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Seems easy enough, right? You see a painting you like,
so you buy it and take it home. And it is easy for some people, but for others
buying art is a bit of a mystery. So to demystify the process, here’s some
practical advice on how to buy the art you’ll treasure for years.
ArtMatch.com?
The hardest part is choosing the right artwork. The Eastside Culture Crawl has an amazing range of artwork, from realism to abstraction, in
various media, and priced from $10 to $10,000.
Even though the Crawl is not juried, in general the artwork is of good
quality because the artist has a studio and a professional commitment
to their art. However, as in all large events there are different levels of
art, and you have to use your own judgement.
Choosing the right painting is a lot like falling in
love. Really. You walk into a studio and see this painting and Blam, love hits
you. If you’re a little indecisive, like me, you may wander around the studio
and examine every other painting, but your first love keeps calling to you. In
my own studio experience, although people often like two or three paintings,
it’s always the first one that they like that is the right one.
Again, I consulted with my friend Liz Malinka, who is
a Crawl regular with an amazing art collection.
What I really like about her art collection is its diversity, some of
the paintings come from the best galleries in town, but others are from new
artists she discovered on the Crawl. She says there is nothing as satisfying as
the joy of the artist who is selling their first painting. Liz also advises, “If you love a piece buy it!! If you have to think
twice, it's probably not for you. I always ask myself, if I walked away from a
piece and turned around and someone else bought it, would I be heartbroken? If
the answer is yes, then I buy it immediately!”
I could
write a whole blog post on why people buy art, but I’ll just say one
thing: if you really like a piece of
art, it will bring you a lot of pleasure. Nobody ever regretted buying a
special artwork.
The Price is Right
Obviously, price is important. If you don’t buy art regularly,
you may wonder if you’re getting value for your money. Fortunately, the Crawl
offers you a perfect opportunity to shop around and compare prices. It should
only take a few studios to give you an idea of the price range of paintings you
like. Art by established artists will be more expensive than someone right out of art school. Art is generally priced by size, but occasionally artists price by the
age of the work, with newer work being more expensive. Some artists even price based on
how pleased they are with the work!
If you really like a painting in the first studio you
visit, you can ask if the artist will put the painting on hold for you (some do
and some don’t). Or there is something called the right of first refusal, so if
someone else wants the painting, the artist will call you first and you have to
decide right away. However, the Crawl is a crucial time for artists to make
sales, so please be respectful about placing holds.
Since the Crawl is an informal situation, you may
wonder if you should bargain for a lower price. Here are the facts about
pricing. If an artist is represented by galleries, the price will be firm,
since if the artist undersells the gallery he or she runs the risk of getting
dropped. In fact, some galleries get a commission on paintings that are sold on
the Crawl since they promote the artist year round, so the artist is not even keeping
the full price. It may be possible to
negotiate a better deal if you pay cash. Most painters do not take credit
cards, they usually take cheques or PayPal, so bring your chequebook. Most clay
or textile artists do take credit cards, since they are used to working craft
fairs.
If you are buying multiple pieces, you may be able to
get a discount. If you return year after year to make purchases from the same
artist or refer your friends, you may get a discount. Also, if you can tell that a work is older,
perhaps from a previous series, the artist may be more inclined to give you a
discount. You can certainly make a
polite inquiry about discounts, but do keep in mind that most artists are not
getting rich once you add up the costs of studios, materials and time spent.
Instead of discounts, you may be able to negotiate other
benefits: staggered payments, delivery of the work if you do not have a car, or
even help in deciding where to place the work in your home. Some artists may allow you to try a few
paintings in your home, to see how they work before you purchase one.
Not just paintings
Most of this advice has been around painting, which is
the area I know best. However, I realize that there are other areas, like clay,
sculpture, textiles and woodworking, which are slightly different.
My observation around clay is that it is already so
reasonably priced and practical, that buying it is an easy decision. I have
pottery from four different artists here in the Mergatroid Building
As for textiles and sculpture, I think they are similar
to artwork. Take the time to ask about
the process, what raw materials are used, and all the stages in creating the
work. Once you realize the effort that goes into creating the work, I think
you’ll find the prices are very reasonable.
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| Boomerang chair by Dexel Crafted |
In my building we have a number of furniture makers.
Buying furniture from them can be as easy as seeing something you like in their
studio and then purchasing it, since much of the furniture you see on the Crawl is
for sale. Most woodworkers have books of the custom work they have
created. I spoke to Curt Dexel of Dexel Crafted
in my building and he tells me that much of his work is custom, which begins
with a discussion with the client about their needs. If you commission a piece
of furniture, you have the luxury of many options around materials, size and
details. Just keep in mind that although the
prices will be higher than Ikea, the quality is much higher.
Don't forget
It sounds funny, but it’s almost certain that once
you’ve seen a lot of studios, you will get them confused. So take notes, take
business cards and take photos (ask first though!) so that if you want to
follow up afterwards, you can.
Most artists are happy to open their studios to you
after the Crawl, if you want to come back and see the artwork again or even if
you missed their studio the first time around. However studios are a working
space, so they are cleaned up ferociously before the Crawl but they will
normally be a lot messier and less gallery-like. And you will have to make an
appointment first, since studios are only open for these three days. If there
is an artist you particularly liked, but you missed out on a favourite piece,
try contacting them in a few months time when they will have new work. And be
sure to get on the mailing lists of the artists you like.
There is lots of talk around supporting the local
economy, and buying directly from artists is an excellent way to do that. As
you sit back in your hand-crafted wood chair, sipping coffee from a
specially-chosen clay mug and admiring your challenging new painting, you are a
true supporter of the arts!
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