THE TRUE VALUE OF ART

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Pablo Picasso

In a world overflowing with fast-paced fury, digital overwhelm and mass-produced cheap tat, there’s something quietly powerful about owning an original piece of art. Not a mass-produced print, not a reproduction, but something made by hand, layered with brushstrokes, textures, and energy.

It totally changes a space.

It’s the first thing I look for in any room: Airbnbs, hotels, restaurants and even dentists’ offices.

When we holiday in Perthshire, we always stay in a holiday home right in the shore of Loch Tay. It’s one of my favourite places in the world, but do you know the one thing about it that drives me nuts? 

Every single piece of artwork. In every single room. Is a Jolomo reproduction. In an Ikea clip frame. And it takes everything in me to try and ignore them!

Not that there’s anything at all wrong with Jolomo - he’s an iconic Scottish landscape painter - but the feel of this ancient fisherman’s cottage would be so elevated, it would be so much more interesting, if the owners had put a bit more thought into what hangs on the walls!

Original artwork carries the energy of the person who created it. Paintings are  planned, mulled over, energetically created and loved into being.

There’s a story in every mark and colour choice, whether it’s a memory of a sunset behind a Hebridean Island, a thunderous storm over an East Lothian beach, or a gust of wind caught in paint.

When you bring that into your home, you’re not just decorating a wall, you’re creating an atmosphere, telling your own story, and surrounding yourself with something truly unique.

Unlike mass-produced prints or posters, original art isn’t everywhere. It becomes part of the unique emotional architecture of your space, your home.

You’ll walk past it every day and notice new things in it: how the light changes it, how it reflects your mood, how it SETTLES into your home as though it was always meant to be there.

And let’s not forget: you’re supporting living artists when you buy original work. You’re helping someone to keep creating, exploring, and sharing how they see the world.

It’s a deeply personal exchange, one that benefits both sides in ways that go beyond money.

Some people buy original art as an investment, or to celebrate a moment. A new home. A special trip. A milestone birthday.

Others simply fall in love with a painting and need to have it. Either way, that artwork becomes part of your life’s story.

You don’t have to be any kind of art expert. You don’t need a degree in fine art or art history. If something speaks to you - if you keep coming back to it and thinking about it - it’s for you.

So, next time you feel drawn to a painting, trust that feeling. Art isn’t just for galleries for collectors. It’s for everyone. Especially you.