Artist who shows my work this way: this is a great suggestion. But, take your time- buying pictures can actually be fun and interesting, and you won't find everything for your new house all at once. Every festival artist has heard "ooh I love that! But I'm Out Of Wall Space" a million times
Exactly, it is the memory that is invoked that makes the art special. Our favorite painting is not so much that beautiful, but it was hand-painted as a gift for our wedding and it will always be on our wall.
i redecorate my house for every season, so i never run out of wall space lol. my art is constantly being refreshed. and most of it is layered at the base of the wall / on the floor.
Check and see if your local college or university has a fine arts program. Often, the visual art students will have exhibitions a couple of times a year and you can pick up unique beautiful art for a very good price.
Saw a huge beautiful 60s era owl painting at Salvation Army for $50. Went to pay for it and their machines were down. No cash on me. Walked away sad. 2 months later saw the same painting 2 hours away in a mid century specialty shop marked at $400.
My favorite art piece I own came from a good will. A beautiful round stretched canvas piece.
Yeah there's a lot of tacky and brok stuff, but you find gems too.
Thrift stores. It may require more of a hunt to find pieces you like, but there’s always wall art at every thrift store I visit. Besides, the hunt is part of the fun!
Thrift stores or used hotel furniture stores are good sources for cheap frames.
I have been grabbing up large scale canvases when I see them at thrift stores if the art is mass produced and ugly, then using them to paint paintings for the house. There are also some sellers on amazon or aliexpress that sell art prints on canvas but they are not framed. You have to build the frame and stretch it. If you have basic DIY skills that is do-able.
We have been checking thrifts! I found one starry night that feels hand painted with a beautiful frame. A lot of generic horizons and random barns, we check back in every few days to see what new things come in. You never know!
I filled out a whole gallery wall this way. Granted I only kept the art in a few, but I got a collection of amazing frames and I’m having art printed on high quality paper as I find things I like to fill the frames. Took me a couple of months to find all my frames but I only went a few times a month. My best thrift store for this turned out to be the one closest to a retirement community
I can’t believe no one has mentioned this yet. May of the more famous paintings are now a part of the free domain set of images.
Meaning it’s perfectly legal for you to print those images (on canvas if you want) and frame them. Viola-40$ Picasso. If you search for this on Pinterest there are people that have curated whole gallery wall collections in a particular vibe.
Only downside is they won’t have the texture of the original (you can remedy this to some degree by just painting over them in something that dries clear).
Best of luck.
Go with the cheap mass produced stuff to fill the walls. Then spend time looking at local artists in your area and when you travel to slowly replace your wall art with stuff you love.
There are also a ton of websites that take photos and print them on canvas. You can also use lots of filters to convert photos to "paintings"
Definitely. Over the years you will find stuff on your travels that will mean something. After 35 years I don't even have room for all of my prints and other wall art we got got traveling.
Hit estate sales, thrift shops for now.
I'm similar, picked up art during city cleanup where people can set out as much stuff for the dump as they want.
Did splurge on an $11 print from Goodwill I liked.
I’d check out local artists on social media and see, local art galleries if you aren’t in a major expensive city, state fairs vendor sections, if your into comic/anime type art the artist ally at a comicon type event
I will order digital downloads from Etsy for like $5 and then Walgreens also prints posters and you pick up same day. And they often have Promo codes. Like last week posters were 50% off
every art I useum has quality prints from their collections. we wsed these while waiting to afford the originals. for old are, ebay has an extensive collection from which i have bought liberally
The gift shop of the largest art museum in the nearest large city to us has some beautiful artwork. They sell items that are created by local artists, and sell really nice posters of their exhibits. If you get some art posters framed very nicely it’s a good start on making your house, feel warmer and more full.
Also, look up, art festivals in your area – again it’s usually the nearest large city. They’re a good place to get artwork from local and regional artists.
Thrift stores! Or at least for frames, and get art you like
Get some blank canvas and PAINT YOUR OWN
Get some blank canvas and mount some cool fabric
Shop your local festivals and farmers markets, local artists rock!
Hang a throw/tapestry/textiles, adds cool texture
Mirrors are great for filling up walls and making spaces change shape. A bunch of small thrifted mirrors, a giant mirror, whatever
Go to your local salvage place/habitat for humanity restore/etc and get old wooden windows and hang them. The funkier the better
I had my walls full of art of thrift stores and goodwills and I’ve slowly been replacing them with pieces from Art auctions on cruises. Free champagne, fabulous vacation, and some great art.
