WORDS FROM MICHELE HARMON

Ok, so I wasn’t always an artist, and even today, I feel a little “weird” saying “I’m an artist”. But, hey, I love making art, and I love how I feel after I look at the end result.  I spend valuable (but mentally worthy) time taking an idea and putting it on a canvas.  

When I started creating art, I did it because I basically just had fun doing it.  It was something I could do to just leave the external world and come out with something I was proud of.  I didn’t do it with the intention that I was going to build some sort of empire with this.  Psh, how ridiculous, right? 

Then...  

I had a whole slew of art. I was (and still am) attached to each and every piece.  Every creation meant something.  My artwork came from maybe something I felt, or something I was inspired by or something that just came out at the time.  But, I can remember doing every single piece and how I felt doing it.  Some came with ease, some I struggled with.  But, the end result was MINE.  I really didn’t have any desire to see my hours and hours of work walk out the door!  It’s kind of like letting that little frame of time go forever.  

But, look, I can’t just have a household of art that I have no walls for.  Do they go in the attic?  Do I just give them away?  (i have, but that’s a separate thing)   

I realized that my art MEANS something and just letting it pile up, or giving it away is not what my art is all about. Plus, income is nice, right? 

I have valuable time invested.  I have cost invested (it’s not cheap, btw).  I have emotion invested.  Thank goodness for art, because, who knows where I’d be today. 

So, there it is, a little hint of what goes into my art.  When I place value on my art, I factor in ALL of these things.  And, frankly, I think some are priceless, but, that’s just my unprofessional opinion.   

I said all of that to say this: 

Why buy original art?  

Can’t I just go to a big box store and buy some art I love?  Sure you can.  And I’m not saying there’s no value in that.  There is.  But, there is a difference.    

It is truly an investment.  Even though art is valued from one end of the scale to the other, it is still an investment in how YOU value art.  And, ultimately, how the world values original art. 

It’s a one-of-a-kind piece. No one in the whole world has what you have on your wall.  Even if the original was made for print reproductions, every stroke you see is what the artist directly placed on that particular canvas.  Tears have fallen on your art, I am here to tell you!  The one hanging on your wall has hours and hours of time and emotion attached to it.   

It adds warmth to your space.  You have invested in it, and it also means something to you.  You purchased it for a reason, and it’s on your wall because you know how you felt when you chose it. 

It has texture and depth and vibrance.  You will see each bump and grain.  You will see it exactly as the artist intended it to be.  As for my works, the glass art I add to my paintings come out from the painting itself.  Texture is so underrated.   

You are supporting artists.  When you buy an original, you are telling that artist (and all artists, really) that what we do is important, that art means something.  It keeps the art industry pumping.  When artists create something from their whole being, it confirms to them that their time and emotional input into making art is important.  It allows them to keep creating and adding more art to color the world!