Buying art

seacliff
Oooh, I like the 'Chicken With No Name'! Not usually a fan of mosaics, but she/he's lovely!

Lovely thread. Looking round my walls all the originals are by family or friends - none by very famous artists but a couple have been hung in the R A in the dim and distant. We’ve been given some lovely street scenes of my home city and also have many quite small prints of places we’ve had happy holidays. JoLoMo prints in the bathroom!

I was very lucky to be taught art history at my grammar school. I don't think I would have appreciated art without this grounding. I buy art at local exhibitions. This does not mean I spend a lot of money since these exhibitions often display the work of young local artists. I recently bought a seascape that now hangs in my bedroom. I also do like rugs and tapestries. I hang the rugs on the wall as well. I find that they warm the room more than a painting does. Being Scandinavian I also love Nordic art. I'll be going to the Royal Academy's showing of the Finnish artist Helene Schjerfbeck in the summer of 2019. Helene Schjerfbeck is little known outside Scandinavia but she is one of my favourites. My husband was not really interested in art but he was a very kind man and he liked what I liked!

I don't have any originals but I have 2 prints by Yorkshire watercolour artist Ashley Jackson (there is a personal connection). I love his work & if I ever have enough money I would love an original.

I only buy art which I like & can afford not as an investment

We have some prints and some originals , mostly of various scenes, but I am rather taken with a couple of inexpensive small prints which I inherited by Jolomo (John Lowrie Mackintosh) and would like to buy some more. His use of colour is quite fascinating.

I wonder what a psychologist would make of our choices.
Ours are eclectic

Does that mean that I can't make up my mind?

I love Jolomo pictures of the Scottish Isles. Only seen them on notelets in Scotland though. I didn't know where the name Jolomo came from.

There are so many wannabe Jolomos around at present. It sometimes feels like every small gallery is full of bright orange and turquoise Scottish landscapes! The artist himself seems to be a very nice man but he's fairly churning out the pictures. Why not though? People like them.

I'd never heard of him until I was given the ones I have.

I’ve acquired several acrylics and pastels by Philip Gray

They all have sea and boats in them

I too buy what I would like to see every day. I buy prints as originals are not within my budget. My DS2 has an interest in art and is currently working on a piece. He hoped to give it to me for Christmas but wasn't quite ready.

I am finding this forum really interesting in that so many of you write that your treasured artworks are of landscapes, seascapes or flowers, and nobody mentioning abstract art.
I am an amateur artist, though have sold quite a lot of my landscapes, seascapes and floral still-lifes. I am now starting to do abstract work which I am finding far more challenging than any representational work...and if this forum is anything to go by, won’t sell nearly as well.

My sister-in-law, who in her 80s, likes abstract works so it's not an 'age' thing Wendiwoo.

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I like a bit of abstract art. I have picked up a few pieces while abroad. I have also bought some works by a local artist and ceramicist Diane McCormack. She creates beautiful pictures, mirrors and clocks.

I have two abstract paintings that I'm very fond of. I like to have something interesting to gaze at when I'm writing and having a think. They hang above my desk. As does an oil of a French scene, a print of an elephant and a picture of a hedgehog. My study houses quite an eclectic collection!

this is one of mine - I have been painting for quite a few years and sell my work though my facebook page - it has been fascinating to read why people buy the art that they do!

Sadly I can't afford to buy art. I've been lucky enough to been gifted some paintings that a relative has done. She's a wonderful painter, mainly of animals.
I'm of the opinion that no art is bad, it is all subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that....

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wendiwoo My Leila Simes paintings are abstract

This is a really interesting post. I'm always fascinated by 'why' people choose the artwork they have in their homes and GNers clearly have some beautiful pieces. I've always been interested in art and I paint and sketch, though not very often these days. DH has to drag me past art galleries or I would spend hours in there as I did in my youth. I don't really favour a particular artist, subject matter or style of art, apart from the Old Masters, and I'm never likely to be buying any of those!! As someone else said I buy artwork that I feel drawn to, or have a connection with. My favourite is a watercolour of a young woman walking on a deserted beach, given to me by my son. He just thought it was a nice picture, I love it because walking on the beach early in the morning is something I love doing, that was the connection for me. Sadly it has been in wraps since we moved house (6 years ago!) together with all our other paintings and photos. Our lounge and dining rooms are large but much of the wall space is glass so hanging space is limited. Our AC keep asking what's happened to all the family photos. I think my Resolution for the New Year will be to get them out and back on the walls. Unwrapping the paintings and prints will be like discovering them all over again!

Juggernaut - well said your art teacher! Art on the walls is food for the soul. If we feel joy every time our eyes alight on a painting or drawing we have purchased, that feeling of joy NEVER leaves us.
Yes. If something speaks to your soul and you can afford it, BUY IT!! You will never be sorry.
And, if you can, support your local artists!

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Here's a couple I managed to photograph

Both are by local scottish artists.

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A couple more. I've got the hang of this !! Their sizes do vary. The french river scene is about a metre square. The others are all smaller. The light's not very good and isn't doing them justice.

My late fil was an artist who painted the countryside and some seascapes. I like some of his work, but not all, and those that are displayed are the ones I admire and really like.

I, on the otherhand, paint botanical and nature subjects which require a huge amount of detail. I'm drawn to these because I have been a gardener for most of my life both as a hobby and as a professional designer/consultant.

I have hung one or two which I was pleased with. With any painting, it chooses me.