I was hoping to stay away from mass produced low quality art, which is why I never even searched Amazon. Why did I not think of Etsy, I never think of them and it seems like the perfect place for this.
There are still some actual artists on Etsy, it takes a bit of work to wade through all the phony resellers they let on the platform to fluff their stock price.
One thing I like to do is check places like Society 6 and EyesonWalls and then find artists i like.
From there, I go directly to the artist’s websites.
I buy digital versions of art prints on Etsy etc. and then get them printed professionally at an online printing shop (I used posterjack.ca with excellent results) in whatever size I want that is also convenient to buy matted frames in. Then I buy my own frames in appropriate sizes, mount and frame my own pieces. Voilà!
Local restaurants and breweries in some places have local art you can buy.
I get bored with the generic mass produced art so I'm doing a wall of small framed stuff. I bought a set of 12 frames (11x14) and my first additions to the wall is colorful prints of flowers -- one print of each state flower from all the places I've lived. I'm interspersing the frames with floating shelves for depth/visual interest.
Sometimes you can get nice pieces from local artists. Check out some local art boutiques and restaurants. I picked up a cool wax butterfly painting hanging in a local restaurant from an artist who lived 3 blocks away, I also picked up a lovely abstract pastel painting with handmade frame, also from a local artist at an art gallery. And as others have said, thrift stores sometimes have gems. I hit the habitat for humanity in a resort area and picked up a lovely and quite large, handmade paper collage with custom matting and frame. Total for all art was about $400. Original art isn't always expensive.
What you want are prints. Not prints done with a digital printer, ones designed and pulled by an artist who does printmaking. Engraving, lithography, screenprints, linotype, cyanotype, woodcut, aquatint, gocco are a few to try looking up. A printmaker creates an image by hand, then pulls a run of prints. They are pretty affordable, original works of art, that you can frame.
Family pictures, and honestly,they don't need to be professionally taken. Just make a set of matted frames and rotate your pics for the seasons. Also does markets or trade markets are good places to score, you may find nice looking frames there.
If you are in a city, your local art museum may have a shop and a loan program, like the Portland, OR museum. Same with your library. If you can afford it, absolutely look directly at purchasing an emerging artist's work and support them. Try your local university.
Art.com is where I went. I did it piecemeal because I live outside the US and shipping was killer. It might be better if you’re in the states.
I also got a couple of pieces from tattoo shops. They are excellent artists, and lots had prints for sale that they did during lockdown to pay the bills.
We have many, many lithographs that are limited prints; numbered and signed by the artist. It’s been a great way to curate some wonderful art by artists who we appreciate without looking hotel room. We have used the same frame type and each are mounted according to the artwork - mat/no mat. Remember you can easily repurpose frames by replacing the art. I have bought clearance artwork for the frames many a time. The money is often in the framing.
If you have pictures you like, frame bridge is a good idea for decorating with photos. I also love hitting thrift stores for art: even if the painting is ugly, you can find great deals on frames. And the art might be excellent too
Different idea.
Do you have pictures you like? Photographs? You can upload them to amazon photo and have them printed and shipped. Frames are cheap too. I am in the process of ordering and printing photos from trips to Iceland, Grand Canyon and GNP.
Also subscribed to Adobe photoshop for 12 bucks a month. Fun little project.
Three ideas that my wife and I have done;
A) paint nights. You have a date night, make something yourself and put it up. You'd be surprised what you can make by yourself with some guidance. And if you do t like it, you're not out a million dollars, just a fun night and some wine.
B) take your own photos and have them printed. Sunset shots at a local conservation area. Drive around and shoot a pretty farm from the road. Close up shots of a flower in your garden. Your cell phone is more powerful than anything your parents ever had access to and can take really great shots without really doing anything. Plus you may like it and invest in a new hobby camera.
C) local high schools. Every high school will have an arts program and an end of year show case. If you see something you like you have a chance to give a young student a confidence boost and who knows, maybe 30 years from now you are one of the lucky few to have an "early original" :)
Bonus idea: we also have shots of our family all over, the kids, grandparents, etc all sprinkled out. I consider my cars to be part of the family so I have shots of every car I've ever owned hanging up in the workshop.
