Do you have art in your house and can you tell me about it please?

[ohfook]

I was at a friend’s house for the first time this week and they had loads of lovely art (original pieces) up on their wall and it just looked so good that it made me realise that I want to do the same.

My friend’s art was all centred around the same theme and colour scheme. I would say well over half were by the same local artist too.

I do not have an eye for colour at all so I suppose my question is, if you have a lot of art in your house, does it look better if you pick a colour scheme and go with it or can a mish-mash approach work just as well? Also do prints look a bit shit compared to the real thing or can prints look good too?

Last question where do you actually buy your stuff from and roughly how much do you spend? I have a very small budget!!

We have lots of art, some original, some prints. No theme (subject, medium, size or colour). I like colours!
Prices vary but I think the most I’ve paid was £250. We are lucky to know lots of talented and lovely artists.

I buy from local artists during open studios, there are 2 artists I particularly like and I do find their pieces harmonise together.

my partner is an artist so I have quite a lot of original pieces of his as well as others I just like. I also have some prints - if I like them I get them, I’m not snobby about it. No themes or colour schemes, god no, art is not for insta, lol.

Prints can look good too - especially if mounted and framed and that’s something you can do yourself with frames from Ikea/ willki etc.
if you don’t have an eye for colour- take some photos of the room you want to display the art in with you when you’re shopping, maybe ask for the artists suggestions?

I have lots of art here and there and it’s a real mishmash. I actually don’t like it when you see a painting that you think someone has chosen just because it goes with the colour scheme. I think you need to choose art that you love and then find a place for it.

I buy artwork because I love the individual piece,

I find the idea of buying to match a colour scheme a bit odd. I have paintings which have hung in my home for nearly thirty years. The colour schemes (and in fact the homes!) have changed round them.

I have a mixture of original pieces, prints and photography.

About a third of my collection is by a single artist because I really loved her work.

In summary, buy things you will love looking at every single day.

We collect on our travels and have some beautiful personal pieces that reflect our heritage. I adore Indigenous art (live in Australia) and have a huge statement piece in the dining room (3m x 2m).

My advice is buy the art the makes you feel happy, even if it is not the same style. You cam always tie in with framing and backing board colours.

We have an eclectic mix - random landscapes in oils, poster and etching, water colours. Mixed with statement mirrors and family photos its a pick and mix but gives lots of lovely texture and points of interest.

I have some. I have a watercolour of a hare, simply because I love hares, and as it is mainly beige it fits in with our colour scheme. I have 3 Chinese flower pictures, which I just love, I have 4 small oil paintings (a series) of jackdaws done by a local artist in a grey/blue colourway in my bedroom, (I also have a print of a local landscape done by him in my small spare room... I couldn't afford the original) and 2 beautiful very small oil landscapes of Australia in my larger spare room. I didn't buy those, they came from my parent's house, and the dusty green and blue colours are absolutely perfect in there. And I have several very small paintings I have done myself.

I also have some beautiful ceramic pieces, mostly very small, in a cabinet, simply because I love them. I love their simplicity and their texture. I don't like fussy things.

If I had the money (a lot!) and wall space I would buy some of the local artist's larger landscapes. He works with a limited colour palette in a minimalist style but still manages to capture the very essence of the landscape. And his use of colour is amazing.

Colour and clarity of colour and form is very important to me, and if I could afford it I would always buy originals. I very much dislike the generic 'art' you can get everywhere. Over the years I have quite often based the colour schemes of my rooms on the art that is going in there, either by picking out colours, or by choosing a contrasting scheme.

I saw my jackdaws and the local landscape displayed on the wall of my hairdresser. My hare just happened to be on the wall of a shop we were looking round for another reason, 2 of my 3 Chinese flower paintings were bought at a craft fair, the other one I bought from facebook. Most of my small ceramics were bought at craft fairs, the biggest piece I bought at an open studio event and I then went back several times in subsequent years to buy other pieces because I love her work.

Just get things you like. We have an eclectic mix and there's no theme or colour scheme, it's just what we like. DP has bought me a few signed prints by an artist I like. There are some large framed posters from exhibitions. We have a few original paintings from student exhibitions at the local university and from DP's mum and niece. I take landscape photos so we have some of those enlarged and framed. Lots of properly framed family photos and some postcards. You don't have to spend a lot of money.

