GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Art consultant Greg Northrop, left, started buying art before owning furniture. He now works out of a Ward area showroom surrounded by artwork, where he helps corporate clients and home owners with their art and environmental needs.

Artistic experimentation

Be bold in living with the art you like
without worrying about understanding it

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By Nadine Kam
nkam@starbulletin.com

You may never find the perfect painting to go with that chocolate-colored La-Z-Boy or the right piece to go with grandma's quilted bedspread. But don't let that stop you from allowing art to infiltrate your home.

Forget about matching every piece of furniture and artwork. "You've got to get over that," says Greg Northrop, who believes art stands on its own merits, whether your home is a 400 square foot bachelor's studio or a mini mansion.

He should know. Northrop, an art consultant for The Fine Arts Associates, began collecting when he was 25 and barely out of school. He spotted an abstract painting he liked -- one he's kept and enjoys to this day -- though he's an avid collector who is unsentimental about letting pieces go when they no longer speak to him.

"I bought art before I bought furniture," he said, and had no qualms about hanging his painting amidst the trappings of any young adult's life, such as the cinder-block and plywood bookshelves and the bean-bag chair.

"I had all that," he chuckles within his art-filled workspace.

Northrop never intended to be a collector. "I was not thinking that far in advance. I just collected a little bit at a time, and over a long period of time I amassed a lot of things."

Today, he guides CEOs and homeowners through the process of buying art for offices and homes, a task that many in Hawaii can't seem to go through without a little hand-holding. Northrop learned this the hard way when he struggled as a gallery owner.

"Honolulu is a very hard place to have a regular gallery because there's a lack of private collectors," he said. "There's a lack of art education in the schools and people don't grow up exposed to it so they feel inhibited about collecting art. They don't know where to start."

In addition to that basic fear is the idea that art is a luxury that doesn't even crack the Top 10 of most individuals' needs, of which food, lodging, DVDs and cell phones are Nos. 1 through 4, not necessarily listed in order.

But for those who find the presence of art a life-enriching experience, one that personalizes and adds character to a home the way no blocky sectional can, Northrop will give a talk on starting a collection Oct. 10 at The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center. The talk is the first of two leading up to The Contemporary Museum's "artSale 2002" Nov. 10, when work by Honolulu's emerging artists will be available for sale.

"I think people have a false perception of art because of the stuffiness of museums and galleries. I think that's starting to change and they're now trying to show that art is something you can live with. You don't have to understand what you're looking at to feel something."

His first piece of advice is simply to head to a museum and look around. Art lovers will get a good overview when the State Art Museum opens Nov. 3 with a who's who of Hawaii artists featured in the inaugural show, "Enriched by Diversity: The Art of Hawai'i."

"You have to do your homework, familiarize yourself with what's out there. You need to look, and look quite a bit," Northrop said.

"You'll find that once you start looking, you start understanding from within whether it's good or not, whether you like it or not."

THE FINE ARTS ASSOCIATES Nadine Ferraro's sunny painting of lemons greets Greg Northrop at home each evening. Other works in his living room are a triptych by Hiroki Morinoue from his "Views of Water" series, and colorful glassware.

Unfortunately, many people surrender any artistic impulse they may possess to a greed instinct, choosing work on the basis of investment potential rather than for its appeal to them.

"People should only buy things they really like," he said. "I don't think anybody should ever buy art with the idea of profit or investment."

For one thing, the truly collectible works, he said, are in the domain of museums and auction houses such as Christie's and Sotheby's, and not the ordinary collector.

He said it's a misconception that anyone can profit from art, an idea promoted by commercial galleries that push their own roster of artists.

"If you're buying good art, original art, from a reputable dealer, it can go up in value, but there are no guarantees."

DON'T BE embarrassed to start small. Due to the high numbers of craft fairs held here, Northrop said most individuals' first purchases involve small pottery or glassware costing $30 to $50.

"A lot of people go to the Punahou Carnival once a year and buy something, but don't stop there. People need to keep exposing themselves to art, broadening their perspectives."

He said it's important to frequent some of the more progressive galleries in town, such as The ARTS at Mark's Garage at 1159 Nuuanu Ave., and the Workspace at 3624 Waialae Ave. Suite 201, in Kaimuki.

"You'll realize art can be fun too. It doesn't all have to be serious. It can be comical."

Some of the artists he names as ones to watch are Jason Teraoka, Cade Roster, Deborah Nehmad, Katherine Love and Carl Jennings. "They're all doing interesting, unique work. They're all fairly young, but showing quality work."

Northrop takes an open-minded approach to artwork, saying starting with poster art is fine. The next step would be to look into photographs, lithographs or other prints. Toward the latter end, Honolulu Printmakers is hosting its fund-raiser "Prints 2002 -- A Night Blooming with Art," at 6 p.m. today at the Academy Art Center; call 536-5507. A ticket price of $100 (or $125 for two) allows guests to enjoy music, drinks and food, plus take home one print

a good deal, considering prints by many of the 100 participating artists normally sell for $300 to $1,000. The Printmakers will stage another benefit sale at the Academy Art Center from 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

Northrop said most home owners tend to favor such two-dimensional work simply because space is a luxury in local homes and most families would have a hard time making room for sculptural pieces.

"What usually happens next is that as people start exposing themselves to art and reading about it, they start to hone in on areas they're most interested in and find they want to specialize in something, whether its prints, drawings, works on paper, maybe glass or ceramics.

"It's a personal decision," he said. "There's not a right or wrong way to collect."

ARTalk Collecting art, with Greg Northrop Where: The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center, 999 Bishop St. When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday Admission: $10, including refreshments Call: 526-1322; reservations required Also: "My Kid Could Do That," talk by Betty Lou Williams at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 17; details same as above artSALE2002 Featuring work by Honolulu's emerging artists Where: The Contemporary Museum, 2411 Makiki Heights Drive When: Noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 10 Admission: Free with museum admission of $3 for adults and $2 for students or seniors Call: 526-1322

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