Talk with the Artist

If possible, talk to the artist, particularly if you are interested in a piece already finished. Ask why the work was executed. There is often a story behind a painting. Where do you wish to hang a work? You might find that with serious thought, your first choice of location (especially when have a painting in mind) may not be quite right for that particular work.

Impact

Take some time to think about the impact that work will have on your home or office and ask questions of the seller e.g. is the artist a qualified professional or a gifted amateur? What advice can they give you on your choice of work? Is the price negotiable? Is the work available as a Limited Edition Print? Have they similar (but different) works they can show you? Is the artist happy to talk to you? .

Your “Comfort Zone”

When choosing a work why not come out of your “comfort zone” and go for something you would not normally choose? An example of this would be - if you love landscapes - buy a townscape instead, or if you have a leaning towards chocolate-box animal paintings then, just this once, treat yourself to an amusing cartoon. .

Learn about art

Learn a little about art. Not just about the famous names but the quality of a range of artists’ work, their ability to draw correctly, their accuracy with perspectives, their application of colour irrespective of the medium they work in and, their neatness of presentation. All of these things matter and should feature in the next painting or illustration that you buy. And no matter what subject you chose, some artist, somewhere, will be able to draw or paint it for you. There are lots of artists who specialise in certain genres, for instance, portrait painters who paint nothing else but portraits, but there are many artists who paint a wide variety of subjects, all equally well and in a variety of media. The artist should be happy enough with their own work (a) to sign it and (b) to put their name and contact details on a business card, at the back of the work they are selling to you. .

Where to hang?

Placing a painting or an illustration in the correct place takes imagination and time. Please do not bang a nail into a wall - any wall - hang up a work and hope it will look all right. It probably will not! Hold up the work against as many walls as you can, in the daytime and at night - when artificial light is in use - to get a “feel” for how the work will look when you finally finds it’s perfect spot. .

Hanging a grandiose painting in a small alcove is just as bad as hanging a small painting on a huge empty wall! The size of the painting or illustration should be relative to the space surrounding it. Large spaces require a large work or a group of smaller (both subject and colour related) art-works to achieve a harmonious display. Avoid mixing colourful paintings with for instance, black and white illustrations as this may lead to a feeling of discord with the viewer. Look at how works are placed in art galleries and in art exhibitions. The latter aren’t always correctly laid out, but gallery owners usually take great care to display each individual work correctly in relation to the whole of the exhibition and you would do well to copy their layout. .

A Note on Pricing

The cost of a painting or drawing can, to a great extent, depend on the medium used. Oil paintings use expensive materials and must be carefully varnished ( after a long drying-out spell ) before being made available to the public. Paintings executed with acrylics take a shorter time to dry but these too have a drying out time before being varnished. Professional water-colour artists use expensive Artist Quality tubes and pans of water-colour paints, and costly paper, and, they often varnish their work (to avoid fading) with a special varnish before selling their work. .

Pastel, crayon, ink and line and wash as well as carre sanguine works may appear at first glance to be simple (and expensive) but can be perfect examples of an artists' draughtsmanship skills, whose price will reflect the many hours of expertise and effort the artist has put into their production. .

For prices of original art – CLICK HERE.(link)