ART ADVICE

How to Give A Painting

Some of the worst art I own was given to me as gifts. It’s not that the art is particularly bad, poorly rendered, or void of interest. It’s just that the art isn’t me. It’s not even the person who gave it to me, but some in-between void of their impression of who I am and what I would want to put on my walls.

I like ugly things: objects of refuse, cast-offs, seconds, things that reflect wear and tear, imperfection, or plain old wabi sabi. I would rather have a drippy oil painting that slides off the canvas than a polished acrylic piece of photorealism. I like prints with smudges. I like dirt. I like the harmony of messiness.

But I don’t like crap…thoughtlessness or accident.
I do like gifts and art I don’t have to pay for.

Who doesn’t, really? And I have no reservations about giving art as gifts. In fact, I encourage it. But unlike an Old Navy cashmere scoop-neck or a sterling silver golf tee tool with built-in stymie marker from Tiffany & Co., giving art is not simply about the object. Giving art is about the relationship between you and the recipient.

The best way to give a piece of art is to take the person art shopping. Visit 4-5 galleries and ask them what they like, what they don’t like. What piece of sculpture makes them beam? What photography can’t they take their eyes off of? What painting can’t they shut up about? If you want it to be a surprise, go back to the gallery on your own and buy it or surprise them there by buying it on the spot.

Another way to give art is to give the experience of shopping for art. On a little piece of paper write, “I am going to buy you a painting.” Put that piece of paper in an envelope. Put the envelope in a humongous box so they think you bought them a new washing machine.

You can, of course, buy not what they want per se, but the work of art they must have. I often take this approach with gift giving in general, and it works particularly well with art. A gorgeous Vermont landscape is the perfect gift for that friend who moved to Seattle. Just tell them you want them to remember where they came from. An expressive nude for your wife says, “You are sexy and deserve sexy things.” A rough piece of art brut to your dad says, “You know, I’m not quite over my childhood yet.” Art can be a means of saying something you can’t put into words.
Not all art needs to go above the mantle. If you’re really unsure, a small piece of art or a work-on-paper that can be kept in a folder instead of framed on the wall may be just the thing.

Most importantly, give art to yourself. My favorite reason to buy art is because you have to. Because somehow that painting or photograph or sculpture so contributes to the completion of your being that you simply must take it home and put it above the hallway table where you drop your mail and keys when you walk in the door after a long day at work.

And after all, the easiest person to give a gift to is yourself.

RIC KASINI KADOUR

 

Art Map Burlington is a publication of Kasini House, Inc. info@kasinihouse.com
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