Buying a Painting Online with Confidence
A painting should do more than fill a wall. I want it to command the room, draw you closer, and change as the room changes around it. Choosing one online begins with the image, but it should not end there. — Topher Straus
Start with the wall and the feeling
My work has a strong presence. The right scale depends on your wall, where you will stand, and what else shares the room. On a larger wall, the painting can become grander and more immersive. Measure the usable wall width and height, note the nearest furniture, and look at the dimensions listed on the individual artwork page. If you are deciding between sizes, send the studio the wall dimensions and the work that moves you.
What a screen cannot show you
A screen can show the composition and color, but it cannot fully convey the reflective, high-gloss surface. In person, you can see yourself and your room reflected in it. As the light moves through the day, the tone and presence of the painting shift. That relationship between the painting, the room, and the viewer is part of why I make the work this way.
Before acquiring a work online, ask about its exact surface, size, and how it will look in your particular light. The mountain-home guide offers a closer look at placement.
Spend time with a specific painting
Each artwork page shows the complete painting, its available dimensions, and its edition details.
Know which edition you are acquiring
The edition number and my signature appear on the front of the work. The backplate identifies the title, size, and edition number. Each size has a stated edition limit. When that edition is complete, it is closed and no more works are made in that edition. Check the exact size and edition on the artwork page, and ask the studio to confirm current availability before you decide. Read the edition guide.
A question raised by collectors on Reddit
In this independent Reddit discussion, a prospective collector asks what to check before buying a $5,000 artwork without seeing it in person. The discussion does not concern or endorse my work.
What would I want to know before buying online?
I would want to know whether the painting still holds my attention after several visits to its page, how large it will feel on my wall, how its surface behaves in light, what edition I am acquiring, and how it will reach me. Those are all reasonable questions to bring to my studio. I would rather have a conversation than ask you to guess from a screen.
See what speaks to you
Explore the paintings, then talk with the studio about the particular work and wall you have in mind.