Why I Collect Art

I spent last weekend in a convention hall with 13,000 people who love to look at and collect art. I thrived.

I am a person who spends most days working alone in my studio. This is a good thing, a dreamy thing really. I also am a very social person who enjoys meeting and engaging with people. I think I am not alone in this arrangement, so when the opportunity to meet and mingle with other artists and folks who love art, I am all in.

Earlier this year, I became involved with a Portland-based group of printmakers called Print Arts Northwest. We are 70 members representing printmakers of all kinds, and all ways. Last weekend, we hosted a 10x30-foot booth at an event called The Gathering of the Guilds. It was 300+ booths of artists and craftspersons showing work and showing up. Our booth represented 61 artists and close to 300 prints. The booth was filled with great pictures, work I admire. I spent 3 days standing in this booth and feeling the vibe. The collective good that art can deliver.

Making art is a very solitary act, by necessity really, at least for me. So being in a space filled with prints, 13,000 interested people, and me having a perfectly good reason to talk to anyone who came by was affirming and important. I am grateful to all the collectors, other artists, and kind people I engaged with. I even ran across people I knew but had not seen in years.

So Ray, what is your point in all of this: Collecting art is important, and it feels good, the kind of good that is deep inside of us. Connecting with someone through art is lasting, for the artist and the collector. Truth is, I did not sell any of my prints at the show, but I still felt validated, and, honestly, loved. I have a mantra I say to anyone who will listen. I learned it from a dear friend.