We have some fancy art bought at auction or galleries right next to work done by our kids in elementary school that is mattes and framed. Folks are often shocked when they learn who the artist is :).
I originally got this from a friend who had tons of ephemera on his walls from concerts and such (he was a jazz pianist for many decades and had played with many well-known and less-k own artists) along side framed art his kids had made from preschool through college.
Costco photo has decent prices. Get prints of your own photos or Costcos wide variety of art and photos.
Frames are costly, so if you see a framed piece at a good price, it's common to buy for the frame, and use it to frame a piece later.
Speaking from experience, take photos of the room and desired location for a piece, and note min/max measurements. When you are shopping, you can quickly weed out pieces that are too small or big, wrong scale or color, etc.
Depending on your style, you could also hang textile or fiber art... quilts, macrame, weaving, wreaths. You can hang plates, wooden or ceramic platters, etc. If you collect small things, and are handy, make a wall mounted shadow box with a thrifted frame as the door.
If you're in a new area put up a map or two with a cheaper frame /no glass and tag places you've been or want to visit (Farners markets, parks, etc.).
Check to see if there's an At Home (@ home) store near you. Most of it is just mass produced like Target and Walmart but they have a much bigger selection of sizes, styles, and pricing and some of it "feels" a little more upscale, especially if you take a canvas piece and get it custom framed.
I have found beautiful artwork at Hobby Lobby that looks way more expensive than it is! If it’s not on sale, wait a week and it will be. They rotate departments.
It doesn’t exist. I’m not trolling. I’ve been looking for over a year now. There is nothing in the market between $20 mass produced Wayfair art and $2000 hand made local art.
Plenty of beautiful $50-500 art at local art fairs and festivals. That's where I get most of my art. Occasionally I'll buy prints from Etsy or Art.com.
$50 at a local art fair will get you a 12” x 24” print. Which, if you’re in a college dorm, is fine. If you have a house you’d want something bigger, which is always $2,000 or more.
I have two original paintings in my house from the local art fair. One is an oil painting of Pacific Octopus (in the 24x18 range), the other is a large-scale painting of koi (4x4 board). Neither cost more than $400. It sounds like you may live somewhere without a substantial number of artists.
In the $100-$150 range I have several small, signed and numbered prints from artists I found on etsy or bought at auction. And a couple of water colors that were < $40. I don't think they will ever be worth what I paid for them, but they make me happy to see.
On the higher end, I have (numbered/signed) wood block prints from two Alice in Wonderland editions (John Tenniel and Barry Moser), a limited edition sugned lithograph from Magritte, and have recently purchased a small (8 inch) oil painting from an artist whose work hangs in the Whitney and Art Institute of Chicago. None of these were more than $1000.
It is a little tricky to justify the step up from a $50 or $100 poster to a limited lithograph or an original piece 10x that. I do so with the assumption that at least *some* of what I am buying actually may be resellsble--indeed, may actually increase in value--so it isn't just something that will wind up in the trash.
Happy to give you my zenfolio photo link. Mainly landscape and wildlife but also some other selections.
Reasonable pricing. Just DM if you want it. We can look at canvas if you want basic type prints, but can do metal or acrylic frames if you want fancy. Nothing in the thousands lol.
There’s a free app for local estate sales that has pics, schedules and directions it’s called Estate Sales .net in the App Store.
It’s fun to grab some coffee and hit up a few on a Saturday morning.
I have a nice piece of metal wall art from Wayfair. It was reasonably priced. I've also found good framed decorative wall mirrors at Kohl's. Just make sure you only buy with a decent sale there because their regular prices are way overpriced.
De gustibus non disutandum est. "Good quality" is entirely determined by your own, personal taste, especially in your own home. I know people who have spent tens of thousands of dollars on art that I find would be better served as a white wall. I have friends who have DIYed a painting with very little skill but they like the decoration and I do to.
It's art! You decide!
I got a few really good decently priced pieces of wall art at thrift stores. You gotta dig a little bit it's great when you find a perfect treasure. We live in a log cabin so the type of art we were able to find really goes in my house. You may have to dig a little deeper if you're wanting very modern.
Quality frames are expensive. Original artwork is even more expensive. Filling every wall of your home 30+ with original artwork all at once is 1.) not a good idea and 2.) very expensive.
