Back to General Criticism
The only Van Gogh painting ever sold during his lifetime was sold directly by the artist to his doctor for 36 francs; a few years ago the same painting was bought by a Japanese conglomerate for 83 million dollars. Also, in the early days of the century, Pablo Picasso would often sell or trade his own paintings from the top floor of a small frame shop in Paris and even in his later days of fame and fortune, the crafty Spaniard would trade his original art for haircuts or clothes from his tailor.
So, there's no doubt that purchasing work directly from the artist has many benefits, prime among which is the act of meeting the artist, discussing the work and finally directly supporting its creator. The month of May offers a particularly rich variety of outdoor art shows in the state, with four of the top outdoor art shows taking place in each weekend in May in various parts of the state.
These outdoor fine arts shows and festivals, some of which have been around for over 25 years, not only allow the artist and the art public to meet face to face but also give the public a large selection of media, styles and prices all conveniently located in pleasant surroundings.
The prime rule of buying original art is simple: Art is in the eyes of the beholder! In other words, buy what you like, NOT what other people or critics say one "should buy." The great Norman Rockwell once said that the "reason art critics did not like his work was because Rockwell did not need the critics to explain his paintings to anyone."
One other issue which should be clear to the novice art buyer, is the difference between an original and prints. There is nothing wrong with buying a print; so long as you know it is a print and not an original, one-of-a-kind piece of work. Ask if you are not sure; some commercial printmaking methods have gotten so good that it is hard to distinguish visually. Most art festivals require that artists sell mostly original work and that prints be sold in a limited edition only.
The last important issue to remember is that framing is expensive. Most professional artists get their framing done in bulk or do it themselves, but generally do not charge excessively for the framing. However, if you buy an unframed piece, ask if the art piece is in a standard size; that way you can buy a ready made frame and do the assembling by yourself and save a small fortune in the process.
The first show in May is the 24th Annual Arts in the Park show, May 6-7. Held in Byrd Park, along Rugby Road in Richmond, it is one of the largest and most sought after outdoor art shows in the East Coast. 425 artists will participate this year, and every fine art media and fine craft is well represented. More information can be obtained from (804) 353-8198.
The second weekend in May brings the 24th Annual Ghent Art Show, May 13-14. This show will be held at the Town Point Park in downtown Norfolk. Further information can be obtained from (804) 446-2250.
May 20-21 brings the 11th Hope House Spring Art Festival at Stockley Gardens, also in the Ghent section of Norfolk. A major fundraiser for Hope House, this show also assembles a formidable display of local and neighboring states' art talent. Information can be obtained from (804) 625-6161.
The last weekend of May bring the 25th City of Portsmouth Seawall Art Show, May 27-28. Held along the seawall of the Portsmouth waterfront, this show is a favorite of many artists for its variety of awards and pleasant surroundings. Information is available from (804) 393-8983.
So, bring a hat for the sun and plenty of time to stroll through a magnificent variety of art to find that special piece that has your name on it! Those of you wishing to fill that enormous wall with a huge piece would do well to recall Salvador Dali's statement that "Those who can't paint should teach art; those who can neither paint nor teach should paint big."