I have not purchased an oil painting on etsy. I have purchased several little girl dresses, some prints and various other craft items.

I look for a shop that has been on etsy for at least a year.

I look at the number of sales, generally I consider more to be better (though the numbers vary--hair bow vendors are gong to have thousands of sales where artists' numbers would be substantially lower).

I look at reviews and particularly look at number of sales versus number of reviews. I think people are reluctant to give bad reviews to small businesses unless the situation was egregious so a large number of sales with a small number of reviews makes me think people may have just opted to skip the review rather than leave a bad one.

I will usually prefer a US based shop because I feel more sure that it's not just an overseas factory (more of a consideration since etsy loosened it's vendor rules a while back and more of a consideration for clothing, I think).

I prefer to pay by credit card or via paypal using a credit card.

That is great advice crl, thank you. Do I need to have a paypal account to use a credit card.

Depends on the vendor. Not all small business's are set up to accept credit cards, but anyone can have a paypal account and most do, so they can get paid with a credit card thru Paypal.

Be aware that a good number of oil paintings listed on Etsy are mass-produced, sold as unstretched canvases, and come from China. I'm not going to opine as to whether these are acceptable or undesirable - just pointing out that they're out there.

Hi, RoseAbbey

I've made many Etsy purchases but never an oil painting. The search function on Etsy is really user unfriendly. It will be front-end loaded with items from their top selling shops which usually includes mass-produced items. I would recommend you try a very specific Etsy keyword search and look for small shops with a few listings. Check their ratings and read the reviews. If you find paintings you like, contact the sellers with questions about shipping and packaging to see how responsive they are. I would also recommend doing a search within your local area. You might find a local artist you can support.

Thank you zmith for your post.

Go to the left side and scroll down, so you can mark the circle for US shops only. While it will rule out Europe (which is great), it will get rid of China. Etsy really screwed up when they changed their rules and allowed a bunch of crap on the site.

Use Paypal but put on a charge card. I had an ebay issue and neither ebay or Paypal helped me. Since I had put on my Visa, they came to my rescue.

I stopped at the Costco print shop the other day to have toner cartridges refilled. They had, sitting there, a copy of a well-known oil painting that they had reproduced in an oil paint finish. It really astounded me how well done it was. To my untrained eye, it looked like an oil painting! The prices are surprisingly reasonable. I know that collectors would laugh at this, but truly it was something that I am going to use for some old portraits that I have.

You can also check ebay under "self representing artists". One of my favorite oil paintings came from an artist on ebay about 10 years ago. I haven't looked in a while, so I'm not sure what kind of artists are selling their work at the moment. Again, make sure you select the US market.

Edit - just checked ebay and things have changed quite a bit since I last looked, maybe a few years ago. Different search parameters, so I would have to spend a bit of time to see if the same type of artists are still there.

Just FYI - most fine art paintings today are acrylic, not oils.

I’ve purchased fromDragonsappetite and can highly recommend
her and her work. She must have a show
going on right now, because not much of her artwork is displayed in her Etsy
shop (keep checking her shop out -- it's worth it!). I was watching one of her
paintings and then it was gone.
I immediately decided I had to have it in order for my room (and my life!) to be complete and
emailed her. It turned out she had a
gallery showing (I eventually got the painting and love it!).

My only problem is that I have very high ceilings and so
require “large” artwork and most of her pieces are small. If you require small pieces, definitely
buy one -- or maybe several for a grouping -- of her paintings! I first read
of her work in a shelter magazine where a designer had revamped a powder room
among others and used one of her paintings there.

I also recall someone purchasing a very large, very abstract painting from Etsy here. Not sure if she was happy or if that's you style, though. Might be worth a search.

Thank you grace. I actually need a couple of large companion pieces. I will check her out. I already have a couple of abstracts so I think I would like still life or maybe landscapes.

FYI, I’m an artist, and only paint in oils - not acrylics. The type of paint used is the artist’s choice, and it’s still “fine art”, whether oil paint, acrylic paint or water colors are used. I don’t know why mizscarlett2001 would think that most fine art paintings today are in acrylics only because that’s definitely not so!

I made contact with an artist locally. She advertised on our version of CL Posted a number of her paintings. I asked her for a price of the size of the pieces I would like. So based on that perhaps I will proceed. How do I decide on the subject matter? Her examples showed both still life and landscape. On convas 36x48 (including frame) which would look better behind a sectional something detailed or nothing too busy.

