How to Find Paintings or Prints
- 1). Attend a local gallery. One of the best ways to find a unique and beautiful painting is to contact local galleries. Often artists prefer local, smaller exhibitions to large, impersonal ones, so at local galleries you can often find an unknown talent displaying her newest artwork. Attend openings, where you can often meet the artists -- a bonus for true collectors.
- 2). Contact local artists. Often artists will be willing to paint whatever you want for commission. This could mean anything from a single portrait to series of related paintings. You can reach these artists through local galleries, or by searching through an artist database online.
- 3). Attend a studio tour. If your area has a large and active artist community, the artists will often schedule studio tours so that prospective buyers can see them producing work in their natural element. In addition to allowing you to see their process, you will be able to ask the artists questions about their work.
- 4). Attend a local art fair. Art fairs are held in most larger cities several times a year and display work from local artists as well as nationally known artists and craftspeople. Art fairs show a side variety of art, from paintings and prints to ceramics and glass art.
- 5). Attend a local art school's fair or gallery opening. These artists are not only looking for buyers, but also exposure. Art student pricing is usually competitive; plus you have the opportunity to acquire a beautiful piece of art from a promising or undiscovered artist; who knows -- she could be the next Picasso.
- 6). Attend art conventions. Often you can get the largest selection of hand-painted works at art conventions and expos. Here artists bring their best work to put on display in hopes of finding collectors.
- 7). Check out museum gift shops. Most museum gift shops offer prints of famous paintings, including ones that may or may not be included in the museum. Often the gift shop has framing facilities, so it's possible you can walk away from the museum with a finished framed print.
- 8). Buy online. Prints of your favorite paintings, as well as prints from new artists, are all over the Internet. Websites like Art.com or All Posters specialize in producing framed prints and cater to your aesthetic needs. On eBay, you can find hand-painted reproductions of your favorite paintings. By doing a simple search you can fairly easily find just the painting or print you want.
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