Starting an art collection.

• Author: McEntire, Frank
• Position: Executive Life - Brief Article

One reason we keep acquiring art is because it fulfills our lives every day," says Phil Richardson, who began collecting Utah artists' paintings and sculpture when he and his wife, Kathleen, started attending the Salt Lake Gallery Association's every-third-Friday Art Walk." "We're enlightened every time we walk through the house."

An engineer, Phil's desire to collect and to learn made him begin to pay attention to art and incorporate it into his home environment. Several years ago, he and Kathleen, an independent mortgage broker, discovered a gallery guide that gave pointers for new collectors.

"The article talked about going on gallery strolls and paying attention to works of art that grab you. Then, you start learning about those pieces by reading, talking with gallery consultants, looking at complementary works, and, when possible, visiting with the artists," Kathleen recounts. The couple has been gallery hopping and studio visiting ever since.

Kathleen enjoys collecting abstract figurative paintings, while Phil likes works with challenging content and well-executed abstraction. The Richardsons collect works by Alex Bigney, Usual Brodauf, James Charles, Brian Christensen, Lee Deffabach, Michael Hullet, Ted Wassmer and Cordell Thylor, among others.

Award-winning architect and painter Allen Roberts, himself a collector, tries to "tie into the artist's motivations," which he believes helps him to develop a relationship with their art. Although the artwork doesn't change, his relationship with it does. "It keeps giving back to me over time," he says.

"The least important reason for collecting works of art is for their investment potential," Roberts continues. If someone acquires Utah art as an investment strategy and doesn't know much about the field, he suggests they seek out the works of bigger-named artists, such as painters Maynard Dixon and LeConte Stewart. Roberts' own collection includes works by Warren Archer, Randall Lake, Kathy Peterson, Bonnie Posselli, and the aforementioned Stewart, among others.

His personal taste ties his eclectic collection together. "I buy what I like. I'm not considering selling it anyway," he says. Furthermore, he believes that if a collector focuses on what he or she likes, the work will...