So you want to buy a painting?
If your looking to decorate your home or office or even making art a gift then it could be a daunting task if you have little experience doing so.
First of all find out what you like, a little research into the kind of paintings you like is a great starting point it could be contemporary, modern or more classical artwork you are looking for. The subject matter is a personal thing, galleries offer a large variation on subjects from animals to figures, portraits but seascapes and landscapes are always popular because they fit in with most peoples tastes, we can all appreciate the beauty of nature.
Then you might want to look into the medium you like. You have a wide choice from oil, water colours, Acrylic, Gouache. traditional painting was always oil, and some artists and collectors look down there noses at other mediums such as watercolour. But at the end of the day its what you like.
You also have a very big choice of style out there, from Abstract, impressionism, Realism, Expressionism, Surrealism. This again is down to personal choice and where you want to hang your painting. It could tie in with the decor and colour scheme of your house or room so these are even more things to consider.
Do you want to buy an original?
Originals usually have depth with texture, you can see the brush strokes, colours are rich. The surface is rough, uneven paint on the sides of the stretched canvas, overall it should look, feels and smells like an original.
Prints can be a cheaper option, this is a copy of the original painting. It is a flat image and lacks the texture colour of the original. they can be a good option and some artists do special limited runs of there work. If you look at the picture through a eye glass or magnifying glass you would probably see a dot matrix.
Things to consider?
How much are you willing to spend, this is probably the biggest criteria for buying art as prices can vary from hundreds to thousands of pounds.
Do some research into the dealer who you are buying off, how long has the gallery been there are they well known, make sure your buying the original if thats what you want, question the dealer about the painting and artist in depth.
Does the painting come with a certificate of authentication? Not all paintings have one but its worth asking the question.
Can you contact the artist themselves. This is a good way to make sure you are buying exactly what you think you are.
Valentyne Dawes has hundreds of original artwork for you to choose from please search our website or pop into our gallery in Ludlow.
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