Four Essential Tips for Purchasing Canvas Art

Purchasing canvas art is a huge investment today but also a desirable one. Thanks to the rise of interior decorating in addition to a heightened awareness of the aesthetic appeal that different fashions and style of decor provide, canvas artwork is becoming an important element of homes and offices all over the world. Offering incredible talking points as well as enhancing existing decor, canvas paintings can offer a welcome boost to any room. However, you absolutely have to make sure that you choose the right canvas art if you want to achieve the best possible effects as well as achieving the best possible investment. The four quick tips outlined below will give you the best possible platform from which to go out and buy the canvas artwork you want and need:

Choosing Canvas Art Over Prints

First of all, read the small print of the site or store that you are planning to buy your canvas artwork from because there is no guarantee that you are buying canvas paintings rather than canvas prints. Although you can usually tell the difference if you are seeing the canvas art in person, it is far more difficult to tell the difference from a picture on a website. All sites should clarify whether or not they are selling canvas paintings or prints so make sure that you find out before you invest and are happy with the answer you receive. If you cannot find the information anywhere then never be afraid to ask.

Buying Canvas Paintings from an Expert

Secondly, you should check out the store you plan to purchase your canvas art at. Whether you choose to buy online or in person, speaking to the salespeople or customer service people in advance can help you to identify whether or not you are buying from an expert. Experts tend to offer high quality canvas artwork rather than that not worth purchasing at all. Although this is a general rule and not a given, it is worth bearing in mind.

Canvas Artwork for Your Taste

Thirdly, you should browse in advance and think about what you want out of canvas paintings. Are you looking for bright colors? Do you want something that reflects your personality or personal preferences? Do you want abstract canvas art or something that is more traditional? All of these questions are worth asking because failing to do so can actually cause you to waste a lot of money. There is nothing worse than finding the canvas art you have invested in does not suit your tastes so make sure you have an idea of what you are looking for in advance.

Canvas Art as Decor

Finally, you need to consider where you are going to put the canvas paintings you purchase and what will fit in with your existing decor. If you intend to base new decor on your canvas artwork then you can buy whatever you like. However, if you need your new canvas to fit in with existing interior decoration then you need to consider whether or not it will go with it in terms of colors and design. If you have bare walls and a minimalist design in your home or office then you will be able to choose whatever canvas art you like but otherwise you absolutely have to make sure that the art you choose does not clash if you want it to be a viable investment.

Canvas Paintings staff are online to help you decide the best type of artwork for you.  With over five hundred original canvas paintings we are sure you will find a piece of artwork perfect for your taste.

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Is Contemporary Art a Good Investment?

I often ask myself – is contemporary art a good investment?

In 2006, Christie's sold $4.33 billion worth of art at auction (a 36% increase over the previous year) while Sotheby's 2006 sales total stood at $3.66 billion. While Christie's attributes it's success to forgeing long term relationships with sellers, both Christie's and Sotheby's are benefiting from the growth in wealth creation globally." This is an article taken from the website Fine Art management

Owning an original artwork can give one status. No-one can deny the thrill of investing in your first original artwork and receiving admiring praise from friends and family alike as you sit around your dining room table and gaze at the wonderful portrait glimmering in the romantic candlelight.

Apart from the aesthetic beauty it adds, who knows what that painting you bought from a little -known artist in the 80's is worth today? Equally, there is also increasing interest in art as an investment class including how it behaves compared with financial assets, and what qualities in a work of art are likely to make an emerging artist stand the test of time. Of course, taste in art is personal – one man's meat is another's poison, and how is one to know that the work you have purchased will stand that test.

As a test I have conducted a little research of my own on an artist who was extremely popular in the 70's – Sara Moon. Every second person ( certainly the students I knew) had a Sara Moon poster hanging in their digs. I was not a fan – I thought it was "kitsch" art with little value or appeal but I cannot deny that she was hugely popular. Though I was young then my instincts told me this was not "Art".Some thirty years later, it seems my instincts were correct.
My search today revealed surprising results. First off, Sarah Moon turned out not be a female artist, but a publishing house under the name of Red Baron and then later, Verkerk/Scandecor, a poster and print house. When this house went up in flames most of the posters were destroyed. It seems that no -one has ever come up with an original work because of this and the general opinion is that any prints are only as valuable if they are framed and with the original reference number and date on the back. The opinion seems to be that you may get the value of the frame and not much more!

That said, if you are thinking of investing, you would be wise to invest in an oil painting, acrylic or maybe even a water-color or pastel. There is no doubt as to its originality in this case and it is bound to increase in value over time if it is well- looked after and behind glass if it a water-color.

