Buying Art on a Budget

Someone from my town asked a question about how people can buy art on a budget and support local artists.

I think there are a number of ways.

First off is aiming small. Most artists do small scale paintings at affordable prices (think around 6 x 6"). Although they don't fill a wall, they can pack a punch in a small amount of space, and if you collect enough you may be able to fill a wall! What I love about small scale affordable paintings is that you still get the brush strokes and the touch of the artist that makes owning original art special.

That brings me to another option: prints. With digital prints, many more artists are offering prints of their work. This is a good option if you love a large image and just can't afford it. You get the image but lose the the intimacy of the brush strokes etc of the original image. More and more local artists offer prints now that giclee prints are easy to obtain.

If neither of those options will do, some artists/galleries will allow layaways or payment plans. Remember layaway? People used to use it all the time before credit cards were so easy to get! Anyway, if you really love a painting it hurts not to buy it, it is worth asking the artist/gallery if it is an option.

The last option I can think of is trade. I've accumulated most of my art by trading art with other artists. This route is best with an artist you know pretty well. If you'd like to approach an artist with a trade just make sure to offer a trade with an item of equal value and be ready to take no for an answer if the artist just can't do it at the time.