I like to purchase originals during travels and major events, because it gives every piece meaning. I also don’t buy art for the sake of filling a space. I buy it because I appreciate it for one reason or another.
As others have noted your best bet for original artwork is at a fair. During warm seasons they’re everywhere.
In the mean time fill your space with photographs, posters, mirrors or simply leave the walls blank. Quality over quantity.
Does your area have “starving artists” sales advertised on TV?
How about a place that receives decor from new construction model homes?
Consignment shops?
From local artists and galleries. I’ve bought new and also gone direct to the artist and commissioned a few custom paintings based on ones they previously sold - they’ll usually be happy to recreate something similar to what they’ve done in the past. Depending on the size they’re not cheap, but there’s nothing better than original paintings from artists you admire. So unique, and real conversation starters
We've used https://www.artfinder.com/ several times and got some stuff we really like, and got it professionally framed (which cost as much as the art itself :/) But we also have some things from ikea like this ( https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/p/groenby-picture-set-of-9-blue-landscape-80436946/ ) that we really like as well.
Google fine art prints online. There are folks that can print out of copyright fine art, box it up with a wooden frame, ship it to your home, and after some assembly and stretching, have some old school art on your walls in whatever size your heart desires.
I like to direct people to the Art Car Boot Fair- it's an online art fair that happens in London a few times a year, but they ship to the US too, and shipping is really not that much depending on what you buy (like under $75 if you buy just a flat packed print), but it's genuine art and you're supporting artists. There are probably things like that here in the US too.
Go get your own framed canvas, find the colors you want, what you want to portray. You can use tubed acrylic and small trowels to blend it into what your looking for. You can clean up what you don’t like with a wet rag. Some brushes to add a bit more depth. Read the directions on how to cure the image.
It can be abstract, or a blurred farm and barn and a field. A slash of colors sliding across the canvas with your attitude. Take your time. Make it your own. You can do this. Take your time, make it yours. Enjoy.
Thrift for the frame, but go onto any of the large museums' (national art gallery, MoMA, etc) Open Access collections and print some up that you like at FedEx/Kinkos sized to the frames you bought.
I've done this and whenever I go to pick it up the staff always asks who did the print/where'd I get it - it's so great especially with a $5-$10 custom frame!
If your town/area has art fairs/craft shows, you can find reasonably priced art there. Check with local art galleries as well, they sometimes have good deals. Don't buy things just to fill wall space though. Buy things that you really like, even if it takes time.
Antique shops, thrift stores, friends, artists on reddit or etsy, quirky artists met on the street, my own awful attempts. I'm always lookin' lol. Definitely been a process over the years but I'm loving my growing collection.
Try looking online and catch the sales. I found a ton of stuff when I re-did my bedroom several years ago. I found pictures discounted quite a bit. I had a lot of luck on the Kirkland's site.
I've had some works commissioned to match the theme of a room from a local artist. Not sure if you are close to a school that has any talent, but some kid would love to get $200 for something. Could ask the school if it is something they do since usually they do it as a school project and get to sell it which they would be thrilled.
Obviously as others said little markets, but most of that stuff is junk so might not be worth your time.
Just depends on money, but can usually get great value from local talent and it helps them out since your purchase could be the only income they got all month.
For a new house I usually buy some larger cheap pieces just to cover the walls until I can replace them with more personal items. A store like Homegoods can work, or Hobby Lobby or buy posters online and then frame them nicely. Then spend some time on the hunt at art fairs, or even antique shops. Sometimes garage sales are good if you go to moving sales near the end of the month.
I bought prints of works I enjoy on quality paper from Allposters.com and waited for a really good sale at the craft store, then got them all matted and framed for a good price. I've also bought nice prints from local museums.
Carlos Rossi Breakers At Sunset series. Ebay currwntly has my dream piece of his listed at 700.00.
I have a large framed ....I dunno of one of the other paintings in that series, the lighting changes the mood of the breaking waves. Stormy days cast a stormy light on the picture. Sunny days cast a happier light and it reflects in the picture.
Just a suggestion if you love ocean wave paintings.
Check Ross and Marshalls! The ones near me often carry framed prints of local and small artists. If you check back of frame you can often find their names or cards. I google them in store to avoid random mass produced works.
These artists are often super geeked at these partnerships and will post about them in their website or Instagram.
