Collecting art

Saturday, when in the old part of Newport, down on the wharf, Farm Boss happened to remember a small gallery that handles mostly reproductions on a wide variety of subjects. We had been there a few times, bought a painting once, and it's a place I always like to check for western themed paintings even if I often forget to do so.

Saturday, with the smell of salt in the air, barking sea lions below the wharf, having just had a bowl of clam chowder, my mind was on getting to the ocean. I had to do a mental readjust. Gallery? Yes, want to go to gallery.

When we got to gallery, it was closed with a sign on the door and a phone number. I might not have wanted to call except peeking through the glass door, I saw a very interesting painting on the wall. It was a colorful figure of a Native American dancer.

When reached, the owner promised to be back in about 10 minutes; so even though I was eager to get on up the coast, I checked out a couple of nearby shops; then sat on a bench to wait.

When she arrived, the wait proved worthwhile. What I had admired was one of several giclées by the artist, John Nieto, who paints impressionistic southwestern subjects with vibrant color. Once I found out their reasonable price, the only problem was deciding which two to buy.

The one I had seen on the wall is titled Fancy Dancer 1 and is 18" x 24". The one I finally decided would go with it is Calling on the Power of the Buffalo, the same size. They seemed to go together as one is meditation and the other dance both to the spirit.For years I have enjoyed John Nieto's work in galleries but never could afford originals or even serigraphs. When I decided to write about his work here, I did a little research online and found out something I hadn't known-- Nieto Recovers from Stroke. Quite an interesting story and well worth clicking on.

I love giclées for collectors like me who cannot afford to get famous artist originals but appreciate their work. It lets me have something beautiful and spiritual on my wall for a price I can afford. No, it's not the investment that an original would be. I don't buy art for investments.

As a collector, I do look for original work by young or artists who have not yet become famous. The problem lately is finding those who do western themed work. In my experience, although I have lucked out with a few, they aren't easy to find.

When I buy art, I usually don't have a place in mind for the pieces. That's the case with these two. Art for me is about a spiritual subject I want to bring into my home not a piece of decor. Somewhere. They will fit somewhere perfectly. They will bring their energy to that place, but at the moment, I am not sure where that will be. Fortunately I will have time to decide since I need to figure out a reasonably priced frame first.