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I know people who decorate their homes almost entirely with "art" they buy at big box retail outlets or the giant online equivalents of these stores. Of course, I don't say anything about their art buying habits, but for the life of me, I don't understand the allure. Even when I was a single parent attending graduate school and working five jobs to keep my head above water, I never even considered buying "art" from such places. But I'm here to tell you, you don't need a six-figure income to collect art from real artists. I will use these few paragraphs to explain why you should abandon any thought of buying box store reproductions.

At the most basic level, would you rather have a generic canvas in your home that was mass produced overseas and that thousands of people have in their homes in every suburb in America or would you like something unique to you, that expresses something about you and your sense of style that you won't see in your neighbor's house? That seems like an easy question to answer to me. At the same time when you buy original art you're supporting someone who has devoted hours and hours (more like years and years) to create something you won't see in the neighborhood yard sale. Three-fourths of U.S. artists make less than $10,000 a year, which means they are flipping burgers or tending bar to survive. When you buy art from a real, working artist, you are actually helping another human being survive. You're helping them pay rent, buy food, or shoes for their kids, or maybe allowing them to take continuing education classes to better themselves and their art. The bonus is that you are simultaneously enriching YOUR life by supporting theirs.

Traveling down a new age (or maybe not so new) path by channeling Marie Kondo, your selection and purchase of art should be fueled by love and "spark joy" when you see it. You'll know it when you see it because it gives you a little tickle in your belly and you can't walk away from it. I think an argument could be made that purchasing original art inspires good mental health. What, you say? For me there is nothing like painting or sewing to chase away the demons. So when you buy art from a real artist, you are not just bringing joy into your home you're keeping an artist somewhere from breaking down in tears or throwing plates against the wall after watching the news.

Big box art not only does not support working artists, it sometimes rips them off. A substantial amount of big box store art and online retailers of "art" are peddling knock offs of some very hard-working artist. Intellectual property theft is a real thing, especially in this era of online selling. (Don't get me wrong; there are online art sellers who have obtained the legal right to reproduce and legitimately sell artist prints and reproductions. Just do your research or, better, yet, buy your prints or reproductions directly from the artist or the gallery representing them.) And I am not even going to TRY to discuss non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and copyright issues surrounding them because I don't understand one syllable about them. I mean, how does art live in a blockchain? For that matter, what is a blockchain?

Art communicates stories: the story of the artist and your story. The story may be about a place or culture or something that communicates a lasting memory for you or commemorates a special occasion. A collection of art purchased in towns or countries across the map tells a story of your life's journey. That's actually how I started collecting art. When I visit another state or country, I always try to buy some kind of art as a souvenir. Every time I pass by it or pick it up in my home, I'm flooded with memories of time spent in Morocco or Spain or Paris with my son. It sparks joy. I think that's why landscape art is so popular with visitors to Moab and our national parks. They may be returning to a sterile office with nothing but parking lots and skyscrapers outside their windows, but with one glance, they can drift off into the red rock country they fell in love with on vacation. And again, the owner's mental health will get a little uptick!

Those are all feel good, mushy, emotional reasons to buy art from a real artist, but there are solid financial reasons to collect art as well. You can pretty much count on art appreciating in value. For example, Jean-Michel Basquiat sold his first painting for $200, probably on the street in New York. In 2017 an untitled piece of his art sold for 110.5 million dollars making it one of the most expensive pieces of art ever purchased. The artist Banksy disguised himself and sold his art on the street for $60. Only eight paintings were sold. The next day he went online and authenticated the eight paintings sold. One year later one of those Banksy originals sold for approximately $70,000 U.S. dollars.

These stories are those of extreme success, but the point is many, many artists are in that "sweet spot," of being not yet discovered. Their work is really quite affordable and will only go up in value. Cooperative galleries, such as Gallery Moab, arts festivals, and other local collective galleries or shops are a good place to find such treasures. Buying from a real artist connects you with that artist and his or her story, whether you are lucky enough to meet them directly or whether you develop an email relationship. Artists rely on repeat collectors and thus are always happy to hear from buyers via email. Artists love to talk about their work and learn about the people who buy their paintings, pottery, textiles or other art. They love to know where in the world their work is going and what it means to the buyer. That also opens the door to discussing a commissioned piece (a door which is almost always open, by the way) for a specific scene or type of painting from an artist you like. Art showing a special place such as the site of a wedding ceremony is an oft-heard request at Gallery Moab. If it's not hanging in the gallery, almost any artist whose style you admire would be delighted to paint it for you.

The moral of this blog is simple: just say no to big box "art." If you own some, don't be ashamed, just replace it, even if it's one piece at a time, with an original that sparks joy! In the meantime, have a yard sale and ditch those big box reproductions. Joy will come flooding into your life!

(Special thanks to artist Tony Savarese with his assistance in writing this blog.)

Janet Buckingham