Buying "art" (ebay).....

quartzz

Not quite sure where to put this, so I'll try here. I'm looking at (buying) pictures to hang on walls in the new place. I've never bought "art" before, I got the prompt from wandering around B&Q on the look out for junior hacksaws and drills, and seeing an art aisle. and thinking...."yeah.....", but not seeing anything there I liked

ebay has some. they look nice on screen. they aren't originals, they are just nice prints. I've found about 8 that I like, ranging from £20 each to about £60 each. ranging from 24"x16" to 40"x30" for a big one. the total I'm thinking to spend for dressing up 4 rooms is about £350. [which is less than I just spent on replacing some springs for the car to get it through it's MOT].

Would you spend £20-£70, per piece, on £350's worth of art? Part of me thinks it's an indulgent extravagance, and part of me thinks it's very good value for money for what it'll do to the place

swingaloo

Never. I wander round charity shops and its amazing what you can pick up for less than a fiver.

Slinky

Well it depends how much £350 means to you. If it's the last money in your account and the rent/mortgage is due, then it's an indulgent extravagence.

Unless they are signed prints, the pieces are unlikely to have much if any re-sale value, so don't look on it as an investment that will make money. Other people spend much more on designer clothes or a night out.

If you can comfortably afford it, and it will make you happy, go for it. If you can't, don't.

marcia_

 Not a chance I would spend that much on prints. £20 possibly but £60 no chance. 

Brie

If you want proper art why not look for that instead.  In the spring time there tend to be a number of "art weeks" around the country where you can go and look and talk to real artists who would love to sell you something original.  Google art shows in your area and see what you can find. 

To give you an idea these are my local ones that I enjoy going around.  As someone who is trying to learn to paint I like to see what more experienced people are doing and often end up buying something that catches my eye.  Some stuff I'd love but costs hundreds, other times I've bought a print direct from an artist for a tenner. 

dorset art weeks 2024 - Search

Purbeck Art Weeks 

quartzz

swingaloo said:

Never. I wander round charity shops and its amazing what you can pick up for less than a fiver.

I actually got 2x 19 inch prints from Morrisons - £4 each (reduced from £20, to £4. which I'm sure they were--that's what it said on the label). which wasn't too bad.

For the comments about it - I'm not looking at it [pun not intended] as any kind of investment, it's purely for things that will make the place look better. my other benchmark is that £100 is a full week or two's food shopping

I'll browse those links Brie. the charity shop might also be an idea. I've been in charity shops before....probably worth a look, but can be limited. these ebay items will be "what I'm looking for" rather than "what the shop has". as long as when it actually arrives, it looks exactly the same as it does in the photo. which I'm sure would be the case.

Emmia

Some of the art on my walls are framed postcards costing a couple of pounds at most, I buy frames with multiple apertures and then arrange them to suit. Sometimes I switch the postcards out for new ones to mix it up a bit.

Cairnpapple

I have framed cards and postcards before too! But I've also spent more than £60 on a print if it's a local artist I like. Custom framing is the real budget-breaker so just make sure to buy standard sizes if they don't come already framed. 

IKEA can be a good option for inexpensive prints. I also like museum shops for exhibition posters which often are in the £5-10 range. 

swingaloo

I like the charity shops because you find something different. I  once bought a print from Ikea of a rowing boat on the side of a lake at sunset. Ive seen it in so many other houses now that I wont buy from big stores. The Range have some lovely ones but there must be hundreds of homes with the same thing on the wall.

quartzz

True. Charity shops tend to be a fairly limited selection of what someone else didn't want, but there's no harm in looking. The worst that can happen is "nothing here I like"

Nile

quartzz said:

Not quite sure where to put this, so I'll try here. I'm looking at (buying) pictures to hang on walls in the new place. I've never bought "art" before, I got the prompt from wandering around B&Q on the look out for junior hacksaws and drills, and seeing an art aisle. and thinking...."yeah.....", but not seeing anything there I liked

ebay has some. they look nice on screen. they aren't originals, they are just nice prints. I've found about 8 that I like, ranging from £20 each to about £60 each. ranging from 24"x16" to 40"x30" for a big one. the total I'm thinking to spend for dressing up 4 rooms is about £350. [which is less than I just spent on replacing some springs for the car to get it through it's MOT].

Would you spend £20-£70, per piece, on £350's worth of art? Part of me thinks it's an indulgent extravagance, and part of me thinks it's very good value for money for what it'll do to the place

Hi quartzz

I have original watercolours and oil paintings which were purchased at the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull (like the suggestion made by Brie) from the open exhibition and here is the link:

https://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/ferens-art-gallery/open-exhibition

I didn't buy them as an investment. I bought them because I liked them and wanted them on my walls at home.

I'm also a fan of the impressionists (Renoir in particular) and if you have a look at the National Gallery shop you might find something you like. An example is:

The Skiff (La Yole) Small Framed Print £18

https://shop.nationalgallery.org.uk/the-skiff-small-framed-print.html?_gl=1*u96z75*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTUyNjk1OTIzMC4xNzM4NDkzMTI3*_ga_M30SQDV7B0*MTczODQ5MzEyNy4xLjEuMTczODQ5MzE4Ny4wLjAuOTcxNjExMDgz

Regards

Nile