The right art can make a house a home, but with so much to choose from, how should you select the perfect piece?
Finding the ideal finishing touches for your home is something of an artform, and choosing pieces of art can be a minefield, but Dawn Titherington believes you’ll know when you find “the one”.
‘”Buying art is the same thing as falling in love” is my favourite quote,’ Dawn says. ‘It epitomises everything that we love about owning an art gallery. It’s that magical moment when you look at a piece of art and it just makes your heart sing.
‘Customers will come in for a browse or to escape the rain and just look at something and fall in love with an artist they’ve never seen before and then become regulars.’
She owns the Windermere Fine Art Gallery in the heart of the town, which has internationally acclaimed artists on its books, alongside her husband, Matthew.
They both previously worked in Blackpool for many years, where Matthew was the general manager of Madame Tussauds and Sea Life in the seaside town, while Dawn worked as a superintendent registrar at Blackpool Council.
They own a house in Windermere which they spent a lot of time renovating during lockdown and spotted the gallery was for sale. Matthew’s father was a prominent North West artist and Dawn has an eye for style and interior design so the couple have always had a passion for art and the home.
Buying a gallery in lockdown was a gamble but it was one they were willing to take to make their dreams come true. The gallery opened two years ago and has gone from strength to strength, with a wide selection of originals and limited edition, individually numbered prints.
Fabian Perez, Danielle O’Connor Akiyama, Sannib, Sheree Valentine-Daines, Pete Humphreys and Andrei Prostuk are among the new artists now available, which puts the gallery on an international playing field with the largest selection of artists in the region.
Fabian Perez is a celebrated artist who was Italian Academy of Artists’ Artist of the Year in 2014 and the official artist at the 2010 Latin Grammy Awards. Fabian has also been a guest at the Vatican where he presented Pope Francis with his portrait. The Fabian Perez paintings at Windermere Fine Art Gallery feature some of his most recognisable works as well as limited edition prints.
Danielle O'Connor Akiyama is best known for her use of bold, vibrant colours that are full of life. Her art features flowers and abstract shapes that break free from structure and is created by Sumi-e, a type of Japanese brush painting. Her work blends Eastern and Western art styles to create a beautiful, eye-catching fusion. The gallery also has an original Sannib portrait of Marilyn Monroe in a blue and gold colour palette which is inspired by nature.
Dawn said: ‘Our gallery is not just for art connoisseurs. Many people come to us looking for a piece of art to complete their home and fall in love with the unusual and playful pieces we have on offer here.
‘We’re often asked how to choose art as an investment. We always say you need to fall in love with a piece first and then it will give you years of joy. We do know that a number of pieces we’ve sold have gone up in value in just the two years we’ve been open and we always have our eye on who’s highly collectible, so many of our pieces could be a great investment financially as well as emotionally.’
Dawn and Matthew’s top five tips for how to choose a piece of art:
Always buy something you fall in love with, not something to fit a room or a colour scheme
Go for a new artist who’s starting to break through as they will offer better value. Or go for someone who is collectible and established as you will never lose money. This will depend on your budget
Don’t buy art thinking you want to make money on it. The piece needs to be something you want to look at every day and that brings you joy when you see it
Choose limited edition prints where only a small number have been produced or originals. This means you won’t see the same piece in someone else’s home
Ask the gallery about the artist – how they work, what inspired them, their background. This will help to build a connection with the piece itself. Mr H who’s featured in the gallery writes information to go with his pieces, even including suggesting pieces of music to listen to!
Windermere Fine Art Gallery on Beech Street, is open on Mondays and Wednesday-Saturday from 10.30am-5pm. windermeregallery.co.uk
