I am looking to start putting something up on the walls. However, I don't really know where to start (apart from trawling catawiki). I am sure that there are many resources on the web and otherwise. Can someone give me an idea of where I might start? I am generally interested in non-abstract art - impressionism and similar is fine. No particular subject matter although I think my wife prefers no portraits or anything too serious - no Max Beckmann for example (although I do like him). I tend to like JMW Turner, dutch works, watercolours etc.. I appreciate any assistance with this.
It’s an interesting thread. Some people just like plain walls, some put family photos or art photos and some, like me, do buy ‘affordable' art and clutter the walls. I know that there’s an expression that ‘the eyes are the window to the soul', but I sometimes think that paintings (and art generally) give an insight into the nature of the collector. I hope that no psychoanalysts read this thread and analyse me based on my taste in paintings We regularly go into galleries when we’re away on holiday. I particularly like a modern Northumberland artist called Ken Spencer. These are some of his paintings that my wife and I have bought over the years. One of my daughters likes a Cornish artist, based in St. Ives, Joe Armstrong.
I’m a big fan of Jeremy Geddes from Australia, and I have a few giclée prints of his, one of which is framed so far. Here it is when I picked it up from the framer: And you can see more of his work here: https://www.jeremygeddesart.com/paintings/ I would love to own an original of his one day. But for now, prints are what I can afford for the most part. I do have a couple originals from a Washington DC artist named Jojo Fewka. Here is one of those (sorry for the horrible lighting): So my taste ranges from photorealism to very abstract. I also collect silk screen posters from several artists who are also in bands that I enjoy. I have a large flat under my bed with a few dozen of those in it. Here is one where the artist hand painted 90 posters that were left from the original run:
I have a Folon print that I love, and also a Jack Stuppin print. It would be nice to be able to afford originals, but not possible with well known artists. For lesser known I assume it should be possible....
We have a small collection of nice landscapes and a still life or two. Plus my wife really likes abstracts and lots of purple, so we have a handful of fuzzy purple landscapes. 5 or 6 of the landscapes are from the same Korean painter (via a gallery/ shop in the DC area). We got works from a Spanish painter and a French painter through the same shop. We definitely prefer originals over prints, even though they cost a bit more and likely will never appreciate. In fact, most have likely depreciated quite a bit since they were bought through a shop and not directly from the artists. So really we are spending to improve the quality of our life. Heck, these days very few people want the original paintings that their parents/ grandparents owned -- similar to the fine china and crystal. It all goes to consignment and junk shops for pennies on the dollar.
Art is very personal, so you have to pick what you like. For me, I would not consider myself any sort of collector, but I have bought a fair bit over the years. My wife’s mother is an artist, so we have a lot of her work around. I also have a friend and fellow watch guy in Australia that has sent me a couple of pieces. But the things I have bought have been from local artists, so I can meet with them, talk to them about the work, etc. We have also been to a few art auctions held at the local public art centre, again mostly featuring local artists, so we have things we’ve bought at those. We don’t buy prints generally, so our focus is on original works. We don’t limit ourselves to paintings, and also have some other items... Cheers, Al
Wow, thank you everyone for contributing so quickly. I guess over the years, Art has gone from something that seems superfluous to something pretty essential. I would be interested to see what else hangs on your wall.
Well, OK, but that Turner you like is really going to cost you big time. Seriously--art is like watches: you buy what you like after you do your research and dd. There's a lot of crap out there--art, watches, wine, bamboo fly rods. Spend some serious time doing A LOT of research--just the way you do when researching Omegas by getting into this bloody forum. But do most of your research in galleries and museums. And also in the big art fairs (if you want to consider contemporary). Where are you located? It's hard to do art research online alone--you really need to get in front of the stuff, look at it closely, look at the backside, and all that. There are auctions too--but like a watch auction, it's caveat emptor. Art is pretty much my thing--I've been in a couple of Whitney Biennials, as well as Sydney, Berlin, Venice, Istanbul, and Liverpool--and I also teach at a major art school--. It can be a little intimidating at first, but when you do your legwork, you'll feel a bit more comfortable with the decisions you make.
I'm a big fan of Eyvind Earle (1916--2000). He started out as a Disney illustrator, then turned to painting. His work belongs to the school of "magical realism." Here are a couple of examples:
I don’t know much about art...but I have one print on the bulkhead in my office...gotta have the old ride [SH-60B Seahawk] up there.
I was given a large framed print of "Ebb Tide" by John D Lutes. It came from an old restaurant at a boat dock that was closing down. My print differs from the one on this page https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ebb-tide-vintage-1978-lithograph-john-1817491651 My print is a monochrome in shades of blue grey. I prefer Chiaroscuro for the most part and the Illustrations by Kelly Freas are among my favorites. Heres an Illustration from the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner I particularly like. Done by a Scots Laird.
A sculpture I made of my daughter 20 years ago; A painting by a local artist who has MS and paints on steel because it doesn't bounce. She mixes her own paint. Her colors are very vibrant and she is a very joyful person; A few sculptures from a friend who passed away. He made public life size works around Portland. Miss him; A print made by my daughter's first grade class with the guidance of an artist in residence. Each kid made one object in the print. We won it in an auction to raise money for the school. There's more with a similar theme. We like local artists but it isn't a requirement. It helps to narrow your options and makes the art personal. Also have an original R. Crumb and Bill Griffith (Zippy the Pinhead) plus some original Batman pen and inks. Reminds me of my youth. Try to mine those memories and interests you have. You'll find something that makes you smile. Don't overlook photography also. An original photograph from someone you admire is a nice piece. Like watches, don't just get what you think you are supposed to like.
If you are looking to put art on your walls that you can enjoy without spending a lot of money, my advice is to visit (in person or online) local auctioneers that have art sales (as opposed to house or estate clearances, where the art may be just plain crap). In the various cities I have lived in, there have always been opportunities to buy artwork at auction that I have really enjoyed - and usually if they got too many for the wall space, I have been able to resell them at auction for much the same price or better. You don't have to be an art expert. You just buy what you like. Whatever you pay will be the market value because it is being sold at auction - unlike buying from an art dealer, where you will be paying a very large premium (and perhaps being swayed by a smooth talking salesman). As I became more experienced I started to make money by buying artwork I thought was going cheaply in an auction, sitting on it for a while, then placing it somewhere else. It has been good fun and turned out not costing me anything. As you get older your artistic tastes will change anyway, so my suggestion is to just get into it with whatever budget you can afford.
Paintings of Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin clearly showing their Omega Speedmaster on launchday suitup July 16, 1969... what else ? .
If you are interested in original art, I would recommend having a browse through the Sachi Art website, they have just about every medium for almost all budgets, as well as an art advisory service, which can be quite helpful if you are dipping your toe in the waters of original art. Alternatively, prints can be a great start to collecting art, many of the big name auction houses have print sales, where you can buy original art made by some of your favourite artists for great prices. For example, a Lithograph by Basquiat, made by him for his exhibition at the Yvon Lambert gallery is in the region of $1000: Compared to his recent sale of "untitled" at Sothbys for 110m
My small collection. Nothing outstanding, but I like them *Edit* Just in case anyone zooms in, some of the artists are:- Dylan Lisle https://www.dylanlisle.com/ Iain Carby http://www.artnet.com/artists/iain-carby/ Tommy Fitchet https://www.saorsa-art.com/tommy-fitchet J P McLaughlin https://jpmclaughlin.co.uk/ Lisette Degioanni https://www.lisettedegioanni.com/ And my mother