Buying art

[iris lilies]

I like catherine’s doggie picture.

[SiouzQ.]

Our new house has plenty of walls for hanging art! My boyfriend has a pretty great collection from area artists, and I have some. A few Christmas's ago he bought me a wonderful painting I picked out from my neighbor's studio; I absolutely love it and we just hung it in our new bedroom. Our tastes are pretty funky - abstract impressionism, contemporary, some religious icons, "pop" art, grafitti art, assemblage art. The other day we hung our collection of rusty old things - a piece of a plow, an old ice skate blade I found in the new yard, an antique scale - I love figuring out where to hang things in these large, airy rooms we now have!

I will post more photos soon, now that we have been "feathering our nest" with our art!

[catherine]

oh yea like the seascape

Thank you, rosa and ANM: My brother is very talented.

IL: I adore Stephen Huneck. Nothing better than a good dose of whimsical, joyful doggies to keep you going.

SQ: Yes, please update us with your home/art.

[ToomuchStuff]

I have a hard time buying anything that isn't "usable". However, there is an art show at our local library and I am really drawn to some of the artist's work.

Our condo is pretty spare and the artwork on our walls consists of either framed photos we've taken at national parks, or photos we've purchased at the gift shops.

This artist's paintings range in price from $40 - $120 and they pictures I like are somewhere in the middle. The artist uses an "acrylic pour" method which creates beautiful swirls of color in shades that are very pleasing to my eye.

Now that I'm on my "no clothing purchases for a year" challenge AND I have some money from eBay sales I can afford this, yet I still hesitate because it isn't practical.

What about you? What type of art do you have or purchases that are just to look at? What is your philosophy on buying art?

(And yes, I'll probably buy but feel guilty about it)

So, why are the other pictures you have bought, practical?

I have some art that is smaller (prints or original), that I like. Then I have a few larger pieces, that I like, but they are less practical, if one comes from a family that takes down stuff for season's. (I've gone 20+ years, with some old WWII family history stuff, in the same places)
I have a few artist friends, but not all of their stuff, speaks to me, while others, I own some. Then I have had access to "art", that I don't understand at all (original work of a football player, a piece by that leroy Neiman guy). In another thread, I once mentioned the Mona Lisa, might as well be a dart board, in my mind.
What about stuff, that isn't "art" per se? (autograph pictures of the Rat Pack, or the Beatles, signatures of leaders of WWII, and on and on and on) These are some of the types of things I see, almost daily, and rarely, peek my interest (ball signed by Pete Rose and that Giamatti guy), really none has ever said, acquire and put on a wall/table, etc.