‘With Fearne By The Rocks’ Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 51 x 51 cm
One of my favourite things to do is to look into people’s windows when I’m walking past ( I know, what a nosey parker!) It really is a framed picture of someone else’s life. I’m fascinated by what’s hung on their walls . I want to go into that house or apartment and have a closer look! Sometimes I will be at a party or visiting someone’s house for the first time and see a painting that looks so right in its space, I can’t help but admire the owner for just knowing what kind of art would look great there.
I’m hopeless at making decisions. Don’t ever go clothes shopping with me. My partner can walk into a shop and know instantly if he is going to buy an item there. He really has the gift of confidence when it comes to purchase decisions. So it’s not surprising then, that I waver over buying anything for the home and that includes art.
Yesterday though, I saw some prints by Adam Hemuss’ , (who’s Open Studios I visited a year or two ago near Dulwich) https://www.hemussart.com/ website and I was drawn to some small prints that I have to say were very affordable, so I just gave myself permission to choose one for myself. For me, I know that I like Adam’s work and it didn’t break the bank so that kind of confidence came easy. It’s harder though when there are big bucks at stake, I get this.
Firstly, decide on your budget. Small or large, remember what you are prepared to spend on a night out. I recently realised that the money I was spending on a takeaway for my family ( £50!) could be better spent on a nice print to adorn my walls. Look for monthly payment plans at Art Fairs, like Own Art, who offer 10 monthly payments at 0% interest.
Before visiting an Art Fair or Gallery, take measurements of the space(s) in your home.
Download an app such as Artrooms which often give you a free trial. If you’re seriously drawn to a painting, say, I’m sure the artist would be happy for you to take a photo and upload to a pic of a room setting to get an idea of how it may look in your own home. I wish I had thought of this at a recent art fair where I was showing my own work.
Art is such a personal thing and we are all drawn to such different ideas. Far too much to go into and I wouldn’t even know where to start with all the styles and media. For some people, its much easier to just pick up a print in a certain Scandinavian furnishing store and understandable too - it’s cheap and will pretty much go with a contemporary look in a home. It s a shame to follow those arrows and limit our choices though. How much more special and wonderful to own an original piece that no one else has. By owning something unique, you are saying something unique about you too. Ask the artist about the piece you are interested in because if you are going to own it, then you want to know the story behind it. It then becomes a part of your story too.
Finally, how do you know if it’s the one? Let’s say you’re at an art fair and you’ve done a quick peruse, noting down pieces that speak to you. There’s one painting you keep going back to, again and again. There’s something about it that gets you in a place where you just stand and smile at it. There’s a connection. You might be drawn to the way it’s been painted, the colours, the subject matter, but more importantly it makes you feel something. Try walking away from it - if you find yourself already wondering when you can see each other again, you just know.
If you’d like to buy any of my art on this site, please feel free to contact me via the Contact Form and I will get back to you promptly.
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Happy art choosing!