Affording Art

Many people tell me that they'd love to have original art, but cannot afford it. There is a lot of money in this country and we afford things like iphones, laptop computers, and other electronics. We all make priorities in our lives. This Sony Vios laptop is on sale at Best Buy for $2,000. For $2,000 you could purchase a small bronze.

This Dynex® - 42" 1080p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV is on sale for $800. Last year we bought a smaller one for more money. The average American household has three of these. For the same amount, you can get a fine oil painting. The iPhone is down to $200. We bought a huge hand-made ceramic plate for $200, a small Italian oil-painting for $350, and other small pieces of art in the $100- $400 range. We live frugally and on a budget, so our home is not filled with large oils (except for the ones generously given to me by friends) or much statuary, other than pieces that I've made.

If you are genuinely interested in having more art in your lives, but you live on a budget, go to student shows. The students who put on the shows are hardworking, talented young artists who don't have the experience yet to charge a "market value" for their work. So, you can get a very fine piece of art for less and bolster the confidence of a young artist. I can't tell you enough how wonderful it feels to sell a piece at your first show.

Large, original oil paintings take a lot of time to make and are truly one-of-a-kind pieces. Don't look at that hefty price tag and think that you'll never have any "real art." Start with lithographs, mono prints, and serigraphs. Each print is made by hand by the artist, but since there is a series, the artist can afford to lower the price on each one. We have several little lithos that we treasure as much as the larger oils. Drawings can be finished works in their own right and since the materials used in making a drawing are inexpensive and drawings are usually done in less time than oils or a lithograph, they are priced lower. (Of course, the fame of the artist has to be taken into consideration. Supply and demand. Supply and demand.) One of my favorite types of art to collect are ceramics. We have hand-made dinner plates and beautiful platters up for display. Many people enjoy the daily use of beautiful object; we certainly do. Don't overlook watercolors, assemblages, collages, and work done by talented children. You don't have to own a Matisse or a Picasso to be a real "art collector."

We can all support the arts in one fashion or another. Even those with little financial resources can encourage children to make art. We've purchased many little things from children. Little drawings, collages and Christmas ornaments. It means a lot to a child for a grown-up to appreciate his or her creation and to pay good money for it. Remember that $2 is a lot to a four-year-old!

Admittedly, statuary is costly. It is materially expensive and time-consuming to make. You can get a small bronze for less than what you paid for your laptop, in all likelihood. For bigger piece, participate in a group pushing for more public art- art in the park, at the library, in front of city hall, at your place of business.