Collecting original art is a deeply personal experience. For some, it begins with a lifelong appreciation for painting, an established collection, and a desire to discover the next meaningful addition. For others, it begins with a single artwork that catches their attention, introduces them to the experience of living with original art, and inspires them to explore the possibilities of collecting further. As an artist, I believe there should be room for both. My goal is to create original abstract oil paintings that appeal to a wide range of collectors, from experienced art enthusiasts who have spent years building collections…
Author: Blair
What inspires an abstract painting? It is a question I have considered throughout my years as an artist, and one that never seems to have a single answer. Sometimes, a painting begins with absolutely nothing more than a desire to put paint on canvas. Other times, it begins with a memory, a photograph, a landscape, a particular color, or a fleeting moment that has stayed with me long after the experience itself has passed. For me, abstraction is an incredibly open-ended way of creating art. It allows me to explore the world around me without being restricted by the need…
Returning to the landscapes I grew up with, reconnecting with nature, and finding new inspiration for my paintings. There are certain places in the world that never really leave you. No matter how far you travel, how much your life changes, or how many years pass, these places remain a part of who you are. For me, few places hold that kind of significance quite like the landscapes of Ontario, Canada. This past Canadian Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to return to one of my favorite places on Earth: the beautiful Algonquin Park region. Staying on Oxbow Lake, just west…
The Human Record One Painting. Thousands of People. A Permanent Record of Human Participation. Imagine standing in front of a completely blank canvas. No names. No words. No signatures. No history. Just an empty surface waiting for something to happen. Now imagine that instead of one artist deciding what the painting will ultimately become, people from around the world begin becoming part of it. One person contributes a name. Then another. Then another. A family joins. A business joins. An artist joins. A collector joins. An organization joins. Someone thousands of miles away adds a meaningful phrase. And then someone…
What happens when an artist decides to stop asking permission? Throughout the history of art, there have been moments when someone looked at the established rules and decided to challenge them. Sometimes the challenge was to what art could be. Sometimes it was to what art could be worth. And sometimes it was simply a challenge to who gets to decide. The Billion Dollar Painting is my attempt to do all three. I created a 54 × 54 inch abstract oil painting in 2020. I have given it a stated valuation of $1 billion and created an entirely unconventional ownership…
I have never been particularly interested in giving my paintings ordinary names. There is something about calling a painting Abstract Blue #1, Composition with Red, or simply Untitled that has always felt somewhat incomplete to me. Those titles may accurately describe what is hanging on the wall, but they don’t necessarily tell you anything about the idea, emotion, story, humor, memory, or possibility that might exist behind the work. For me, a painting is never simply a painting. It is an idea made physical. And sometimes, that idea deserves a name. This is why I deliberately give many of my…
There are moments in an artist’s life when a painting becomes more than simply another work in a studio. The Billion Dollar Painting is one of those moments for me. I created this 54″ × 54″ original abstract oil painting as an exploration of light, emotion, movement, color, memory, and the intangible feeling that can exist between reality and imagination. But at some point during the evolution of this work, I began to see something beyond the painting itself. I began to see an opportunity to make a statement—not only about this particular artwork, but about what I believe may…
For me, creating an original painting is not simply a matter of applying paint to a surface and deciding when the composition is finished. My approach to painting is an evolving process—one that can develop slowly over weeks, months, and sometimes considerably longer as I continue to observe, reconsider, refine, and respond to the work. Every unique abstract oil painting I create begins as an individual exploration. I do not follow a predetermined formula that dictates exactly how a finished composition will look. Instead, each painting develops organically through the interaction of color, texture, movement, gesture, layering, and instinct. The…
When many people imagine an artist’s studio, they picture large stretched canvases lined against the walls, expensive brushes neatly arranged on a workbench, and shelves filled with premium paints imported from around the world. There is certainly something inspiring about working with the finest materials available, and when I first began painting many years ago, that was exactly how I approached my work. Like many emerging artists, I believed that creating museum-quality artwork required museum-quality materials. I sought out Belgian linen canvases, some of the highest regarded painting surfaces available. I purchased professional-grade oil paints, premium mediums, archival varnishes, and…
In today’s highly connected world, artists have more opportunities than ever to share their work with a global audience. Social media, online galleries, digital portfolios, and art marketplaces have made it possible for artists to reach thousands of potential collectors with a single post. However, while exposure can create awareness, the foundation of a successful and sustainable art career is often built much more slowly — through meaningful relationships developed one collector at a time. Building a collector base is not simply about finding people who are willing to purchase artwork. It is about creating lasting connections with individuals who…