An Art Collection Spotlight >
Michael Mouser grew actively interested in art in 2011 when, fresh out of college, he bought a house and found himself with yards of blank wall space. He asked several artistic friends if they would create something, but none followed through, so Michael bought some supplies and began making his own paintings. He recalls, “I began to discover contemporary artists who were painting what I was trying to capture and realized they were much better at it than me.”
In fact, Michael’s first acquisition was not an original work, but a master copy of Vermeer’s famous “Girl with a Pearl Earring” painted by the French artist August Aupault in 2016. Michael found the copyist on eBay, and soon they became close friends, even meeting up in Pittsburgh (where Michael lives) to visit its outstanding Carnegie Museum of Art together. Michael promptly commissioned his friend to copy Sargent’s “Venetian Interior,” a standout in the Carnegie’s collection, and now owns eight of Aupault’s master copies, including scenes by Bouguereau and Millet. “These,” he explains, “are so much better than commercial prints, and I hope to add many more to my art collection.”
It’s not actually such an aesthetic leap from the historical masters to those living today, so Michael’s first purchase of contemporary art came in 2019, when John Darley posted on Instagram a painting he had just completed. Now — just four years later — he owns pieces by more than 30 talents, including Craig Alan, David Ambarzumjan, Mark Arian, Casey Baugh, John Darley, Jasper DeMichael, Michelle Dunaway, Jaq Grantford, Amanda Grieve, Rob Hefferan, Frank E. Hollywood, Melinda Jane, Miles Johnston, Joshua LaRock, Damian Lechoszest, Ela Lechoszest, Brianna Lee, Marina Marina, Anna Marinova, Annie Murphy-Robinson, Dan Pearce, Nathalie Picoulet, Jai Raphael, Anne-Christine Roda, Christopher Schulz, June Stratton, Clare Toms, Jason Walker, Johannes Wess-mark, Jiannan Wu, and Yifan Zhang.
Michael’s main methods of finding artworks are Instagram, Artsy, and e-mails sent to him from both artists and galleries. But, he observes, “There is no feeling better than buying, or commissioning, artworks directly from the creators and listening to their reasons for putting brush to canvas, or having them tell you about things happening in their daily lives that provide the emotional background for their art.” Michael appreciates “the immense gratitude” many artists feel that “someone is interested in what they do and is willing to spend their hard-earned money so that they continue to do what they love for a living.”
Michael goes on, “Each piece I have purchased directly from the artist, especially once I have created a bond with him or her, is so much more special to me.” Not surprisingly, he has developed more than a few good friendships with “his” artists, who live as far afield as Australia, the Netherlands, France, Wales, Savannah, and San Francisco. “I try to keep in touch as much as possible without being a bother. For example, if they have won an award, I will reach out to congratulate them. Sometimes I’ll just tell them I love whatever their newest thing is.”
Michael is mindful of how challenged the gallery system is today: “I realize how important galleries are for the art community and how much harder their job became with the rise of social media, where artists can almost represent themselves. Without galleries, most of the artists I have collected might never have made it onto my radar. I get the same rewarding feeling when buying from a gallery because the staff work tirelessly and have the same passion for the art they’re selling as do the people creating and buying it.” Michael contributed in his own way to a gallery’s success last summer, when he guest-curated the PoP Up show for Chicago’s 33 Contemporary, where he has bought art previously.
Looking forward, Michael keeps “finding more styles and pieces that are so ‘different’ from what I would ‘normally’ buy, but that I love just as much.” He admits there is “room for just a few more paintings, and then I’m going to need a bigger house! But I don’t want to keep any art in storage; I buy art to enjoy and I want to see it every day.” Surely these are welcome words to the artists who pour so much of themselves into their creations, and Fine Art Connoisseur applauds collectors like Michael who see art as far more than an investment asset.
View more artist and collector profiles here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.
Bravo and thanks to Michael Mouser for his love of collecting original art. He gives all of us who spend so much time at the easel hope and inspiration. Love his saying, “I buy art to enjoy and I want to see it every day.”
Loved reading this! It’s great getting perspective from someone buying the art when you are the one creating it.