Beginner’s guide to collecting art

Building off my previous post, let’s talk about collecting art!

Where do I find art?

There are so many places to find artwork, depending on your budget, interests, and comfort in different settings.

Local art fairs and events – these are often in the summertime or ahead of the holidays, but keep an eye on your local events pages for opportunities to see lots of art in person. Depending on the event, there may be a selective jury process or no selection criteria. This may impact the range of prices and types of art you’ll see, but there will usually be something for everyone. These events are usually fun to attend and browse and learn, even if you aren’t looking to buy immediately.

By the way, I will be participating at the Lake Country Art Walk this year, September 7-8, 2024!!

Local arts councils or public galleries – There are not-for-profit art organizations in most cities and towns. These venues often display and sell art form a variety of artists, both amateur and professional, usually meaning you’ll find a range of price points and an even wider range of styles and subject matter.

My 2022 exhibition with Aimee Baerg, North To South: A Journey Through the Okanagan was held at Gallery Vertigo, a non-profit gallery in Vernon.

Commercial art galleries – I think commercial galleries can be polarizing. I agree they can be intimidating for buyers, but not always and they shouldn’t be. Commercial galleries are a great way to see art, in person, year-round, and to see art displayed really beautifully to see its full impact. Prices will often be higher here; commercial galleries take a (well-earned) commission for marketing and sales. Side note: Prices would not be higher for an individual artist; it is a major ‘no-no’ to sell your own art at a discount if you are also represented by a gallery. But generally, artists who are represented by a gallery are at a career stage where their prices are higher. So, it depends on what is important to you in the balance of budget and ‘value’. Of course, this is perceived value. Yes, art prices often reflect skill or experience but they do not always. To me personally, I would never buy art because of its monetary value, but because I had connected with it. Commercial art galleries are also carefully curated, so while you’ll see a variety of styles and subject matter they are all chosen based on the tastes of one or a few people. So, one gallery might have a lot of what you love while another might be all yuck (in your opinion).

Online – Are you an introvert? Then this might be your happy place. You can quietly lurk without anyone approaching you and hit purchase when the time is right. The cons of this are that you only get to see a 2D screen image of a beautiful real-life thing. The good news is, art is almost always better in person. If there are plenty of images, including close-ups or different angles, and the product description is clear, then rest assured this is a great way to purchase art (my totally unbiased opinion, must plug my web shop here 😉).

Types of art

Depending on your budget and space, there are a lot of ways to begin your art collection while supporting actual makers rather than big-box stores.

Start with prints! Many artists sell prints directly or wholesale/license them to third party vendors. Prints are a great way to support artists you love (and can be a great placeholder while you wait for that not-so-perfect painting).

While I no longer sell prints myself, I do have select prints available with The Crafted Prints. They are an awesome family-owned business out of California.

Small original paintings are fantastic because you can easily move them about to switch things up. I love small paintings on deep edge canvas so I can set them on a shelf or other surface. They also fit happily in a gallery wall.

A collector shared this little 6x6 inch painting living among other special things on a shelf. I love a good shelfie!

Don’t forget functional art! Because original paintings are not in short supply at my house, most of my art collection is comprised of prints and functional art. I love pottery and turned wood pieces and I find having these pieces in my home gives me a special kind of joy because they are so far outside my own creative realm. The point is, its great to have a diverse art collection!

Some of my favourite art pieces are these two turned wood vases by Pooja Pawaskar (left) and Jak. Natural Designs (right).

Statement art is art that people notice as soon as they enter a room. It is usually large, though not always. It is likely located in a central place that draws attention. I would call statement art an invitation to engage and also a way for a collector to display something about their personality, interests or values. Statement art is probably the most intimidating to purchase because it is likely an investment, even if it is not original, large prints are pricey. Because statement art is so noticeable it also might be hard to take the plunge on a purchase. This leads into the last segment of this post…

How to decide on original art

Smaller art pieces are easier to buy impulsively, but the larger you go, the greater the commitment. With any art purchase, there are generally two ways you can go:

1.     Find something you fall in love with and make it fit (within your budget and your space)

Sometimes we just know. I also think some people are better at following their intuition and making purchases based on feeling. Go you! If this is you though, you have probably been putting yourself in the spaces that allow you to find the art, so it is probably less spontaneous than it sounds. 

2.     Have a space you want to fill and seek out the perfect piece

Perhaps you just moved or perhaps you finally have the budget for some original art but you aren’t really sure what you want. First, read this post about the myth of perfect art. This is the time to have fun getting to know what kind of art and artists you love! You might seek out artists on Instagram or Pinterest and follow along until they offer a piece that speaks to you. You might find an artist whose style you love and commission a piece that is just right for you. You might seek out local art events or browse local galleries so that you can see the art in person. Join the mailing lists of your favourite artists so that you’ll be the first to know when new work is available. You never know when the right piece might find you, but you’ll feel it when it does.

I recently painted this commission for a client who wanted to preserve the memory of this massive [now dying] ponderosa pine from her family home.

Building your collection

Over time, as you find pieces of art (broadly defined) you love, you will accumulate a collection. Your art collection needn’t be cohesive or make much sense at first glance. They key is that you’ve connected with each piece, for some reason or another, and that means each piece is a part of your story. In the end your collection might include original art, reproductions, functional art, textiles, art from your children, as well as art-adjacent things such as framed postcards or posters, cool rocks, pinecones or animal bones (cannot confirm or deny that this was written by a magpie).