I have some original pieces which were bought because we love them direct from the artist after seeing them in galleries, I have some pieces given to me by artists over the years and I have some that I just bought off the cuff in markets not knowing who the artist was. But half of the art on my walls is my own photos, many of which I printed large in black and white on fibre paper when I used to do photography. Some I had printed very large in colour and some I printed myself small in colour. I've got a box of other stuff that hasn't even made it onto walls yet, maybe in the next house. I also have alot of pottery around the place which I have been given, bought or made.

I've always had art on the walls in various guises, and used to display books as art if I couldn't put anything on the walls. Same with LP covers, they make great art if displayed facing the room. I once painted an LP cover onto my wall when I was a teenager.

If your budget is low and you don't know what it is you like, it would be hard to advise. Is there anything in your house you have that is already something that makes you smile when you look at it? Do you have some photos that you took that you love? Maybe 3 that you like looking at and could go together to go on a wall?

If you want inspiration, art galleries, museums etc are the places to go. Or are there any second hand shops or antique markets near you this summer?

What sorts of things float your boat?

Yes lots - some original, some prints and some of mine.

I have a Banksy print, several by Jackie Morris and two by local artists.

I have a frame that opens at the back and I can insert my own work - I ring the changes every few weeks.

I have an original painting of the seafront in our town by a local artist. A print of a picture called The Village Wedding that was on the wall of the registry office where we got married 36 years ago. A print of a Picasso painting in blue that I got from IKEA years ago - probably a bit naff but I love it and it makes me smile when I look at it. A seascape painted by a friend's father who was a talented artist. Art doesn't have to be expensive or worthy to give you pleasure. It just has to be something you enjoy looking at ❤️

Me and my family have various bits of art. Some done by family members, some by close friends. A mish mash too. If it’s bought it’s usually from friends who do open houses. A few friends are artists and some do other forms like lithograph, weaving, that sort of thing. We are lucky though, most of the art is “good”. Prints are nice, especially if it’s of an artist you like. I’m planning on getting an MC Escher one from his exhibition this summer.

Instagram is a great place to find artists, just search for #affordableart #orginalart. Most of my sales come from my website after they’ve found me on Instagram. Open studios, art fairs etc are also worth a go, the art on offer is wonderfully varied, something for everyone.

If you can buy direct from us artists then it’s appreciated, galleries take up to 50% commission so buying direct a huge difference.

The amount of art out there is astounding, it just needs some searching to find it. My own house is filled with original art and prints I’ve found via a Instagram, Open Studios, craft fairs, even charity shops. I’ve also hunted work down that I’ve seen in interior magazines or other people’s homes, it’s a great way to work out what you’re drawn to.
Warning, buying art can be addictive!

I have a lot. Some are from artists I know, some I inherited from my parents who were collectors, some I’ve bought at local art fairs, some are by my very talented daughter, some my DH had when I met him. They don’t have a theme as such but obviously they are my taste. I have hung them so they fit the scheme of the room, and in the case of my livingroom which has a very large painting I coordinated the colours around it.
In my hallways I have paintings of Spain, some oil some watercolour, by an artist I know of places I know. Then two abstract paintings that fit in with the others, and finally a small figurative one we got as a wedding present. As you climb the stairs the last painting is an aboriginal one we brought back from Australia - very different in style but the colours go well. I also have some sculptures from another artist I know and a few bits of ceramic.
They have been collected over years and I have a few more pieces I have no room for. Next time I move I might put some of those up instead. One of my favourites is in storage so will be happy to be able to find a spot for that!
I don’t crowd my art I like them to breathe. Also I find people tend to hang art far too high. If you’re mostly sitting in the room hang them so you can comfortably look at them from that position.

We have a mixture of original art (the most expensive was about £500 I think) and prints, also some framed posters. I love cartoons, and sometimes buy them (prints, sometimes originals) directly from the cartoonist or publication they appeared in. Also a couple of antique maps and very old tube maps (eg from the year of DH's birth). It's all a complete mishmash but means something (something one of us loved, or from somewhere we were happy).

We have a mix of prints and originals. All of them have "found us", so to speak, rather than us going out with a view to buying them,

we have very plain decore, which is the perfect foil for art, so that the art is centre stage and not overwhelmed by feature walls etc.

Frames are as important as the art itself. In some cases we have bought paintings that are already framed, and in other cases we have had them professionally framed. I've found it doesnt pay to scrimp on frames, it's worth paying over the odds to ensure the frame enhances the art.

