in that view and look at it each day with the perspective that day’s events may bring, creates a dynamic between artist and buyer which feels like a great privilege.
To fall in love with a piece of art, there is no ‘art scene’ to understand or ‘meaning’ within an artwork to unearth. If an image or object speaks to you, then let it.