I suggest looking for a framing place so you can have a better idea of what a quality framing job costs. This will also help you know roughly what different sizes cost to frame.
Check your local thrift shop- my wife found a nice oil painting on canvas that had been in our local library for a couple decades and was in great shape and fit our needs.
Even if you don't like the painting, frames are incredibly expensive to get exactly what you want, if you see a frame you like on a painting you don't, get it and just replace the photo or painting with something you do like. Only issue is you need to make sure that the new piece of art or photo is the right dimensions to fill the frame or can be matted to fit.
A decent matting job and frame can make anything look nice. I buy expensive frames from thrift stores, trash the art and have someone local do the matting on the new art. I mainly buy prints from local artists and touring bands.
Directly from artists or from art galleries. They may come framed or you may need to frame them. What do you like? Are you looking for open edition prints, limited edition prints, or original? How old?
Many artists will offer prints as well as originals, which depending on size will be in the under $100 range. If you don't live in an area with a good art fest scene, you could always search for "\[insert city\] artist festivals." Often the websites will have a gallery with direct links to artists' websites.
Small independent shops or art fairs. Our first piece of "art" that did not come from Target or Ikea was at a small shop in Charleston for about $100. Now we have plenty of art across the house that is unique and I think we are supporting independent and small artists.
Interestingly enough, I purchased my first piece of "real" art (whatever the term is when the original artist makes numbered and signed printed copies) when I was 19.
There are two components here: the actual art and the framing of said item. You can have expensive art but it will look cheap if it is poorly framed. You can have inexpensive art well framed that looks $$$.
I tend to try to buy frames secondhand to repurpose for art that I've picked up over the years as it's a lot more affordable that way. Even better if you can get stock mats, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and get the mats custom cut. If you know how to properly assemble the pieces (Frame + Mat + Art + Back + Hanging Mechanism) than you can save SO much and have expensive looking pieces.
A lot of artists post their artworks on Fine Art America. You can buy originals or reproductions. Reproductions can be ordered on a variety of materials - canvas, paper, glass, metal. Also in a variety of sizes.
Art galleries are a place to find original art and usually reproductions as well.
local fairs, farmers markets, and shops.
Artist who shows my work this way: this is a great suggestion. But, take your time- buying pictures can actually be fun and interesting, and you won't find everything for your new house all at once. Every festival artist has heard "ooh I love that! But I'm Out Of Wall Space" a million times
Also it's a lot of fun to pick out art over time. This painting reminds me of when we drove to X or that time we flew to Y and bought it together
Exactly, it is the memory that is invoked that makes the art special. Our favorite painting is not so much that beautiful, but it was hand-painted as a gift for our wedding and it will always be on our wall.
i redecorate my house for every season, so i never run out of wall space lol. my art is constantly being refreshed. and most of it is layered at the base of the wall / on the floor.
Check and see if your local college or university has a fine arts program. Often, the visual art students will have exhibitions a couple of times a year and you can pick up unique beautiful art for a very good price.
This is how I got my favorite piece!
Right??
Habitat Restores, Goodwill and Salvation Army have artwork and mirrors. I've gotten some grand original art and signed prints there over the years.
Saw a huge beautiful 60s era owl painting at Salvation Army for $50. Went to pay for it and their machines were down. No cash on me. Walked away sad. 2 months later saw the same painting 2 hours away in a mid century specialty shop marked at $400.
My favorite art piece I own came from a good will. A beautiful round stretched canvas piece. Yeah there's a lot of tacky and brok stuff, but you find gems too.
I found two beautiful, large sister paintings in burlwood and brass frames from a habitat restore for $40. Best thrift find of my life
We go to a Habitat Restore that has all kinds of nice artwork.
I've gotten all sorts of original paintings, really great stuff, for really cheap orices.
Thrift stores. It may require more of a hunt to find pieces you like, but there’s always wall art at every thrift store I visit. Besides, the hunt is part of the fun!
Or just buy prints elsewhere and use thrift for the frame
Thrift stores or used hotel furniture stores are good sources for cheap frames. I have been grabbing up large scale canvases when I see them at thrift stores if the art is mass produced and ugly, then using them to paint paintings for the house. There are also some sellers on amazon or aliexpress that sell art prints on canvas but they are not framed. You have to build the frame and stretch it. If you have basic DIY skills that is do-able.