I have a few pieces but they are things I made myself. A couple of paintings and some glass painted ornaments. My mum has some of my work as well, and MIL has various things from me as well.

The are two types of print op. There are glicee prints which are very good photographic copies of a painting/print. And there are prints made using techniques such as lino print, etching and screen prints. These are original artworks and are printed in a series (there will be a number at the bottom saying which number of the series the print is). They tend to be cheaper than original paintings. I love them because they are handmade and original. As far as colour goes, I have found I gravitate towards certain colours anyway. I'd suggest you keep frames to a limited type which will make things more coherent especially if you are planning a picture wall.

I have some inherited, some done by close friends, some bought direct from the artist and some from charity shops. No theme, just things I like. Not being rich the most I've ever spent was £100 - most of my purchases were £20 - £40 range. Buy ready framed if you can as that can cost a fair bit.

I suppose I have “art” too but being miserly I have nothing that cost me a lot of money. The most I’ve payed for a print (the good kind) is about £35 I think. I’ve bought some from charity shops, a local museum once sold local vintage concert or theatre posters from the 60s and 70s very cheaply (until they caught on that those posters were worth more on the open market). I also have things my children made of course ;) . A few posters, a random pastel drawing from a charity shop that looks like it was just made by someone for a school exhibition but I like it anyway. One of my own embroideries, one from someone else I found in charity shop. Some ceramic tiles from a holiday, a local artist was selling on the street.

I buy things I like, but I do buy based on them going to be home decor if you will. So even if I saw something very good that spoke to me as art I wouldn’t (probably) consider it if I didn’t think I could stand having it up on the wall in my home. Part of that decision-making is colour or texture - I tend to not like pale drawings or muddy oils for example. On holiday recently I saw some prints I quite liked by a local artist and considered getting, but in the end didn’t because the colours used were a little too “holiday bright” so it felt wrong.

So I’m not very sophisticated!

I was very fortunate to meet an artist, who became a close personal friend before I found out he was famous. I have one large painting he gave me which I love, plus one a bit smaller and four cards he painted. From him I developed my taste and eye, and just counting in the sitting room here, I have ten original works, seven by renowned modern Cornish artists. I have collected them over a few decades. The decor is to enhance the paintings. My father said it's like living in a gallery. I've stopped collecting now, though am frequently tempted.

My dad (sometimes to my mum's annoyance!) is an inveterate buyer of prints, so we have ended up with a lot of prints that he bought. He travelled a lot in Russia and Eastern Europe for work during the 90s and early 2000s so we've got a few pieces he bought by Russian Jewish artist Anatoly Kaplan and Czech etching maker T F Simon. They were quite prolific and their work can be bought fairly cheaply online. Kaplan did a lot of pieces based on Jewish folk stories, Simon lots of charming, slightly impressionistic etchings of different European cities. Have quite a lot of other pieces via them as well, plus some where my mum was the artists model in them, as she earned money doing that as a student!

About 10 years ago I bought some large, colourful prints, one a seated man, one a seated woman, slightly abstract that I saw in a local charity shop window for £90 each - I liked the look of them and they were well framed. Looked up the artist and they're worth about £800 each. Which was not the point of my buying them, but a nice bonus.

We've spent £200-500 on prints or paintings we've seen at local exhibitions, while on holiday or at Affordable Art fairs.

I think it has to mean something to you or at least be to your taste and not generic AI slop they sell in ikea.
Most of my art work is prints (as I can’t afford original paintings by the artists I love). I love a couple of local artists who make sort of graphic looking screen prints and I have some of their work as it’s usually under a few hundred quid a piece.
I’ve also got some screen prints of tour posters of a local band I love. These usually sell on tours for around £30 and tou can get them framed.
I’ve got those mixed up with some old paintings I found in boot fairs/ antique shops which I had framed and an other curiosities like some butterflies and a beetle and an embroidery piece in a frame. And also a few postcards and larger prints from places that mean something to me - e.g vintage train poster, postcards, you get the idea.
In response to your question, I’m not too strict on colours but I have one piece I haven’t hung (black and red) which just doesn’t go with any of my current decor and I don’t think it would look good.
Whatever you do I’d stay away from stuff/ photos printed onto a canvas. They look dreadful, generally. Canvas is for painting only, everything else should be be a print in a frame.

If your local city has an affordable art fair I’d recommend attending to get an idea of options and your taste !