A piece of fine art is one of a kind, never to be reproduced and only you own it. No one else on earth has your painting and never will unless you decide to pass it on. Even the artist that created the original work cannot exactly reproduce the piece. Each brush stroke has character, the thickness of the paint refracts light in varying degrees and the mixed colors have bits of paint from previously mixed piles on the palette that cannot possibly be exactly replicated.

A print or giclee will not have any of these characteristics of the original. Nor will they survive for decades to come. In fact, you are lucky if they don’t fade in a few years. In museums you will see oil paintings created hundreds of years ago, as bright and fresh as the day the paint was first applied to the canvas.

When buying fine art, most gallery owners will suggest that you purchase what you love and if it also becomes a good financial investment, terrific. Your response to the painting is of the utmost importance. The painting may remind you of a location you visited while traveling, a trail you hiked, the tree that once stood along your way to school or the sunlight glazing the ocean on a special day. You may respond simply to the colors of the painting. Some art owners describe looking at their collection as the 5 minute vacation. No matter what life is throwing your way, your art collection is constantly giving you infusions of joy.

To add to the experience, when purchasing original art meet the artist, if you can. The more you know about that painting, how it was painted, what the artist’s thoughts were, the more connected to the artwork you become. It will then have a verbal story to add to the visual story.

An original oil painting will evoke an emotion from you every time you see it. Over time you will develop a relationship and the painting will become part of your family. You can change the frame, easily move the painting for a new view and the artwork will remain an addition to your legacy that can be passed from generation to generation without deteriorating or losing value.

Personally, I have never regretted buying a painting or sculpture. My only regrets are the pieces that I passed by.