How to choose a painting that stays with you

The question I hear most often in the studio is: how do I decide? My answer is always the same — let the painting decide for you. When you stop at a canvas for the second and third time, when you keep returning to it in your thoughts after leaving, that is the one.

The practical side comes later. Measure your wall and give the painting air: a large format deserves solitude, smaller works can keep company. Do not worry about a piece being “too bold” — paintings that risk nothing are the first to grow stale.

One last piece of advice: do not buy the painting you like today. Buy the one you can imagine looking at in twenty years. Art is not seasonal decoration; it is a housemate for life.