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I was listening to an audiobook the other day while I was painting. I think the author was Seth Godin. What caught my attention was something he said about the three types of quality.

The first type of quality refers to meeting the required specifications. A product is "quality" if it is well-made and built to last. It's the opposite of fast fashion junk-apparel that either falls apart the minute you stick it in the washing machine or shrinks down to the size of a toenail if it survives the wash (Let's not buy that stuff!!). 

The second type of quality refers to luxury items. A Honda is a quality car according to the first definition. If you buy one, you will have it for decades with basic maintenance. But a BMW 3.0 CSL is high-quality in terms of luxury. You expect for a luxury item to also have the first type of quality, but that's not always the case. Some luxury fashion items, for example, are nothing special beyond brand recognition and marketing expense.

Then there's the third type of quality which is the most elusive. That's that je ne sais quoi element - the magic of art. It's beyond basic. It's not just well-made or expensive. It changes you on the inside. A painting like Norman Rockwell's "The Problem We All Live With" is not just technically excellent and expensive, although it is both those things. 

Norman Rockwell, who normally painted such quaint images of American life, showed a dark side of America in this painting. He not only showed it, he left no doubt as to what he was trying to say. However, he still managed to say it skillfully, poetically, and artfully. It is the type of painting that will make you cry if you look at it long enough and have a sensitive heart.

I don't believe you can get the third type of quality without the first one, and probably the second one too. But it's the third one that most serious artists and art collectors long for. Owning something meaningful and relevant, something life-altering, is to own a priceless thing.

If you are a collector, or aspiring collector, don't be shy to ask the artist about their materials and their process. Ask them what the work means to them, and why they needed to create it.  This allows you to test the three types of quality in the work - and the commitment level of the artist.

To stay in the know, join my VIP list here, where I offer exclusive content and giveaways. Follow me on Instagram here, where I post works in progress to Stories as well. My next two pieces will be additions to the Aristocrats of Color series. God-willing, I will have those completed by next week!

Till next time,

Have a blessed week!

Raven