The first artwork I ever bought...with my own money.
I was one of those kids who always had a job and at 15 it was babysitting. These two woodblock-cut prints were the first pieces that I bought using my work savings. My family lived in Japan and I selected these two pieces because they reminded me of the rural area where we lived. I was given great license because it is such a safe country and I was allowed to explore temples, hillsides, villages, fishing boats and the little ginzas on my own....as long as I didn't leave the island. And, it turns out Kyushu, while rural in those old days, is still a pretty big island.
Taking a page from Del Thomas' blog posts, I have decided to periodically post work from my art collection. Much of it is my own, but those were created later in life. Over the decades I thought my job in the art world was to support artists. The most basic way is to buy their work, which I have enthusiastically! Even now that I am producing my own work, old habits and convictions are hard to break. I think supporting artists by purchasing their work is basic to my life.
What a wonderful addition to your blog! It makes for an interesting discussion as well. I can't off the top of my head think of the first piece of art I bought with my own money. The prints are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThese woodcut prints are beautiful. Even at age 15 you had excellent taste.
ReplyDeleteWhen you purchase art you make a circle complete. The piece finds a home, a place to sing. I love meeting the people who choose to buy my art. It's rather like marrying off your child. I also feel so much more keenly how good it is to buy the work of other artists. Buying art is commerce, and much more.
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