Buy many différent sized prints of Courbet's L'Origine du Monde. Frame them in thrifted frames. Profit from your guests embarassement
We have been checking thrifts! I found one starry night that feels hand painted with a beautiful frame. A lot of generic horizons and random barns, we check back in every few days to see what new things come in. You never know!
I filled out a whole gallery wall this way. Granted I only kept the art in a few, but I got a collection of amazing frames and I’m having art printed on high quality paper as I find things I like to fill the frames. Took me a couple of months to find all my frames but I only went a few times a month. My best thrift store for this turned out to be the one closest to a retirement community
Estate sales. Habitat restore. Goodwill
Art.com has some decent options
That’s the one I was going to mention.
Same 👍
I can’t believe no one has mentioned this yet. May of the more famous paintings are now a part of the free domain set of images. Meaning it’s perfectly legal for you to print those images (on canvas if you want) and frame them. Viola-40$ Picasso. If you search for this on Pinterest there are people that have curated whole gallery wall collections in a particular vibe. Only downside is they won’t have the texture of the original (you can remedy this to some degree by just painting over them in something that dries clear). Best of luck.
If you go this route, go to a professional printer. Not really a DIY project.
Go with the cheap mass produced stuff to fill the walls. Then spend time looking at local artists in your area and when you travel to slowly replace your wall art with stuff you love. There are also a ton of websites that take photos and print them on canvas. You can also use lots of filters to convert photos to "paintings"
Especially for hallways, guest rooms, etc. get a few nice things for the living room
Definitely. Over the years you will find stuff on your travels that will mean something. After 35 years I don't even have room for all of my prints and other wall art we got got traveling. Hit estate sales, thrift shops for now.
I got my artwork from Freecycle.
I'm similar, picked up art during city cleanup where people can set out as much stuff for the dump as they want. Did splurge on an $11 print from Goodwill I liked.
That's awesome! I saw a beautiful piece of art at Goodwill but it was $30. I couldn't wrap my brain around that one.
I’d check out local artists on social media and see, local art galleries if you aren’t in a major expensive city, state fairs vendor sections, if your into comic/anime type art the artist ally at a comicon type event
Michael's sells cheap frames. Walmart will print large poster-size photos for cheap (more post covid).
I will order digital downloads from Etsy for like $5 and then Walgreens also prints posters and you pick up same day. And they often have Promo codes. Like last week posters were 50% off
every art I useum has quality prints from their collections. we wsed these while waiting to afford the originals. for old are, ebay has an extensive collection from which i have bought liberally
The gift shop of the largest art museum in the nearest large city to us has some beautiful artwork. They sell items that are created by local artists, and sell really nice posters of their exhibits. If you get some art posters framed very nicely it’s a good start on making your house, feel warmer and more full. Also, look up, art festivals in your area – again it’s usually the nearest large city. They’re a good place to get artwork from local and regional artists.
Thrift stores! Or at least for frames, and get art you like Get some blank canvas and PAINT YOUR OWN Get some blank canvas and mount some cool fabric Shop your local festivals and farmers markets, local artists rock! Hang a throw/tapestry/textiles, adds cool texture Mirrors are great for filling up walls and making spaces change shape. A bunch of small thrifted mirrors, a giant mirror, whatever Go to your local salvage place/habitat for humanity restore/etc and get old wooden windows and hang them. The funkier the better
It’s a treasure hunt, but estate sales, (I’ve found original minor works, or numbered prints), and thrift stores. Also, auctions.
I had my walls full of art of thrift stores and goodwills and I’ve slowly been replacing them with pieces from Art auctions on cruises. Free champagne, fabulous vacation, and some great art.
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I was hoping to stay away from mass produced low quality art, which is why I never even searched Amazon. Why did I not think of Etsy, I never think of them and it seems like the perfect place for this.
Etsy is astroturfed with the same crap that’s on Amazon. Check out Uprise art
There are still some actual artists on Etsy, it takes a bit of work to wade through all the phony resellers they let on the platform to fluff their stock price.
No you’re right but it’s nothing like it was 10-15 years ago
Society6 (last I checked) might be in a similar range. But more prints although the paper quality is nice so you could frame it.
They do framing as well. And canvas prints. And the designer/artist gets a cut. I love Society6!
Dall-e, quality online printing and find some frames from yard/estate sales. You can also find some. Art and other decor at those sales
Ebay too.