As always, the question to ask yourself is not "Is this painting a good investment" but "Do I like this painting" or "Do I want to look at this painting more than watch TV " -or- "Do I get a good feeling when I look at this painting?" Like a piece of music, a painting can touch your soul, make your heart sing, your eyes water, take you back to a place you once loved, or forward to one where you would like to be. For these reasons, or any other good ones you can think of – " that portrait reminds me of my beloved friend" – whatever. These are the real reasons for buying art, not some silly popular reasons. Just because everybody else likes that artist and has him/her on their walls is no reason to rush out and buy a poster yourself.

Art is meant to be looked at, not locked away in some bank vault. Buy what you like – there is no better reason than that.

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10 Things to Consider When Buying Canvas Artwork

Canvas artwork is a beautiful thing and is more accessible today than ever. It offers individuals a choice of what to have adorning their walls and can brighten up any room that you choose to hang it in. Readily available on the Internet, more people are aware of canvas artwork than ever and are prepared to invest in it as a viable alternative to purchasing stocks and shares and other such accepted investments today.

However, too many of those people do not think through their investment at all. They rush into buying something that they think may be profitable and often end up with something that will be worthless in the years to come. In terms of appreciating canvas art, this is possibly the worst thing that you could do so it is about time that everyone looking to purchase art found out exactly what they should consider prior to investing. That begins right here with the top 10 things to consider when buying canvas artwork:

Paint or Print? – Canvas paintings are worth more than canvas prints as a general rule, although there are of course exceptions to it, but the two are of course very different. Despite this fact, many people do not know the difference and just buy one or the other without realizing. If you are making an investment and can afford a larger outlay then canvas paintings are the way to go but there are canvas prints that appreciate well and are also worth investing in. Take your time to weigh up what works for you.

Canvas – No matter whether you buy a canvas painting or a canvas print, there is one common element between the artwork – the canvas. As such, you should know that you have to check the quality of the canvas regardless. The canvas should be made of cotton, GSM or another natural source if you are to maintain its condition over an extended period of time. Avoid polyester and other synthetic canvases like the plague.

Quality – The quality of the image itself should also be checked thoroughly. Is the paint beginning to chip off at all? Are there flaws in the print that should not be there? Is the overall condition of a high quality? Whether you are investing or simply want a piece to hang up, never skimp on the quality.

Exclusivity – This applies primarily to canvas prints because canvas paintings tend to be unique by their very nature. Canvas prints should either be unique or on a limited run if their value is to go up in the years to come so make sure that they are not mass produced before you invest.

Style – Does the style of a canvas art piece suit you? Is it modern or traditional? Which of those options do your prefer? These are valid questions because there is no point investing in art if you do not like its style, regardless of how large a return you are likely to get on your investment.

Affordability – This point is important when you buy any canvas art because you should be able to afford it outright. Always establish a budget and stick to it to make sure that you are not paying over and above what you can afford.

Placement – Think about where you plan to put canvas paintings and canvas prints prior to you buying them in the first place. Will they complement the decor that you have in the room that you plan to hang them? If not then do you plan to use it as a central feature for new decor?

Fashion– Although you should only invest in canvas art you like, you should think long and hard about whether it will go out of fashion because if it does then its value may deteriorate. If you do not mind then this is all well and good but consider the point anyway.

Long Term Value – Every investment is about long term value so do a little research as to how much similar paintings or prints appreciate doe an idea of the investment you are making.

So there you have it – the top 10 things to consider when buying canvas artwork. Of course, the list is only limited to the top 10 and there are other elements to consider but these provide you with an excellent starting point. From now on, you will be able to find the art that suits you, your budget and your future plans with little hassle! 

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Contemporary Art is All Around Us

Quite simply the word Contemporary means of the present period. So a person can probably guess that Contemporary Art simply means art of the present period. The shape, form and indeed the mediums used have changed over the centuries and have allowed artists to express themselves at the time or period in which they either lived or live in.

Contemporary Art refers to art that has been made in our times. It represents such a diverse array of art that one would have a task to describe all forms in one place or web site. Contemporary art has evolved in the past, will evolve in the present time and continue into future art, it is and will be an ever moving form of art.

It was known that during the World Wars contemporary art tended to be more darker and there was an increase in demand for grey and black pastels, pencils and paints. This was obviously people's preception of the world at the time, a more darker place, many more evils than they once believed. Contemporary art allow viewers to see the world through the artist's eyes and gain a new perception of the world they thought they knew so well.
 

As stated before contemporary art does not have to take the form of canvas art or framed art, instead it can take the form of furniture, objects put together and many others. In fact many furniture and clothing designers will take their inspiration from talented artists of the times and sometimes there is a fine line between the two.
 

There is some very useful information at http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign this will get anybody clued up on the world of Contemporary Art, the site is regularly updated and covers contemporary art around the world.
 
So i hope this brief article has shown you that contemporary art is nothing to be afraid of and who knows if you take to drawing or another form of art you could be The Contemporary Artist of our times!<p>

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