WRITING
         RECOGNIZING ART HAVING VALUE

For those few people who support visual artists by buying and
collecting their work, here are some ideas and suggestions to
consider as you search for the art that will add richness to your life.  
If you have additional ideas concerning this subject, please let me
know your thoughts.

Schooling:
Did the artist study art under the guidance of qualified teachers?

Exhibitions:
Has the artist taken his art into public view?

History:
How long has the artist been making art?
This can indicate maturity of vision and degree of skill.

Development:
Does the artist's work have a progressive sense of  development that  
fits with everything that came before?  A clear development
can indicate that the artist's vision is growing as
he learns more about himself and his art medium.

Congruence:
Does the art seem to match and correspond to the personality of the
artist?

Personal presentation:
Can the artist communicate the meaning of his art to you, and is the
communication sincere and honest, and a clear presentation of
who they are?

Uniqueness:
Does the art seem unusual and out of the ordinary?
Art of value has uniqueness in it.  If it seems very familiar and
comfortable, it is probably derivative  and too conventional to
embody much  potential artistic and creative value.

Energy:
The best art incorporates and embodies the artist's  mental and
emotional energy.  As you view and open to experience an
artwork this energy and intensity can be felt.

Richness and Depth:
If an artwork seems obvious and easy to understand it
probably has little  richness and depth.  The best art
becomes valuable to others because it has within it richness
and depth.  Often one must view an art-work over an
extended period to experience this aspect of a great artwork.

Esthetic Elements:
Esthetic elements may be imbedded in an artwork in many ways.
Richness and depth come from understanding of the
esthetic elements. An artwork may present elements of
humor, delicate line work, striking lifelikeness, exciting
spatial relationships, rhythmic patterns and
orchestrated relationships of color or texture.
It may feature elements depending on symbols, content, or ideas,
philisophical intentions or any combination of these qualities and
many more.

Sincerity:
The best artwork is sincere, direct, and honest, and is a clear
statement of the artist's intentions.  Sincere areworks are not
created to please a gallery owner or made with
commercial intentions.  Sincere  artwork emerges out of a
process of creative necessity.  Sometime sincere artwork
is not completely refined.
Sometimes it is coarse and almost rude in its harsh immediacy.
Overefinement is often an indication of contrived concealment,
a presentation of technical ability used to impress the viewer
with detail and as a replacement for true significance,
emotional directness and honesty.

Resolution:
Is the artwork complete?
Sometimes resolution or completeness is hard to see for a beginner,
but each artwork is like a puzzle that the artist has invented, and        
then is challanged to solve.  Completeness involves the ideas
and emotional intention  of the artist, and whether he has the ability  
and understanding needed to draw all the artistic elements together.
To resolve an artwork an artist needs to consider and choose colors,
compostion, light and dark pattern, warm and cool pattern , degree
of detail and many more aspects as well.

Learning more:
The best way to learn  to choose art that has significant value is
to get involved.  Subscribe to a contmporary art magazine.  
Go to art openings, read up on the history of art, and most
helpful of all, make friends with a few artists.  Visit their studios,
to see how their art is made, and most of all, enjoy yourself.
Visit a few galleries and sign the mailing list.  They will send you        
invitations to openings and parties.  Art openings can be a lot of fun.  
You can even call a gallery to get on the mailing list.  The artist          
and gallery owners eagerly desire your presence, and will welcome   
you with open arms. And remember, the artworks  you enjoy and
own can have an influence on your thoughts and emotions, and  
nourish the deepest aspects of who you are.


Love and Light,
       
Larry Epston