why do YOU collect art?

[ck]

I've been trying to figure out what motivates me to continually spend a crapload of money on art. I guess I enjoy having beautiful, unique things to look at in my home. Most of my friends think I'm crazy for doing it, though. It makes me curious as to why some people see the value/fun in collecting while others don't understand it at all. I wonder how much of my collecting is fueled by my need to feel better about myself (as much as I hate to admit it). Like, I'm a "better person" because I have these material possessions. Anyways, just thoughts....

So, why do YOU collect art?

[masao626]

i collect whatever strikes me. which i believe is why i never sell. It can be the dumbest little thing on the planet but if it gives me that rush - am i alone in that feeling? - then i have to have it.
to that end, i have an addictive personality. i've stayed away from drinks, drugs, smokes, gambling, etc. but collecting has always been my compulsion.

it's all emotion. the rush. the chase. the payoff of it on my wall.

[ck]

yea, i get that rush too. AND i also have an addictive personality. when i get into something, i tend to go a bit extreme.

i also like the chase a whole lot, which is why i think i buy so much. and i'm constantly searching for the next best thing. i've come to the point where i have to sell other pieces in order to get the next best thing....sigh. i think i'm going to retire for a bit since selling isn't going so great.

[irsk]

ck said:

i think i'm going to retire for a bit since selling isn't going so great.

I'd love to get your Amy, just can't afford it without a major price cut and don't want to insult you with a horribly under the market rate offer. As in, I don't want to offer you way, way less than you'd get on ebay.

[marcusslo]

im sick

[masao626]

marcusslo said:

im sick

well we knew that

[comiconart]

First and foremost, I've always been a collector...but time and time again, I find myself accomplishing my main goal and having nothing left to chase...so I get bored collecting that particular material, sell it all, and start collecting something else. Maybe it's because in the past I've collected items whose enjoyment is limited once in my possession (comic books that sit in boxes, baseball cards, Absolut ads, you name it). I think it also has a lot to do with the rush being gone once the big challenges have been accomplished...so in the past, it's always been more about the chase. With art, though, I hang everything on the walls and get to enjoy them all everyday...so that adds a dimension to collecting that was previously missing. In addition, it will be impossible to ever "complete" the collection, so I don't see myself getting bored anytime soon. That being said, my main reasons for collecting art:

1.) Love having beautiful paintings on the wall
2.) Love the chase
3.) Love a good investment.

I have paintings that are not good investments and are purely for the sake of enjoyment...I have paintings that are primarily good investments that I'm not particularly attached to...and most of my collection falls into both catgories...I enjoy having them on the walls and hope that, in the long run, they turn out to be the good investments I consider them to be.

I buy prints, too...but not to hang on the walls. And I often find myself selling prints to fund more OG purchases. I like the unique aspect of OG's...and that the artist actually created it. I don't get the same feeling from prints.

[isthatchicken]

ditto on the addictive personality, because it makes me happy to walk into a room in my house and see something nice and for some reason is a stress reliever . I have way too many things unframed and waiting in the wings that I really need to stop for a minute and have them done so I can enjoy them too. I actually found 2 things I had forgotten about recently (blaine fontana fan kit og pc., and a easo andrews print) and that's gotta stop.