An Introvert's Studio Diary: Please, Don't Buy That Painting as a Gift! | Atelierovo Art

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Today's post might be a little bit of "shooting myself in the foot" , but what can I say :).

Ivi

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For a while now, Wašo and I keep coming across the same thing: people want to make someone they love happy by commissioning a portrait of them.

Oh. People, please - don't do it. And I mean that kindly. There are alternatives that are so much more suitable and will make that person so, so much happier.

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The first category of bad idea: commissioning a portrait of "him" - or "her."

The second - and this one is even worse - is when the recipient receives a painting they've never seen, chosen by you, because you like it.

So many times you're convinced that the person "loves the sea and sunsets" (* fill in whatever comes to mind) - so you buy them exactly that and wait for them to be thrilled - but in reality the painting ends up hidden in some corner behind a shelf.

In my experience, very few - very few - people actually want to look at a painting of themselves on their wall at home. Each of us sees ourselves completely differently from how we actually look, and we're rarely entirely happy with what we see. (Editor's note: okay, kudos to the enlightened exceptions :).

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The only truly suitable alternative, from my humble perspective, is buying a painting that you know the person has been longing for with their whole heart :) .

Paintings and art in general are very, very personal things. Each of our tastes differs so much. And so does what we're going through in life.Our taste changes often - it shifts, becomes more refined - or we start to love something that would never have occurred to us otherwise.

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We begin to be drawn to energetic brushstrokes, limited colour palettes, boldness, daring - or perhaps fragility, vulnerability and stability that complement each other and create a harmonious whole that says more than: "this is a person - this is green - this is red - and this is the rug we got on holiday XY years ago..."

Friends.. that's what photographs are for...

Personally, I love to create from an inner need to express in colour and form what words can't capture - and the person who has experienced something similar will completely identify with such a work - and often can't practically explain "why." And this is exactly the moment that decides what a person wants to hang on their wall at home - and what they don't.

And this is genuinely very hard to predict.

I'm not talking about art deco that interior designers look for.This is about the kind of art that captures an emotion, transforms it and supports the person it belongs to. It moves them, gives them a wordless guide on how to navigate things, inspires them, takes them to places where their eyes and spirit love to wander.

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So if you want to delight someone and you know they love the work of a specific artist - get a gift voucher from that artist.

We, as creative souls ourselves, want our paintings to be on walls and bring joy to their new owners - not to be hidden in a cellar or tucked away at grandma's cottage. So if you have someone in your life you'd love to delight with a piece of art - now you know what to do. You're welcome.

PS: This post is the honest and subjective view of an artist who is also a person - take from it whatever you like :).

With love and bold honesty,

~ Ivi

~ Atelierovo Art

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