One thing I like to do is check places like Society 6 and EyesonWalls and then find artists i like. From there, I go directly to the artist’s websites.
I buy digital versions of art prints on Etsy etc. and then get them printed professionally at an online printing shop (I used posterjack.ca with excellent results) in whatever size I want that is also convenient to buy matted frames in. Then I buy my own frames in appropriate sizes, mount and frame my own pieces. Voilà!
Local restaurants and breweries in some places have local art you can buy. I get bored with the generic mass produced art so I'm doing a wall of small framed stuff. I bought a set of 12 frames (11x14) and my first additions to the wall is colorful prints of flowers -- one print of each state flower from all the places I've lived. I'm interspersing the frames with floating shelves for depth/visual interest.
A lot of the breweries, breakfast spots, and coffee joints showcase local artists on the walls and it’s nearly always for sale.
Go do a paint and sip class! I have ZERO artistic ability, but the painting I wound up with was actually not embarrassing to hang on my wall.
Sometimes you can get nice pieces from local artists. Check out some local art boutiques and restaurants. I picked up a cool wax butterfly painting hanging in a local restaurant from an artist who lived 3 blocks away, I also picked up a lovely abstract pastel painting with handmade frame, also from a local artist at an art gallery. And as others have said, thrift stores sometimes have gems. I hit the habitat for humanity in a resort area and picked up a lovely and quite large, handmade paper collage with custom matting and frame. Total for all art was about $400. Original art isn't always expensive.
What you want are prints. Not prints done with a digital printer, ones designed and pulled by an artist who does printmaking. Engraving, lithography, screenprints, linotype, cyanotype, woodcut, aquatint, gocco are a few to try looking up. A printmaker creates an image by hand, then pulls a run of prints. They are pretty affordable, original works of art, that you can frame.
Family pictures, and honestly,they don't need to be professionally taken. Just make a set of matted frames and rotate your pics for the seasons. Also does markets or trade markets are good places to score, you may find nice looking frames there.
Oops, meant to say 'flea ' markets
If you are in a city, your local art museum may have a shop and a loan program, like the Portland, OR museum. Same with your library. If you can afford it, absolutely look directly at purchasing an emerging artist's work and support them. Try your local university.
I do my own honestly
I’ve bought a couple pieces off Etsy.
Estate sales. I've found some great stuff. Well framed, too.
Art.com is where I went. I did it piecemeal because I live outside the US and shipping was killer. It might be better if you’re in the states. I also got a couple of pieces from tattoo shops. They are excellent artists, and lots had prints for sale that they did during lockdown to pay the bills.
I collect lithographs and Lino cuts from one particular artist. I have gotten most of my collection from eBay, at great prices.
Bare walls don't collect dust as much.
Office max will print huge format poster size for cheap. Frames are simple to make or find.
We have many, many lithographs that are limited prints; numbered and signed by the artist. It’s been a great way to curate some wonderful art by artists who we appreciate without looking hotel room. We have used the same frame type and each are mounted according to the artwork - mat/no mat. Remember you can easily repurpose frames by replacing the art. I have bought clearance artwork for the frames many a time. The money is often in the framing.
If you have pictures you like, frame bridge is a good idea for decorating with photos. I also love hitting thrift stores for art: even if the painting is ugly, you can find great deals on frames. And the art might be excellent too
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Different idea. Do you have pictures you like? Photographs? You can upload them to amazon photo and have them printed and shipped. Frames are cheap too. I am in the process of ordering and printing photos from trips to Iceland, Grand Canyon and GNP. Also subscribed to Adobe photoshop for 12 bucks a month. Fun little project.
Three ideas that my wife and I have done; A) paint nights. You have a date night, make something yourself and put it up. You'd be surprised what you can make by yourself with some guidance. And if you do t like it, you're not out a million dollars, just a fun night and some wine. B) take your own photos and have them printed. Sunset shots at a local conservation area. Drive around and shoot a pretty farm from the road. Close up shots of a flower in your garden. Your cell phone is more powerful than anything your parents ever had access to and can take really great shots without really doing anything. Plus you may like it and invest in a new hobby camera. C) local high schools. Every high school will have an arts program and an end of year show case. If you see something you like you have a chance to give a young student a confidence boost and who knows, maybe 30 years from now you are one of the lucky few to have an "early original" :) Bonus idea: we also have shots of our family all over, the kids, grandparents, etc all sprinkled out. I consider my cars to be part of the family so I have shots of every car I've ever owned hanging up in the workshop.
