Buying Art Photography from the Artist

Are you an art photography collector or lover and have you seen an art piece that you are considering to add to your collection, but don’t find the information which art gallery is selling the work? There might be an opportunity to buying directly from the artist, which can be a great experience as well. Having the personal interaction between the artist and collector can bring a deeper connection to the work.

Buy art photography directly from the Artist

Make collecting art a personal experience.

Start collecting art photography

When you are starting your personal art photography collection, you probably have been looking around on the internet, visited art galleries or expositions and have a good direction of the art you like. But what if you would like to buy an artwork directly from the artist? Is this even possible? And where do you find artist that sell to collectors. And how do you know if the work is worth the money?

Maybe it feels a bit strange to make an investment this way, because art isn’t cheap. This is only one advantage when artist sell directly to the collectors, because they invest time and effort in connecting with their buyers, which makes the connection personal and you get to know about the artwork first hand. And you know what? Artists like me may seem a bit weird when looking at their work, but behind these works is a normal woman, who would love to tell you about the work and give you first hand insights in my creations. This will make the art buying experience very personal and enjoyable, both for you and for me.

How And Where To Find my work?

When you usually look for work at galleries, the advantage is that they can show you works from all different kind of artists, but what if you love the work of a specific photography artist and had the opportunity to collect more of their work, including older works and maybe even the latest creations?

You can discover some great artists online who are not represented by a gallery (yet), but if you know what you’re looking for, I believe collecting art is a matter of not only investing in money, but also in time. Take your time to look around here on my website online or on Instagram and look at the works shown there to get a good impression of what I make. Also search for hashtags like #artphotography, #photoart, #blackandwhitephotography, #mixedmedia and compare and start creating your own gallery of found works by saving them. Pinterest is also a great way to get an idea to define what you like and who the artists are. You can share images on my webite directly to your Pinterest Boards. When you do this for a while and keep coming back at my work, just get in touch or look at the Test Prints that I offer or maybe the originals.

Online

My personal artist website allows you to dive into my world of art, without leaving your home. But it may be difficult to get an idea of what you will get exactly. The colors may look different on your screen, the size, materials and the ‘feeling’ of the piece can be lost while looking on a screen.

Test Prints for Sale

The opportunity I give to my artlovers to get familiar with my work is to show the work printed, and not like many, just the digital file, because this is always very different from the final work. Besides that I offer them to buy ‘Test Prints’ as I call them. Smaller prints that have been given time and attention exactly as the final works, but can be collected for much less. This way you know what it will be like when you decide to buy bigger prints or the final pieces. You will know that the art will be send, that it arrives undamaged and that you will be a happy collector.

A few Tips On Buying Art Directly From The Artist

When you buy art photography directly from the artist, it is different from buying from an art gallery. The transaction may be different and a bit less proffesional, because this is not the main bussiness for the artist, which doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do this. To help you a bit, here are some tips to make the process simpler and make sure you are not missing out on anything important.

Is it possible to Ask Questions to the artist?

If you have seen an artwork that you love, just ask what the possibilities are. There may be a smaller work like this or maybe even test prints available. For me, as an photography artist myself, knowing that my work is going to be apprreciated makes a whole lot of difference. Don’t buy the art right away.

Get in touch with me when you find a work that you like and ask me anything you want to know. Ask how long the work will be available, especially when it is a unique work and not the usual limited edition prints (this is when there are f.e. 10 of the same prints available). If the work is unique and only 1 is available, just ask if the artist can give you some time to take measurements of the space you want the work to go. I don’t have any problem with that and when another buyer is interested as well, I will let you know.

Know the materials and how to care for the work.

My test prints are often not just prints, but layered with other materials like wax, thread, needles and more. Some of them need special care, like keeping them from direct sunlight or heat. Make sure you know what you buy so you can extend the life of the artwork.

Not just prints

All the final prints, test prints or final works, get the personal touch and attention they deserve. It’s never ‘just’ a printed photo.

signature and Certificates.

It is important that you make sure that the work is recognizable as a work from the artist. Therefore I sign, number (in case of limited edition works), or, as in my case, be recognizable as a Test Print or the Unique Original Print. Test Prints have the information and signature on the back. Original artworks come with a Certificate of Authenticity and an invoice. This can be valuable in the future in case you want to resell the work or need insurance for it.

Always get the Right Information.

The good thing about us having contact directly is that I would love to give you the opportunity to get to know about other things like my artist motivation, stories behind my art, who I am as an artist and create a very personal connection, not only with the work, but also as human beings.

After buying your Photography Art

Make sure you store the sales documents somewhere safe, frame the work, hang it on your wall and most of all, enjoy the work!

Stay connected.

To stay connected after buying an artwork from me, I would love to stay connected. This way you will be informed when new works will come out that may be of interest to you. Collecting photographic work from the same art series and artist can give a voice and you can show that you know what you collect and like.

And of course you would want to know if your collected work is getting succes or having exhibitions in the future. Follow me on social media like Instagram or subscribe to the newsletter below.