Where Every Painting Begins: Buying Art Directly From the Artist's Studio
TL;DR — Buying art directly from the artist means the work reaches you straight from the room it was made in — no gallery middle layer, no licensing chain. Every Angela Simeone painting, and every pattern in her luxury wallpaper line, begins in one Nashville studio: the same walls, the same scraped-back surfaces, the same eye. When you buy directly from the artist's studio, you're buying that origin — and the person who can tell you exactly how the piece came to be.
Angela Simeone is a Nashville-based contemporary abstract painter whose boutique luxury wallpaper line is created from her own paintings and composed — through her artistic and editorial eye — into layered, original, chic patterns, printed on a single luxurious 20 oz vinyl that looks like raw silk with a glimmering sheen, sold direct and to the trade.
What does it mean to buy art directly from the artist?
It means there is no one between you and the maker. Buying art directly from the artist puts you in contact with the studio that produced the work — the person who chose the color story, built the surface, and decided when it was finished. You get the provenance, the process, and the answers firsthand.
That directness is the whole model here. I sell original paintings and wallpaper straight from my studio to collectors and to the trade, and the studio handles the work from canvas to wall.
“Learn to look not just with your eyes but with your heart. Find the things that connect with you. How else will you know how to design your home?”
Kelly Hoppen, British interior designer
Why does every painting begin in one room?
Because the work is physical, and physical work needs a place. One room holds the horizontal table for painting large scale, the walnut stain boiled down from the yard, the rags, the floor where the paint pools. Everything starts there — and so does the wallpaper.
This is the part collectors and designers often don't see: the wallpaper isn't a separate product line dreamed up elsewhere. Each pattern begins as one of these paintings, then I compose it — with my own eye — into a layered, original, chic pattern for the wall.
“Space is the breath of art.”
Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect
How is original abstract art actually made in the studio?
In layers, over time, with a lot of deciding. I start from a color story and work on instinct — oil thinned with medium, charcoal underdrawing, palette knife, fingertip — building the surface up and scraping it back until it settles. A piece can stay in flux for weeks before it agrees.
Nothing is planned to a finish. Not knowing is the draw. That's also why no two works are alike, and why the studio sends multiple pre-ship videos of every finished piece before it leaves.
“Sometimes, courage is needed to make a decision which could shock some, but which turns out to be the right one.”
Andrée Putman, French interior and product designer
What do you actually get when you buy directly from the studio?
You get the work and the relationship. Direct means you can commission a painting and watch it develop, choose from original paintings available now, or — as a designer — work with me through the trade program on colorways and scale. The studio rolls and ships each piece, stretches it fresh on arrival, and hand-delivers it ready to hang.
“Let every surface tell a story.”
Jean-Louis Deniot, French interior designer
Does the studio origin matter for the wallpaper too?
Yes — it's the entire point of the line. The wallpaper carries the same authorship as paintings placed at the Conrad Nashville, Peabody Union, and Blackberry Mountain. It's the same hand and the same eye, brought to architectural scale on one signature surface. Explore the patterns in the wallpaper master collection.
“Innovation is often the ability to reach into the past and bring back what is good, what is beautiful, what is useful, what is lasting.”
Sister Parish, American interior designer
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to buy art directly from the artist?
It means the work comes to you straight from the studio that made it, with no gallery or licensing layer in between — so you get the original piece, its full provenance, and direct contact with the person who made it.
Where do Angela Simeone's paintings and wallpaper come from?
All from one Nashville studio. Each painting is built in oil and mixed media and scraped back over weeks; each wallpaper pattern begins as one of those paintings, composed by Angela's own eye into a layered, original pattern.
Can I commission a painting directly from the studio?
Yes. The commission process begins with a conversation, a deposit secures the slot, and Angela paints two options simultaneously before revisions — roughly four weeks from deposit to delivery, depending on the studio schedule.
Is buying directly from the artist more reliable than a marketplace?
You're dealing with the source: the studio confirms authenticity, sends multiple pre-ship videos of the finished work, and handles framing, delivery, and install.
Further reading: The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation on space and the maker's hand, and design coverage in Architectural Digest.
See where the work begins, or start a commission, at angelasimeone.com.
