POPULARazzi: Collect Urself (Part I)

image via stilettoheights from the "Collection of Tanekeya Word"

I recently had a twitter discussion on the art of collecting. In an effort to educate those who are weary of collecting because of: cost, art terms and the sheer fear that it’s a world they know nothing about then u have come to the right place! I started collecting 3 years ago and I always purchase art by these 3 rules:

-the feeling it gives me at first sight (You have to live with your purchases for life unless you sell them (art appreciates)).

-Who am I collecting (Is the artist a hobbyist who will stop creating any day now vs. a professional who may appreciate over time, has this artist been collected if so who has collected their work, what materials does the artist use, what's the life-span of the artwork, what does the artist represent & what is their work about)

-Price Point (As a professional artist I have wonderful clients who commission work, who buy limited edition prints and who purchase original art (that's three tiers of artwork for sell so anyone from a college student to a millionaire can purchase artwork from me). I also recognize that you get what you pay for and a quality investment costs. Most people do not understand that art supplies are very expensive as well as the time it takes to create a wonderful piece of work; so of course you should factor all these things in.

*Quick Art Terms

Mixed Media: any art work that uses more than one medium ex: using acrylic paint, paper, fabric, beads all in one painting.

Ephemera: Greek for "lasting no more than a day" simply put its written and printed matter not meant to be retained or preserved. ex: manifestos, broadsides, programs, menus, tickets, etc

Original Art: One-of-a-kind piece created by the artist’s hand

ACEO: an acronym for art cards, editions and originals. They are small 2.5 x 3.5 inches cards. ex: art cards about the size of a baseball card of limited edition prints or original art (this is the least costly of artwork and is mostly considered a craft by some vs. fine art)

limited edition prints: A limited series of identical images, usually fewer than 300, each signed and numbered by the artist. (This is the least costly of fine artwork).

triptych: art consisting of a three panel series (the panels can be separated or hinged)

Commission: the hiring of an artist to create a special piece of artwork, often on behalf of another. (This can be the most costly form of art because it’s an original and also the artist is creating the piece with your preferences).

OK, now let's put all of the points and terms I mentioned above to work. I saw these amazing pieces, Becoming Alice and Becoming Imaginary which were created by Jennifer Gordon, they reminded me of my love of "Alice in Wonderland"; but, with a modern day twist. So, I researched the artist and asked her about the pricing for a few pieces of original art such as a commissioned triptych that would be reminiscent of an African-American modern day Alice. Jennifer found the perfect photos of Naomi Campbell who is uber fab and I was sold. Jenn's work is a form of mixed media using crayons, pencil, photos, paint and ephemera amongst other things. I also commissioned Jenn to create 36 aceos of African-Americans. I love every piece of artwork that I have ever purchased of Jennifer Gordon's and no one in the world has my pieces which makes them very exclusive; plus, my work has appreciated over the time I purchased them from her which makes me even happier. I am now working on a few more commissioned pieces to include in my growing collection and I will be sure to blog about them when they are completed! Check out a few items from my art collection by Jennifer Gordon below: