Why Becoming a Patron Might Be the Best Way to Start Collecting Art
In this video, I explore five reasons why becoming a patron can offer a completely different relationship with art, from supporting ambitious creative projects to becoming part of the story behind the work.
If you’ve ever thought about collecting art, this might be the conversation to start with.
Most people think collecting art begins with a purchase. You walk into a gallery, discover a painting you love, ask for the price, and eventually decide whether to take it home.
And yes, sometimes that is exactly how a collection begins.
But there is another way to enter the world of art. A way that starts much earlier than the moment a finished painting is placed on a wall.
It starts with belief.
It starts with becoming a patron.
The word itself might sound like something from another century. It brings to mind Renaissance palaces, powerful families, composers, painters and great cultural movements.
But patronage is not a relic of the past. If anything, the idea has become increasingly relevant in a world where artists are expected to create, promote themselves, build an audience, finance ambitious projects and somehow remain focused on making meaningful work.
A patron changes that equation. A patron does not simply ask, What can I buy?
They also ask, What can I help make possible? And that difference changes the relationship between art, artist and collector.
You Help Bring Ideas Into the World
Before a painting exists, there is usually a period nobody sees.
There are experiments that fail. Sketches that never become finished works. Research, travel, conversations, doubts and discoveries. There are ideas that need time before they can become something visible.
This is where patronage becomes powerful.
Supporting an artist is not only about appreciating what has already been created. It can also mean giving an idea the possibility to grow.
Some projects require more than talent. They require space, resources, time and the freedom to take risks.
A patron can become part of that process.
Not by controlling the artist’s vision, but by helping create the conditions in which that vision can exist.
Great art has often emerged because someone was willing to support possibility before there was any guarantee of the final result.
That is a very different experience from simply buying something after everyone else has already decided it is valuable.
You Build a Relationship With the Art Before It Is Finished
There is something fascinating about seeing a finished artwork for the first time.
But there is another kind of experience that goes deeper: understanding how it got there.
When you develop a relationship with an artist, art stops being completely silent.
You begin to see the decisions behind the surface.
Why was this subject chosen? Why did the composition change? Why did the artist abandon one direction and pursue another? What happened between the first idea and the final piece?
Suddenly, the artwork carries a different kind of meaning.
You are no longer looking only at the result.
You understand part of the journey.
That connection cannot be reproduced by a label next to a painting or a paragraph in an exhibition catalogue.
It comes from proximity.
From conversations.
From curiosity.
From following the evolution of an idea over time.
The Art You Collect Becomes Part of a Larger Story
A painting can be beautiful.
But beauty alone is not always what makes us remember something.
Stories do.
We remember where we were when we discovered something. We remember the people connected to it. We remember the circumstances that made a particular moment possible.
Patronage adds another layer to collecting because the artwork becomes connected to a living story.
Perhaps you supported an artist before an important exhibition. Perhaps you saw the first sketches of a series. Perhaps you helped make a project possible that later travelled across different countries and reached thousands of people.
The artwork is still the artwork.
But your relationship to it is no longer limited to ownership.
You became part of its history.
And history is one of the things that gives art its extraordinary ability to outlive the moment in which it was created.
You Experience a World Most People Only See From the Outside
The public usually encounters art at the end of the process.
The exhibition opens.
The paintings are perfectly lit.
The catalogue has been printed.
The story appears finished.
But behind every exhibition is another world entirely.
The studio before opening night.
The unfinished work.
The conversations that shape a new collection.
The uncertainty before a project becomes real.
For a patron, that world can become accessible.
Studio visits. Early access to new work. Private conversations. Invitations to special events. The opportunity to see ideas while they are still evolving rather than after everything has been polished for public presentation.
These experiences are not simply exclusive perks.
They create context.
And context changes the way we experience art.
When you understand where something comes from, you often see it differently.
You Help Shape Culture
This may be the biggest reason of all.
Artists do not create culture in isolation.
Even the most independent artist exists within a network of people who encourage, challenge, support and believe in their work.
Throughout history, many of the artistic movements we admire today were possible because someone decided that an artist’s ideas were worth supporting.
