Collecting Art

I just read a post on A Reason to Paint about collecting Art. Great post. It got me thinking about our own art collection. We started purchasing art a few years ago, sourced mainly from smaller galleries which are rented by the artist, usually small pieces we have loved. I have spoken to so many people who have visted my studio about prices they see on artwork in commercial galleries, why do they cost so much? (this will be a separate post), how do they start a collection when the work is so expensive? The simple answer is research. There are many ways one can start collecting art they love, especially now when so many emerging artists have websites and blogs, the internet is fantastic for collecting art and there is so much out there. Use google and just contact them directly! (but please don't ask for a discount it's a pet hate). Keep in mind also, don't expect cheap, I had a lady who came to my studio a couple of years ago, a painting I was exhibiting was around $800 (it was quite big so this was very affordable) and she asked me why it is was SO expensive! she said she bought something in Bali for $20 what is the difference? she asked... Mmmmm, what could I say to explain why? I would have to start from scratch and it would be a long conversation. Part of that would be explaining what original artwork was, the difference between it and a reproduction, list goes on and chances are she wouldn't know. So know what you are buying. If it's a print, know what it is (etching? Giclee? ask!), and how many in the edition. The 'paintings' you see at Ikea or Freedom, these are mass produced prints. We also visit award exhibitions, e.g. Williamstown Festival Contemporary Art Prize (which I was a finalist in). This was in April this year and 87 artists were part of this show, some represented, some not, but affordable, great artwork! There are so many of these all over Australia. My golden rule for collecting is buy something you love. Don't ask "Is this a good investment, will the price go up?" if you are really looking to 'invest' do your research, look at the artists CV, you need to know where they have exhibited, how often, awards they have entered etc. follow their progress for a little while and remember, nothing is a sure thing unless you have a lot of money to spend and can purchase a Brack!. (we love our piece by Buni "If I was your girl" pictured above).