Home decorating Ideas with How to Buy Art!

Home decorating ideas, so many choices and how in the world do you go about buying art?  Since you’re already on the web reading this article, you’ve already found one of the most efficient and powerful tool ever created to help you get information on decorating ideas and how to buy art.  Lets get started with some very basic decorating ideas using the internet.

Starting your decorating ideas campaign.

Start your search first by familiarizing yourself with a few artsy terms. Do a Wikipedia search on these terms. Contemporary Art, Modern Art, Abstract Art, Impressionistic Art, and Classical Realism.

All of these open in a new window so you don't lose your place here!

Now that you have seen a few definitions and a few examples, use these same terms to search for art on an online gallery.  There are several big online galleries,  www.art.com, www.artnet.com, and my favorite, www.FineArtAmerica.com .

Check these out and use your search terms from above. 

Just browse to get an idea of what is available.  Limit yourself to a few (maybe 10)minutes for each term and take a few notes on what your heart is telling you.  But don’t jump the gun yet and make a purchase, take your time and follow the rest of the article!

Taking a walk about for more home decorating ideas.

As for brick and mortar galleries, you will find that they specialize only in a few.  Most will never carry all types.   Again, just browse your local galleries to peek your interest in one or two of the major genres. 

I’ve only listed 5 here but take into account most art available have subsets of these categories that can go into some very interesting areas. 

For example, you can have wildlife or animal art in several of the categories.  So again, just browse for now to get a feel for the “lay of the land”.  Also, jot down notes on things that interest you.  Cats, Tulips, Sports, Wildlife, Birds, People, Ford Mustangs, etc., etc., because, you will find art and other home decorating ideas associated with all of these!

The next issue to consider is your budget.  If you are purchasing art with less than $1000, then by all means tackle it with confidence.  If you’re planning a higher budget, then seek additional advice AFTER you’ve completed these steps.  It will help affirm your decision or  point out something you hadn’t considered and cannot be fully explored in this article. 

In these days of hard economic times, count your blessing should you have expendable income for dressing up your home!  You should be commended on your success!  But don’t just take my words of wisdom in purchasing an expensive piece.  More on the use of an art consultant or gallery rep later.

Your home decorating ideas must consider COLOR!

The next issue to think about is COLOR!  It is and continues to be the most important factor in home decorating ideas across all spectrum's.  And it is with color that you will start your funneling process. 

Do you want to make a bold statement with your art, or do you want it to blend into the rest of your décor to supplement another beautiful piece already in your possession.  Contrasting colors will make the bold statement yet will go with the rest of your home.  Color blending will go with your décor yet, won’t take the spotlight away from your focal piece. 

Decide on your colors, even pick out paint charts/chips from the local paint store to match and compare your art against.


Then hit the online sites in earnest!  Selecting several (even printing out thumbnails) to create your listing of pieces.  As you are making your list, use this criterion in order.

•      Color  (bold or blending)
•      Genre (type of art that turns you on)
•      Budget (this is always in the back of your mind)

Do include pieces you have seen and appreciated within the brick and mortar galleries you’ve visited.  Come up with a list say of about 10.

Now that you have a list in hand (hopefully with picture examples) you can visit your galleries, auctions, and art fairs to see pieces similar to what you’ve listed.  The only hard part about this is you may want to perform the comparison check of your online listing first.  In this way you will have in hand a small grouping of pieces with notes that you especially like before seeing the other venues. 

Why?

Because studies have shown that most art purchased is impulse buying.  Art is typically an emotional and impromptu purchase! 

Pulling your home decorating ideas all together without pulling out your hair!

Having in your mind, narrowed down, several pieces before visiting a high pressure auction house, or art fair (the pressure here is that the show moves on after a few days), you’ll be better prepared to make a decision that will not leave you with purchaser’s remorse and second guessing yourself.  It will help increase your success with your home decorating ideas!

This is also where a gallery rep or art consultant really earns their keep.  They have the time and the knowledge to research the artist, and the methods used to produce the work to help in its valuation or appraisal. 

If you’ve done your homework, some of this you will already know, and when you visit an artist booth at the show that you’ve done some research on, you’ll feel much better when making a purchase.  But I’m getting ahead of myself here.  Let’s get back to the comparison test.

Making difficult decisions that have multiple choices:

This is a simple way I have found to successfully make a difficult decision that has many choices.

I've talked about this elsewhere on the site and

it is very applicable to the selection process needed for buying art!

Taking your list of 10, you want to narrow down to say, the top 3.  Taking item 1 on the list and compare it to item 2.  Think deeply on #1 then #2, and asking yourself is #1 better than #2.  The one you feel the best about, place a check mark by it.  Then compare #1 to #3.  Again, take your time, think deep, which of these 2 are best, place a check by your choice.  Continue until #1 has been compared to all 10. 

At this point you will have checks all over the place, (Unless #1 is truly #1!) But don’t worry.  This process will really show you the strongest 3 pieces.  No more comparisons are done with #1 at this point, and you begin the process again with #2 and #3.  Then #2 and #4.  Then #2 and #5.  Until all 9 are completed.  Yes, checks again will be all over the place but continue on.  #3 to #4, then #3 to #5 until all 7 that are left are done.

When you’re finished, you’ve made 100 comparisons!  But you’ve also compiled a very strong list of checks by a few items.  These will be your few pieces you use to compare with “live art” at the fair, auction or gallery. 

Should your visits and subsequent comparison checking with those pieces found there, leave you with your original 3, great.  Do a final comparison test and purchase with great confidence from an online gallery. 

If your comparisons testing leave you with a piece hanging on the gallery wall, again, you can make your purchase with confidence and that you’ve found the right piece for you!

You’ve taken the spontaneity and impulse buying out of the equation and have decided with an analytical mind, and your heart! 

Now, some folks like spontaneity, and the impulse buy is what they thrive for.  The only problem I see in that approach is once you're home, buyers remorse will creep in.  You may be to embarrassed to take the piece back.  Then, well, you're stuck.

Using this analytical method of choosing, you’ll be using whole brain thinking for your process of art buying! (Most men have difficulty with this as we are left brain or analytically minded)  (And why I enjoy the analytical side of the comparison process!!) 

But most artists, male and female, have found ways to bridge the gap and use the right (spontaneous, artistic, intuitive) side of the brain.  (Most females never have an issue here).  I’m getting off track again, so back to How to buy Art!

Hopefully this article on home decorating ideas and the exercise in "decision making processing" has been helpful to you.   If you have a comment on a similar idea, share it with me!  Maybe I can use it for another article about this wonderful past-time we call ART!

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