Which painting did you purchase and why ?

Annie

I thought it would be fun / interesting to share a painting  you bought that you HAD to have .
I find it interesting to see what attracted you to it .

When I got sick , I had much comfort in a painting I saw once and took a picture of .
It reminded me of the Hanged Man archetype .
This figure , to me , is falling falling falling and even though he looks afraid , he’s not sticking out his arms to break the fall : he is like “ yup, this is going to hurt . And that’s that “.
Sometimes  there’s nothing we can do to stop the hurt but see what is to come and accept and find ways to deal .
It helped me greatly .

Then my dad passed away and I decided to buy the painting .

Not much later , my brother and mom passed away too . I was so glad I had this painting . Art can really really affect the way we work through things , that way .

I recently bought a second painting from the same artist : it is a new day . A year later and I can see how life is for the living : that the deaths are emphasizing me being alive and that I can feel joy again at times .
Again: this work reminds me of that , daily .
Opening up to this new life .

The artist is Senad Alic . He came to the Netherlands from Bosnia Herzegovina. I love his work . 

Abstraction

Very evocative paintings. I love your expression of how they have connected to you and your life and that art can touch deep things inside us that may be too deep for words.

You would love the Australian cartoonist Leunig. He draws in an almost similar style - since the 1970s - and he is one of the few cartoonists whose work, taken together, I would class as fine art. Impossible to include any one cartoon that describes the scope of his work. Sometimes whimsical, beautiful, cut through, ironic... he touches what it feels like to live in the modern world as a person with feelings and sensibilities. Sorry for aside... I'll post my painting next.

Abstraction

Only painting I've ever bought.

I was in the market in Yerevan in 2011 - visiting Armenia for work. Best market of any in many countries I've visited. A long, long, long array of paintings. In amongst them all I saw this. It just stood out from all the others. The artist's wife and son were there - the son's paintings around it or anything else that day weren't of this class. I later discovered he is a well-known artist but in poor countries people need to pay rent and keep food on the table and sometimes you sell at the market for what you can get. I gave them all the money I had on me for it. His signed name is Serkhach - full name Sergey Khachatryan. His work sells for so much more than I paid.

Annie

@Abstraction

I know leunig! Thank you for that “ aside “. I love when seemingly simple things can move us .

I love your painting too and the story with it . My Armenian is a little rusty but once you find his name I will look him up . 

It’s so meaningful , these works , when they just jump out and we don’t even know why . Touches on something . 

The colors are splendid : the blue and red together . My eye goes to the green parts on the grown ups faces  : both of the adults have a green part , both on the eye that is the one at the outside . It makes me think of their circle of family there at the table but the got one eye in the adult world too. They know things the child does not yet need to know . 

Anyway : that is what I see . Together with the open window.
It is lovely and what a wonderful keepsake of your journey there. 

Thank  you for sharing . 

Abstraction

You're from Armenia? I mean, who speaks that language if they aren't.

Annie

@Abstraction
No, I was just joking , when you said” if you read Armenian “. 

I’m from Amsterdam . But I live in California. 😊

MichaelD

@Annie, @Abstraction have enjoyed reading your stories behind your painting purchases.


The first I bought was this still life its by Hillary Gauci.
One day in 2014 a particularly tough shift at work (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) I strolled into a small gallery and saw several still life works by this artist. I was really drawn to the old Dutch masters style of it, reflective silver, and of course the bowl of cherries.



`Life is a bowl of cherries` is an old saying which, I think means, -life is full of pleasure and enjoyment.

The work cost the equivalent of a month of my wages at the time, but like many galleries do now, I was able to buy in instalments over a year. 

I emailed the artist telling her how much I loved the piece and how the only thing I was good at in school was art, but I had not pursued it, and she was very encouraging and told me that I could paint like this too. She even started some email lessons with me, but I could not commit at the time.

I am not sure that she still paints, though I have done many searches, I lost touch with her.

The following year I got some tutoring, and did my first still life over 12 one hour weekly lessons. Then did a 10 day workshop in Bruges 2017. Now I just love immersing and challenging myself and learning all the time in painting.

So really I can thank her, her painting  and her encouragement which lead me to take the steps to awaken the, then, dormant artist within me.

