Support your local artist

I saw this picture when I was visiting the Outer Banks last year in April. (With the hurricane that just went through, I am worried about the sign, the islands, and the people who live there...) It was situated before a small gallery for local art. Which, unfortunately, was closed both times we drove by, but nevertheless the message stuck with me.

And I think it is a message that everybody should take to heart.

Here are several good reasons to buy art:

• it will give you pleasure and joy
• it will enrich your home
• it would give pleasure and joy if you decide to give it away as a present
• it would take care of a lot of thinking if you start doing it now for Christmas presents
• it may be a financial investment the revenue of which you can’t foresee at this point
• it will give joy to the artist you are buying from, enabling that person to continue to develop and make more art
• which, in turn, will strengthen your investment

And I am sure you could come up with even others yourself.  

So this may be a good time to decide and buy art from a/your local artist. Pick one who is not famous yet. You could just choose according to your taste, not according to who is ‘in’ right now – they may give you a good price. You could buy two pieces...

Perhaps you can negotiate special arrangements of payment. I have traded a quilt for beautiful jewelery by Margrit Schneeweiß.  Since I met her, she is my favorite and almost exclusive source for jewelry.  And I have partly paid for two water color paintings by Wolfgang Schneeweiß  by knitting him a pair of socks every month for a whole year, the rest was paid with ‘real money’. 

The last instalment...

I myself have accepted payment by instalment.

Remember: the sooner you buy yourself  a piece of art, the longer you will enjoy what you got.