🌙 Living with Art: Why We Collect

There is a mystery in the way Tanner’s paintings illuminate a room. His skies seem to create their own light, glowing against silhouettes of trees or the fading architecture of the French Quarter. They speak of resilience, of what endures, and of the quiet optimism that feels both personal and timeless.

Place one of these works in a home and it begins to shift with the hours. Morning brings softness, colors subdued as daylight brushes the canvas. By afternoon the background radiates with warmth. At night the light turns inward, almost otherworldly, and the painting seems to breathe with the room itself.

Imagine a collector’s home. Their first Tanner painting hangs above the hearth. Guests gather, pausing in front of it as though it were a doorway. Over the seasons, new details emerge in shifting light, subtleties revealing themselves slowly, year after year. What began as a single acquisition becomes a companion, part of the family’s story and part of the home’s memory.

For designers and curators, this is the rare quality of Tanner’s work. These paintings evolve within a space, creating presence, depth, and atmosphere. They are not static images but living works that interact with light, time, and the people around them.

The Still Above, 38 x 30", acrylic on canvas.

Why We Collect Art

Collecting is at its heart an act of connection. We collect not only because an art piece transforms a room, but because it becomes intertwined with our lives. A painting may carry memory, reflect identity, or hold a vision for the future. It bears witness to gatherings, quiet hours, and the passage of days.

To live with art is to choose meaning. The works we bring into our homes become companions, reminders, and anchors. That is why we collect, not simply to possess beauty but to live alongside it.

👉 This is the first edition of A Collector’s Journal by Tanner, a new series where we will share stories of collecting, connection, and the ways paintings live with us over time. If you are a collector, designer, or curator interested in exploring how Tanner’s work might live in your space, we would love to connect