  

Annie

@MichaelD

That is such a great story . That is extra special , to have this piece from someone who encouraged you paint . 

Must have felt great , the artist reaching out like that ( I had a bit of back and forth with the artist of my painting and I felt all special 😁).

Bruges is so quaint, isn’t it ? I love Belgium . 

Me too, I like the Dutch masters . Have you visited the Rijksmuseum, ever ? 

Thanks for sharing . It is a wonderful painting . I love the bowl of cherries . The frame y it s great . 

I picked a similar one for a painting I purchased last month . Will post it here .

Annie

I received a painting I bought last month and had it framed and picked it up this morning . 

It’s another one that relates to my family : my dad had a vegetable garden and was always and always munching on radishes .
The artist posted the work still wet and I bought it .
Honestly, I didn’t purchase much art in the years before that . But this one , not only reminded me of dad but I LOVE the colors . Plus I think radishes are unusual . 

MichaelD

@Annie, 

Yes it was so good of her to respond so helpfully.

Bruges is nice if a little touristy. Some lovely buildings.

No I have not been ti that museum, though I went to Amsterdam decades ago. one day maybe.
Thats so good your story behind the radishes, its a lovely painting  too.

Its a lovely way to think of and be reminded of your dad.

Yes the black wooden frame with gold inner works well with many works I find.

My previous 2 posts of my flowers paintings have them too.

  

Annie

@MichaelD

I saw that ! Your red tulips are gorgeous .

MichaelD

Thank you so much @Annie.

My collector has made a big hint about buying it, but I think I am going to keep it as theres a bit of sentimentality around it for me.


So I offered to do similar or replica if she wants.

  

Annie

@MichaelD

Well, the collector is right to want it . 

I’m from the land of tulips , I should know 😁.

But seriously : I think too not to sell it when you may regret it . I use some of the things I made as a kind or reference too when something worked , aside from sometimes feeling happy about what I made . 

tassieguy

That's a beautiful painting, @Annie.  The radishes and their reflection on the table top are amazing. And the frame suits it well. 

Annie

@tassieguy

Right?! 

It really is done so wonderfully . The color of the radishes are exactly like that . 

( now I want to paint radishes of course but I seriously stink at greens).

The painting  is by Cristopher Garvey. Oil on woodpanel . 

tassieguy

I just went to his website. I love his still lifes and his landscapes are serene and beautiful. 

Annie

@tassieguy

I think so too 😊.
I just went there too to see the landscapes a bit more . Loving his colors . 

GTO

@Annie.   

 Garvey does fine work.  I like his still lifes.  Looks like he did an interesting variation on a theme with all the glassware.   

His landscapes are elegant too.  Very calming.

tassieguy

I have bought a lot of paintings. I bought them because I liked them.  That is the only good reason to ever buy a painting. If you are a buyer hoping to cash in on a good investment, well, good luck with that. Enjoy your investment. 

Annie

@GTO

i like the calming vibe about it too . It’s very clear .

Did you see the billiards ball that he snuck in with the tomatoes? He’s working on a bowl of fruits with multiple balls in there too ( he posts the process in a Facebook group I subscribe to). 

Annie

tassieguy said:

I have bought a lot of paintings. I bought them because I liked them.  That is the only good reason to ever buy a painting. If you are a buyer hoping to cash in on a good investment, well, good luck with that. Enjoy your investment. 

I don’t consider myself a “ buyer of art “ or anything . Not for the sake of it, anyway . I could not part with them again. 

It gives me a lot of joy seeing these every day on the wall. It has to speak to me right off the bat .

GTO

@Annie I noticed that Garvey’s still lifes have only one light source.  At least they appear that way.  I find that interesting because there is so much light in them.  And if he is painting from life then he would have to isolate lights for his pallet and canvas.  It just seems like a lot of light fir a single source.  Very cool though. I like his work.

Annie

@GTO

Do you mean there’s too much light ? More than the light source would allow ?
I m not sure what you mean by isolate lights for his palette. 

I like his work too .

hassibnoorial

These are some amazing works! Keep it up dear.

GTO

@Annie It’s not that I think there is too much light.  I was just trying to figure out how he setup his lighting.  

Annie

@GTO

maybe he paints in a greenhouse 😁