You should go look at her pieces in person. Most artists have an inventory of pieces for sale, then buy the ones you like. My grandparents were artists. I've been selling some of their smaller pieces on Ebay, and have met local people through my Ebay posts that come and look at larger pieces in person.

She sent me back an email to say she doesnt do large pieces.

Rose, you might want to consider a gicle`e print.

http://www.gicleeprint.net/abtGclee.shtm

yes, I wouldnt mind having a giclee print.

I bought a lot on Etsy, including smaller paintings and drawings and sculptures and pottery..I am usually very happy with all the experiences, sellers are very nice and responsible and care about their businesses, reputation, and feedback. The packing is very carefully done, questions answered right away..you can commission sometimes something specific for your taste. I do ask sometimes for a small discount, when it's vintage piece on sale, but I don't dare to do that when it's artist's work..

Another site you might like looking into-Chairish.com. Tons of artwork, different price ranges, and there is an option to make an offer to a seller.

I also bough couple pieces on E Bay, directly from the artists. Two were smallish and cheap, but one was more substantial oil painting, and it came from Europe..very happy with all the artworks.

Another option-arts and crafts events in your area..flea markets, and vintage shops.

Oh, and sometimes there are very interesting pieces on the (relatively) new site Everything But The House..it's auction type site, where bids start from one dollar. Of course everything amazing goes for much, much more..))

Thanks april, part of my problem is I would like two pieces, as I think two large vertical pieces would look better imo than one large horizontal piece over the sectional. I would like to find something already done, as I can envision the pieces easier on the wall than if it was something I had commissioned. I wouldnt want to be disappointed in the art, as the art pieces will be a major factor in either making or breaking the family room. I really want to love these pieces.

RoseAbbey, of course art that you choose should be loved by you, a lot, and if madly loved-even better)) My advice-go to the aforementioned sites, search art or narrow it to certain topic or technique if you already know what you prefer.. immerse yourself in looking..soon you'll see where your heart is, and which artists' work you feel connected to. Many artists explore several themes that are close to them somehow..people, or cities, or nature..you might very well be able to find two paintings or drawings or watercolors that share a lot, but still are distinct works of art.

I was very, very wary of buying art through Internet, site unseen..but as I did that more and more, I became calmer..it usually works. Of course nothing beats a personal encounter with an artist, that's true. But you can still find something that you love a lot.

I stumbled upon a pastel drawing once, on Etsy..it pictured a little girl on the beach, very concentrated on building a sand castle. She was a copy of my daughter, that was teenager by the time I saw this drawing. The resemblance was uncanny. It was like some sort of magic. I bought it from the artist, and gifted it to my daughter. It is in her room. After couple of years I'm almost sure that this unknown girl is her)) So you see, even without seeing the artist, you can have the most amazing experience..it happens.

Now, sorry for my long ramble)) Good luck! I am exited for you. Almost nothing that can be in your home is as exiting as a work of art that really speaks to you.

Rose, I don't have any buying info or advice, but I will say that a landscape would be a better subject for the size you mention. Still life doesn't really lend itself to something that large. There are always exceptions, of course, but generally speaking you'd want a still life (meant for your home) not to be vastly larger than the actual size of the subject matter. (IMO :-)

kswl2, I have almost all large art pieces and they are all still life and a couple of abstract. I thought maybe two landscape pieces would be nice as a change but now I worry about scale.

This actually came up in one of my posts about "hanging fruit in the entrance" and it was mentioned that the fruit wall art wasnt in scale with the other art pieces.

I've gotten great art at craft shows if they advertise as "arts and crafts" shows, art fairs, second hand stores (those are usually fabulous), antique stores, flea markets and art galleries. I haven't shopped Etsy for art, I now have way more than I could ever have room for, but it does help to know the kind of theme or look you are going for in the room. I picked up my big pieces in a gallery. Just seems like something that expensive and personal I would like to see "live." You could find tips on good local folks on Etsy though, for example my friend's daughter is an artist and does galleries and has some at her house, but she has an Etsy shop. So you could ostensibly probably peruse a lot of the stuff from your local artists online that way.

I agree with you ipinkmountain, I would love to see paintings "live", that is how I like to shop for most things. I have gone to antique stores here, problem is I can find one piece but not two that compliment each other. Later on today, I am going to rehang my mockup going horizontal to see how that looks. Maybe I only do need one bigger piece.