It’s happened before, and recently, it happened again.
I meet someone at a gathering and they find out I’m an Artist. Before I can get even one word out about what kind of work I do, they start telling me about a painting— a painting! they saw at some gallery or show or arts collective. But they didn’t buy it and now it haunts them. They don’t know how to track down the artist but they snapped a photo of the artwork. Breathlessly, with hope in their eyes, they ask me if they can show it to me and… could I maybe make a copy of it?
Uh…. No.
(But notice the power in the art which holds him captive.)
I think there’s a general misconception about how artists function. Generally speaking, most capital-A- Artists have their own style, specific content, and a personal and unique approach to their work. Artists (like me) prefer to make work that closely aligns with their creative vision and their interests. We avoid copying others’ work (not only because that’s plagiarism) but because it doesn’t fulfill any purpose. The surest way to lose one’s authenticity is to not follow your own artistic path.
Art directors of publishing companies who hire artists to create work for their books/ products/ calendars/ games are always going to seek the talent that most closely matches the needs of their publications. An art director/ art buyer of a Sci-Fi book company isn’t going to hire a high-realism watercolor painter of African animals when they really need a digital artist who can create aerial perspective of cities and realistic people in spacesuits. Similarly, a publisher of an in-print nature magazine is going to be less interested in a submission of futuristic art and more interested in the photorealistic giraffes in the African savanna.
And we artists know it’s silly to expect our work to be received by a publication/ venue/ gallery/ agent when it’s not the right fit. We always look for the appropriate fit.
Get it? There’s career and field specificity with artists too, much like with any other profession. Artists specialize and focus their work into certain genres and markets.
All that said— there are those generalists who would help this guy out. We all have to pay our bills, so no shade on them if that’s what they need to do to survive. However, it’s still very likely that an artist who can generate a facsimile of someone else’s work has their own preferred style and content.
But you know what would be INFINITELY better rather than asking some random artist you meet to make a copy of another artist’s work?
Work to track down the original artist. It’s likely the venue or gallery owner may remember them or has some kind of record of the artists and contact information. I’m sure the owner of such a gallery would be happy to help you find the artist and to get in contact with them.
Find another artist whose work you also love and collect THEIR work. Google a string of adjectives to describe artwork you enjoy and see what you come up with. Sites like Saatchi Art and FASO— or any storefront which helps artists sell works of art— have literally thousands of original works of art (in varying price points) framed and ready for you to purchase. Don’t be shy.
Commission an artist whose work you like and ask them to make something ORIGINAL for you that is within THEIR style and content. When an artist is commissioned to make original work that closely aligns with their purpose and goals, it results in both the artist and the client loving the result! Satisfaction in synergy!
And when you see art you love in a shop or online, and you really LOOOOVE it, don’t hesitate for long. Someone else will surely see the obejct of your affection and will scoop it up and make it theirs. When you buy art you love, you invest in an artist’s ability to make future work. And you then have something wonderful: a record of the artist’s thoughts embedded into the work by the movements of their hands— a literal piece of their life— and it will bring you joy for many years.