How to Source Original Art: What Designers, Art Advisors, and Collectors Often Overlook
Original art is everywhere, and it is easier than ever to find, and yet, finding the right piece for a space still feels surprisingly difficult.
Sourcing original art isn’t just about what you like, it requires understanding of what will actually hold presence in a space over time. That’s the part that’s often overlooked.
Where Most People Start
Most sourcing begins in familiar places:
- Galleries
- Online marketplaces
- Art fairs
All of these are valuable, but these platforms tend to prioritize visibility—what photographs well, what trends well, what’s easy to consume quickly. And that’s where things can start to fall apart, because the qualities that make a piece compelling in person don’t always fully translate through a screen.
What Actually Makes a Piece Work
When I’m in the early stages with a client, the conversation is about so much more than a color scheme - it’s about presence.
There are a few things that consistently determine whether a piece will feel integrated and intentional.
Materials
Not all surfaces behave the same way. A flat print and a heavily textured surface interact with light completely differently. They carry different weight and different energy. Texture, depth, and layering allow a piece to shift throughout the day. Dimensional art doesn’t just sit on the wall—it responds to the space.
Scale
Scale is one of the most common missteps. A piece can be beautiful on its own and still feel completely lost once installed. Sourcing art without fully considering its relationship to the architecture almost always leads to compromise—either visually or spatially.
Light Interaction
This is rarely discussed, but it matters. Natural light, directional lighting, harsh overhead lighting, warm light, cool light, shadows—all of these elements change how a piece is experienced. Dimensional artwork, specifically, is never static. It evolves depending on where it’s placed and how it is lit.
What this looks like in practice: a dimensional wall piece that shifts with light throughout the day, creating subtle movement and presence within the space.
Craftsmanship
Not just in the technical sense, but in the consistency of intention.
You can feel when a piece has been fully considered—when every element has been resolved rather than rushed. When a piece has been specifically created for your space, the level of attention translates, even if the viewer can’t immediately articulate why.
Why Emerging and Contemporary Artists Matter
It is an easy assumption that sourcing through established channels is the safest route, but some of the most compelling work is coming from emerging and contemporary artists who are still actively exploring materials, form, and process.
Working with an artist at this level also offers something different; a closer connection to the work itself, flexibility in scale and application and perhaps most importantly, the ability to create something that is truly site-responsive. This shifts the dynamic from simply acquiring a piece of art to developing one.
Working Directly with an Artist
This is where the process becomes more collaborative. When you’re working directly with an artist, you are not limited to what already exists. You’re able to consider:
- The specific dimensions of the space
- The way the piece will be installed
- How it interacts with surrounding materials and finishes
- Adjustments in density, movement, or composition
The result is often a more resolute, intentional work of art. It is less about filling a wall and more about anchoring a space.
Learn more about working directly with an artist.
A Different Way to Think About Sourcing
It’s easy to approach sourcing as a checklist; does it match the color scheme, will it fit the wall, is it within budget?
Those things matter, but they fall short. The pieces that stay with you—the ones that continue to feel relevant in a space are usually chosen differently. They’re chosen with an awareness of how they behave, not just how they look.
Perhaps the checklist should be expanded to include:
- Will the piece interact with light via dimension?
- Will the piece hold attention, without demanding it?
- Is it possible to create a piece custom for my needs, my space?
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The most compelling spaces aren’t built around art that simply “fits.” Appealing spaces are shaped by pieces that bring depth, texture, and presence into the room—pieces that feel considered from every angle, not just the front and not just for screens.
Sourcing that kind of art work takes a different lens, but once you start looking for it, it becomes difficult to approach art any other way.
See examples of dimensional textured artwork.
Tam Olson is a contemporary sculptural artist specializing in dimensional wall installations for commercial and residential interiors, collaborating with design teams on custom and site-specific projects.