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Buying Art to go With Your Sofa vs Buying Local Art If you are planning on buying art to match the color of your new sofa I just want you to know that the art police are going to come and give you a ticket. Art is a personal choice. If you don't want to go wrong with an art piece than make sure you purchase a work of art that truly moves you, a piece that means something to you. Buying art by color so that it matches the room or your new over-sized fluffy sofa is always a mistake and anyone that knows anything about art will immediately know that you know nothing about art. That sounds snooty, doesn't it? Well, if you don't want the snooty art police hassling the lack of taste sliming down your living room wall then buy what you love. Art is personal both to the creator of the artwork and to the buyer of the work. Don't feel like you have to impress anyone. It's not possible because art is personal. Therefore the only person to impress is yourself. When you come home from a long day at work, you want that piece of art to feel homey, to make you smile, to mean something to you and to have a story behind it. You don't have to spend a lot of money on art. Most larger towns have monthly art walks. Don't go to the mall and buy some lithograph that has 500 other lithos available where the salesman is going to tell you the piece will go up in value because it always does. First off, most art doesn't go up in value. Second, if you're buying art in a mall you are paying too much unless it's a $4.00 poster.. in which case we aren't talking about art in the first place. Find your local art walk where the artists bring their art out on the street once a month. A place where you can buy local food and listen to local music while browsing the city's active artist's works. Get entrenched in the vibe of the place. Start checking out the work. Talk to the artists... or don't. Sometimes I really want to know something about the artists while other times I really don't want the artist's impression of their work to interfer with what I think of their work. Art is personal. Allow your view of the work to be the most important to you. Buy original artwork at the streetwalk. A lot of times artists are these days are more interested in calling themselves the next Picasso than actually creating enough work to be the next Picasso. Picasso was incredibly prolific. If an artist isn't selling original work but is only selling duplicates that they have sparcely painted on, just pass on their work because what they are actually saying is that they are stagnant or aren't creating enough work to show and sell anything new. It means that artist is not currently creating art. Reproductions of their work will never be valuable. You want to purchase original work. Original artwork does not have to be expensive. The phrase 'starving artist' exists because it's hard to sell art in the first place and generally speak new and emerging artists aren't making a ton of money on any particular piece of art. I've bought a lot of very good art for less than $100 and I've bought some crap for a lot more than that. Oftentimes, it is inflated egos which demand inflated prices. Don't get caught up in that game. First, fall in love with the art and make sure it is really something you want in your home. Second, if it's cheap, cool. That doesn't mean the artist is bad. It means the artist more interested in actually selling their work and making a living from it than starving because their prices were to high for the general public to afford, or afraid they'll sell it and never be able to make anything that good again. Cheaper prices also mean the artist is probably prolific and has plenty of ideas for more work, or has a ton more work at home for the next show. Artists who absolutely need the $1000 for that particular piece of art is generally not very realistic or prolific... not good signs in an artist and probably not the person to whom you should give your money. Spending more money won't make the art any better and won't make you any richer. Approach buying artwork as a fun adventure. You don't have to buy art the first time you go the the local artwalk. Take your time. Remember that this piece of art will be with you for a while, perhaps forever, so enjoy the process of buying it. Thinking back on the experience of buying the art can be a lovely memory that puts a smile on your face. Buying local art brings money into the pockets of individuals rather than large corporations. Supporting local artists keeps money local and boosts the economy of your city. Buying art is the best way to pick the absolute ideal painting, photograph, collage, etching, etc to put over your couch and to match your personality and what your art collection says about you... and remember, chances are that little piece of art will last a longer and look better than that couch... and the next couch... and the next. Home *My Articles* *My Blog* *My Blogspot* Family Film Stuff European Travel France Antibes, France Nice, France Cannes, France Disneyland Paris, France Strasbourg, France Basel, Switzerland Berlin, Germany Kreuzberg, Germany Kehl, Germany Civitavecchia, Italy Edinburgh, Scotland Stirling, Scotland Barcelona, Spain Healthy Recipes Frugal Living Living Green Make Money Online Jobs for Teens Sophie's Space Dreadlocks About Me Contact Us |