John Dronsfield was thinking of a new idea that would guarantee he would get two pieces of work into an open art competition. This is a similar situation that many artists find themselves pondering. As artists progress through their career they enter competitions and exhibitions, to increase exposure to their work. John came up with an idea that was certainly innovative and caught the eye of curators, critics and members of the public. Painting on toast was born.
That was fifteen years ago, since then the toast has not been seen as frequently, until recently. An organiser of The Art of Caring Exhibition and blog started talking about the artist who paints on toast. A piece of this artistic toast was then sent to be reframed and caused quite a stir. People are still asking about this amazing piece of work. It is not just recognition from the public it has been recognised by the curator of the Stockport Art Gallery and adjudicators. When they all saw the paints they all announced a “Wow, that’s amazing.” The response is still the same today. Unlike many pieces of art these are not just another piece of novelty art. This is important to both artists looking for an original, eye catching idea and collectors / investors wanting a unique and desirable piece. What makes this art on toast standout is obviously the medium being toast, the thing that really makes these special is the quality of the painting, whether it is gouache, watercolour or oil.
This is a great example of art for any collector, investor or a person just looking a piece of art to decorate their home or office. There are numerous artists in the market place, some are good, some are not so good, so what should you be looking for. The number one rule when buying art should be “Buy what you like.” Following this will give you a solid base to work from when buying art.
The next thing to be aware of is, buying gimmicks. There are many out there and the bottom line is they are produced for one purpose only and that is publicity. Looking at John Dronsfields toast, it could be called a gimmick. The only way to find out if it is or is not, is through research. Some of the questions you need to ask are. What is the history of the artist? What I mean is, find out as much as you can about the artist and their previous work. Is it commercial art? This is more relevant to art other than paintings. The point is was the art produced to be sold or to get on the news. Using the example of John Dronsfields toast, it was first produced fifteen years ago and has never been used purely for publicity. Also the toast art looks great with high quality oil, gouache or watercolour painting. In my opinion this is more than any gimmick it is art. It reflect the ingenuity, the fantastic sense of humour and artistic ability of John Dronsfield.
With any art I would recommend that you look at the number of pieces that are being produced. This is more important when the art is slightly different. As with most items to be more collectable you are looking for lower numbers. Again looking at John Dronsfields toast example there have been less than ten pieces produced and is only produced by commission.
Unique work is more highly desirable and for investment makes a purchase have a greater return on investment. This is one of the reasons some people suggest that limited edition prints are not a great investment, I explain why that is not always the case in a previous article. Returning to our toast example the toast is only a base to paint on and the painting on the toast. This painting is original to each piece.
Looking for art whether it is for decoration or investment, should be fun. Whether you are looking for a traditional piece or something a little different, like the toast to be a talking point, it is important to ensure you do the necessary research and get the best piece for you personally.