Talent matters enormously.
But talent needs opportunity.
Ideas need space.
Ambition needs someone willing to say, Let’s see where this can go.
Patrons have always played a role in that story.
And they still do.
Every person who chooses to support an artist is making a decision about the kind of culture they want to exist.
They are saying that creativity matters.
That ideas deserve time.
That art should not only be judged by whether it can immediately be sold, liked or understood.
In that sense, patronage is not just about supporting an individual artist.
It is about participating in the cultural conversation of your time.
Buying Art Is a Transaction. Patronage Is a Relationship.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with buying art.
Collecting is one of the most exciting ways to live with creativity. A painting can transform a room, start conversations and remain with you for decades.
But becoming a patron offers something that goes beyond the transaction.
It begins before the purchase.
And it continues after it.
It is built on trust, curiosity and a shared belief that something worth creating deserves the chance to exist.
Perhaps that is the most interesting way to think about collecting.
Not simply as the acquisition of objects. But as participation.
Not simply asking what artwork you can own. But asking what story you can become part of.
If you are thinking about starting an art collection, perhaps the best place to begin is not with a price list.
Perhaps it begins with an artist whose work, ideas and vision you genuinely believe in.
Because the greatest part of collecting art may not always be what you bring home.
Sometimes, it is what you help bring into the world.
Why Every Artist Needs a Team
There is something I have come to realize after years of working as an artist. Behind every project, every exhibition, every painting, and every achievement, there are people. A group of people!
Not one person. Not one collaborator. The Art industry ask for single individual. People who support you, work with you, believe in what you are trying to build, bring their own skills and ideas to the process, help you when things don’t go as planned, and share with you even the most difficult parts of the journey.
The more I look back at my own work, the more I realize that almost everything I have created has, in some way, been a collective effort. For a long time, however, we tend to imagine the artist as an individual.
The artist in the studio.
The artist in front of the canvas.
The artist with an idea, a vision, and the ability to turn that vision into something tangible.
And, of course, there is truth in that.
There is a moment when the artist has to stand alone in front of the canvas. Nobody else can make that decision for you. The painting is yours. The vision is yours. The responsibility is yours. But that moment is only one part of the journey. Everything around it is rarely individual.
An exhibition requires a team. A project requires a team. A collection requires a team. Building a career requires a team.
The Myth of the Artist Who Does It All
There is a romantic idea of the artist as a completely independent figure: someone who creates alone, succeeds alone, and builds everything through individual talent.
But talent is only one part of the equation. You can have talent and never build anything meaningful.
You can have extraordinary ideas and never bring them to life. You can have a vision and still lack the people, structure, resources, and support necessary to take that vision beyond your studio.
At some point, an idea becomes bigger than the person who had it.
And when that happens, the artist has a choice. Try to carry everything alone. Or build a team.
This becomes even more important when the work grows beyond the artwork itself.
When you are creating collections, exhibitions, cultural projects, educational programs, philanthropic initiatives, or experiences that reach beyond a single canvas, the work naturally becomes collaborative.
The artist may be at the center of the vision.
But the vision moves forward because an entire group of people chooses to move in the same direction.
Choose Your Team Carefully
There is another side to building a team that I believe is just as important, and perhaps even more vital: choosing carefully who you allow into it.
Not everyone who offers to help you is actually working toward the same goal. This is something I have learned through experience. Sometimes, the wrong people don’t appear as enemies. They appear as partners.
They tell you they want to help. They tell you they believe in your work. They offer opportunities, connections, collaborations, or support.
But behind those intentions, they may have a completely different agenda. And when you are focused on creating, building, and moving forward, it is easy to overlook the warning signs.
This can happen in many different ways.
People who constantly undermine you or make you question the value of your own work. Clients or collectors who try to diminish what you have created simply to justify paying less for it.
Partners who present themselves as supporters but have interests that are completely different from yours, and sometimes never make those interests clear.
People who enter an event or project that you have created and then try to take ownership of the attention, the relationships, or even the event itself.
These situations are not always obvious at the beginning. And that is precisely what makes them dangerous. The problem is not collaboration. The problem is collaborating with people whose objectives are fundamentally different from your own without recognizing it soon enough.
When you are building something, you have to know who is building it with you, and who is simply trying to use what you are building for themselves.
Nobody Gets There Alone
The older I get, the less interested I am in the idea of individual success.
I am much more interested in what we can build together.
Because the truth is simple:
Nobody gets anywhere truly meaningful alone.
You can have talent.
You can have ideas.
You can have a vision.
But at some point, you need people.
Not just one person.
People. A team.
People who believe in you.
People who tell you the truth.
People who push you forward.
People who bring their own talent to your vision.
People who stand next to you when things get difficult.
And sometimes, people who simply say, keep going.
When I look at the work I have created so far, I realize that the paintings may carry my name, but the journey behind them has never belonged to me alone.
And perhaps that is one of the most important things art has taught me.
Build your team. Choose your people. Share the journey.
Because nobody gets there alone.
When Is a Painting Finished?
“When is a painting actually finished?”
It’s a question I’m often asked by art enthusiasts and collectors, sometimes directly. In this article, I’ll try to explain when, for me, a painting is truly finished.
You sit in front of a mostly white canvas.
You hold a paper towel in one hand, brushes in the other. You stain your clothes, your fingers with paint.
You breathe in the smell of linseed oil, of turpentine.
Days go by. Maybe months. And little by little, your eyes become accustomed to what they see.
Until one day, a beautiful day, you realize there is nothing left to add.
And then, somehow, everything works. Everything finds its place. The image becomes harmonious.
But what is the exact moment when a painting is finished?
For me, it is when I start to be afraid of ruining it. When adding something means risking taking something away. When I realize that perhaps, finally, it is time to stop.
How Much Does a Custom Portrait Really Cost? (The Answer Might Surprise You)
The Question Almost Everyone Gets Wrong
It’s one of the first questions people ask when they begin considering a custom portrait:
“How much does it cost?”
And it’s a fair question.
When you’re thinking about commissioning a portrait, the initial price is usually the first thing that comes to mind. You want to understand the investment, compare your options, and decide if it’s something you can justify.
But after years working in this field, I’ve realized something: That might actually be the wrong question.
Let me explain why.
When we think about purchasing something valuable, we usually compare it to other experiences or luxury items. A vacation. A car. A watch. A designer piece.
And those things can absolutely bring joy.
But they all have something in common: their value is often connected to a specific moment in time.
A vacation ends.
A car gets older.
A luxury item eventually loses its excitement.
A custom portrait is different.
A portrait doesn’t behave like any of those things.
To truly understand its value, you have to look at it from a different perspective.
What Are You Actually Buying?
Let’s imagine, as an example, that your custom portrait costs $12,000.
At first, that number might feel significant.
But now imagine you enjoy that portrait for 30 years.
That equals:
- $400 per year
- About $33 per month
- Just over $1 per day
Suddenly, the way you look at the investment changes.
And the truth is, 30 years is only the beginning.
A well-created portrait can remain meaningful for 50, 75, or even 100 years. It can continue to be appreciated by your children, your grandchildren, and generations after you.
Because a portrait captures something that cannot be recreated:
A specific moment in someone’s life. A person. A relationship. A memory.
How many things do you spend more than one dollar a day on that you’ll completely forget about within a year?
The Value of What Cannot Be Recreated
We live in a world where images are created every second.
Our phones are filled with thousands of photographs. Every day, an endless stream of content is uploaded, shared, and forgotten.
But very few images have the power to stay.
Photos stored on a device can disappear.
Digital files can become corrupted.
Social media posts can be forgotten within days.
A portrait is different because it exists in the physical world. It becomes part of your environment, your home, and eventually your legacy.
The Emotional Value of a Portrait
The greatest value of a portrait is emotional.
A portrait often becomes more meaningful as time passes because the moment it represents becomes more significant.
A child grows older.
A parent is no longer with us.
A loved one becomes a memory.
The artwork carries that connection forward.
Unlike many possessions, a portrait does not lose meaning with age.
It gains it.
And beyond the emotional value, there is also the possibility of financial value.
Great works of art can appreciate over time as an artist’s career develops and their work becomes increasingly recognized.
The Cost of Waiting
But there is another question that is rarely considered:
What is the cost of waiting?
Because time changes things.
Children grow.
Parents age.
Grandparents pass away.
Even beloved pets eventually leave us.
The perfect moment you want to preserve today may not exist tomorrow.
Sometimes the most expensive decision is postponing something that can never be recreated.
Because the opportunity is not permanent.
The Question That Really Matters
So let me ask you one more time:
Instead of asking yourself:
“Can I afford a custom portrait?”
Ask yourself:
“Can I afford to lose the opportunity to preserve this moment forever?”
Because that may be the most important question of all.
If you have ever wondered what commissioning a custom portrait involves — from the pricing and process to what you can expect — we’re happy to answer your questions and guide you through the experience.
Understanding the Price of a Work of Art: A Guide for Collectors and Enthusiasts
Buying a work of art is not simply about choosing a painting that speaks to you.
It also means understanding the factors that contribute to its value. Why does one painting cost more than another? What determines the price of an artwork?
In this article, I’ll explain the main factors I consider when determining the value of my own work. These reflect my approach as an artist, while other artists may assess their work differently depending on their career, market position, experience, and overall strategy.
Comparable Sales
One of the most important factors in determining the value of an artwork is its comparable sales history. The art market often looks at previous transactions to establish a reference point for future pricing.
When a work by the same artist, with a similar size, technique, subject, and level of execution, has recently sold for a certain amount, that sale provides an important benchmark. For example, if a comparable work sold for $50,000, a new artwork of similar quality and characteristics would generally be positioned within a similar range.
Of course, no two artworks are exactly the same, and the final value can be influenced by many other factors.
Size and Technique
Size plays an important role in determining the price of an artwork. Larger works generally require more time, materials, and physical effort to produce, which can naturally affect their value.
Technique and materials are equally important. An oil painting on canvas, for example, may be valued differently from a pencil drawing on paper because of the materials, process, and level of craftsmanship involved. Mixed media, high-quality materials, complex techniques, and intricate details can further influence the final price of a work.
Exhibitions and Publications
An artwork’s exhibition history and presence in museums, galleries, catalogs, and publications can have a significant impact on its value. When a painting has been presented in a prestigious institution or important exhibition, it gains greater visibility, credibility, and relevance within the art market.
The same applies to appearances in established art magazines, books, and curated collections. These forms of recognition contribute to an artwork’s provenance and reputation, strengthening its appeal to collectors and potentially increasing its market value.
Works that have been seen of the King of England’s brother obviously carry different weight from works that have had more modest exhibitions.
Year of Creation
The date an artwork was created can also influence its value. Earlier works can become particularly important when they represent a significant stage in an artist’s development or career.
For example, a painting created in the early 2000s may hold greater historical significance within my body of work than a more recent piece. Early works can also be rarer, especially when fewer examples from that period remain available, making them more exclusive and potentially more desirable to collectors.
Emotional Attachment and Personal Meaning
Some artworks have a value that goes beyond market considerations. They may represent a pivotal moment in an artist’s life, tell a deeply personal story, or express a message that holds particular meaning for the artist.
For this reason, certain works may never be offered for sale, regardless of the price. When they are made available, their rarity, uniqueness, and personal significance can place them at a much higher value than works created primarily for the market.
The Mona Lisa’s Daughter is an example of emotional attachment to a painting.
Works Created for Designer or Brand
Some works are created specifically for a designer, brand, or private commission. In these cases, the artwork may have limited public visibility because it is intended for an exclusive setting or a specific client.
This exclusivity can significantly influence its price. The work becomes unique to a particular client or project, increasing its value and relevance to the end buyer. At the same time, because it may never be exhibited or widely promoted, it can have less visibility and recognition within the broader art market.
When considering an investment in art, understanding these factors can help collectors make more informed decisions. An artwork is more than a decorative object. It can represent a moment in history, an artist’s creative journey, and, in some cases, a long-term investment.
Its value is shaped not only by what we see on the surface, but also by the story, context, rarity, and significance behind the work.