Art Collectors
ginger57
16 years ago
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cind11
16 years agoginger57
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Is there a demand for large art pieces?
Comments (17)Nancy, while I agree with Igloochic, that the quality of a piece is the most important factor when purchasing art, I don't think you can factor out the economy at the moment either. Granted, there are still some people to whom buying a major piece of art creates no hardship or even a second thought, but I do know that their numbers are dwindling in this bad economy. My best friend is an artist who shows at a gallery in Albuquerque and she tells me that sales are down dramatically, even for the smaller pieces that she paints. Just last year, DH & I were in the market for one large painting ( perhaps 4' long x 3' high) to hang in our newly redone family room. Even back then, we were very surprised at the limited amount of good paintings we found in that size range. When we talked with gallery owners and again with artists at a couple of major art shows, we were told that many artists were cutting back on painting larger pieces because they weren't selling like they used to, due to the downturn in the economy. . . and this is here in New Mexico, the Land of Art & Artists! Anyhoo, although we did find a number of paintings the size we wanted, as you know, art is such a personal thing and they just weren't right for us. We instead ended up buying three smaller pieces from one artist that worked well together. So, my take as an art collector, is that in these tough times, large, expensive pieces of art may be low on most people's "buy list" . . . JMHO. Could you perhaps start off with some smaller paintings to see if you can develop an interest in your work and then add some larger pieces? Lynn...See MoreBook of the Week
Comments (6)Yayagal - I hope you enjoy the book! Several years ago, my husband and I took the trip of a lifetime, and partway into the trip I realized that we would be going to the city where this painting is displayed. I was thrilled to see this masterpiece after having read about its very interesting history....See MoreWould you get this painting?
Comments (48)Thanks for the great suggestions and the good discussion. Teacats, funny you should link that starburst mirror. I have been shopping (and overthinking) starburst mirrors for months. I have several in mind, but I am planning to put it over the fireplace in our dining room. I also like the other suggestions you make. Those are all along the lines of things that I also do. Like I said, I have framed menus of favorite restaurants, blown up photos, had our kids do "original paintings," etc. May be I'm just tired and being lazy at this point, but I was thinking it would just be nice and easy to buy something instead of making it. I have done so many projects in putting our house together, and I guess my bigger philosophical question is--does everything have to be so darn special and personal in order to be worthy of display? I know, I know, that's a personal question, but this forum is full of people like me who obsess about their homes and finding that "perfect" piece of furniture, paint color, art, etc., and for people like that, do you feel like it's ok to just buy something off the shelf? Thermsen, thanks for your thoughts. As we decorate our house, I do wonder, is some of this obsessing bordering on snobbery? Like the PB stuff that oakleyok posted--I actually like that stuff. But, that stuff is mass-produced. May be it's ok bc PB is classier than BB&B. I saw a wooden billboard sign at JCP and liked it, but I hesitated bc it was from JCP. Here it is: http://www4.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=166e8cb&deptid=71371&dep=HOME+D%c3%89COR&catid=71784&cat=Wall+D%c3%a9cor&SO=0amp;pcatid=71371&Ne=5+1027+1031+580+1008+8+18+904+949+833&pagesize=1&x5view=1&N=4294953198&cattyp=RLE&Nao=198&PSO=0amp;CmCatId=71371:71784 Ok, thanks for letting me bounce ideas off this forum!...See Morethoughts on mixing different styles of art?
Comments (7)A lot of this is probably personal preference. Good art, even if it has various styles, can always find a place in your home. Many people seem to pick art to "match" rather than choosing something they love or are passionate about. Having said that, there should be some kind of continuity on a wall, even if it's only in the similarity of the framing. The room I'm sitting in right now has oil paintings, drawings, two Audubon prints of birds and two other prints, with the oil paintings predominating (we happen to like art a lot and my husband is a talented painter so some of the works in our home are his). Balance, continuity and harmony are important in hanging art. One thing you can do is put the pictures you want to hang together on the floor and arrange and rearrange them until you find a pattern that pleases you. A lot of it is trial and error and I often rehang pictures until I hit on what I think is a perfect arrangement. Six months later I may find that a different arrangement is even better. That's actually part of the fun of it. A collection should never be static so that it becomes boring. There's really no formula, because what art you choose and how you display it should should be an expression of your taste and personality. There's a lot of bad art around and I've found that years of looking at good art have enhanced my taste level and the ability to tell what's bad or trite or sentimental versus what is real and satisfying at a deeper level. I didn't mean to go on and on, but art is close to my heart. I hope I've been of at least a little bit of help to you....See Moregwendolynne
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