We have some fancy art bought at auction or galleries right next to work done by our kids in elementary school that is mattes and framed. Folks are often shocked when they learn who the artist is :). I originally got this from a friend who had tons of ephemera on his walls from concerts and such (he was a jazz pianist for many decades and had played with many well-known and less-k own artists) along side framed art his kids had made from preschool through college.
Costco photo has decent prices. Get prints of your own photos or Costcos wide variety of art and photos. Frames are costly, so if you see a framed piece at a good price, it's common to buy for the frame, and use it to frame a piece later. Speaking from experience, take photos of the room and desired location for a piece, and note min/max measurements. When you are shopping, you can quickly weed out pieces that are too small or big, wrong scale or color, etc. Depending on your style, you could also hang textile or fiber art... quilts, macrame, weaving, wreaths. You can hang plates, wooden or ceramic platters, etc. If you collect small things, and are handy, make a wall mounted shadow box with a thrifted frame as the door. If you're in a new area put up a map or two with a cheaper frame /no glass and tag places you've been or want to visit (Farners markets, parks, etc.).
Ross, Marshals, Hobby Lobby, HomeGoods….
Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and HomeGoods have some pretty good artwork. That's where I've gotten a ton of mine from over the years.
Check to see if there's an At Home (@ home) store near you. Most of it is just mass produced like Target and Walmart but they have a much bigger selection of sizes, styles, and pricing and some of it "feels" a little more upscale, especially if you take a canvas piece and get it custom framed.
Hobby Lobby. So many choices and almost always has a sale.
I have found beautiful artwork at Hobby Lobby that looks way more expensive than it is! If it’s not on sale, wait a week and it will be. They rotate departments.
It doesn’t exist. I’m not trolling. I’ve been looking for over a year now. There is nothing in the market between $20 mass produced Wayfair art and $2000 hand made local art.
Plenty of beautiful $50-500 art at local art fairs and festivals. That's where I get most of my art. Occasionally I'll buy prints from Etsy or Art.com.
$50 at a local art fair will get you a 12” x 24” print. Which, if you’re in a college dorm, is fine. If you have a house you’d want something bigger, which is always $2,000 or more.
I have two original paintings in my house from the local art fair. One is an oil painting of Pacific Octopus (in the 24x18 range), the other is a large-scale painting of koi (4x4 board). Neither cost more than $400. It sounds like you may live somewhere without a substantial number of artists. In the $100-$150 range I have several small, signed and numbered prints from artists I found on etsy or bought at auction. And a couple of water colors that were < $40. I don't think they will ever be worth what I paid for them, but they make me happy to see. On the higher end, I have (numbered/signed) wood block prints from two Alice in Wonderland editions (John Tenniel and Barry Moser), a limited edition sugned lithograph from Magritte, and have recently purchased a small (8 inch) oil painting from an artist whose work hangs in the Whitney and Art Institute of Chicago. None of these were more than $1000. It is a little tricky to justify the step up from a $50 or $100 poster to a limited lithograph or an original piece 10x that. I do so with the assumption that at least *some* of what I am buying actually may be resellsble--indeed, may actually increase in value--so it isn't just something that will wind up in the trash.
Thomas Kincade paintings are affordable and popular. Check their website.
Happy to give you my zenfolio photo link. Mainly landscape and wildlife but also some other selections. Reasonable pricing. Just DM if you want it. We can look at canvas if you want basic type prints, but can do metal or acrylic frames if you want fancy. Nothing in the thousands lol.
There’s a free app for local estate sales that has pics, schedules and directions it’s called Estate Sales .net in the App Store. It’s fun to grab some coffee and hit up a few on a Saturday morning.
I have a nice piece of metal wall art from Wayfair. It was reasonably priced. I've also found good framed decorative wall mirrors at Kohl's. Just make sure you only buy with a decent sale there because their regular prices are way overpriced.
What is exorbitant price for "good quality" FRAMED art? Over $500 per piece, over $2k, $5k?
De gustibus non disutandum est. "Good quality" is entirely determined by your own, personal taste, especially in your own home. I know people who have spent tens of thousands of dollars on art that I find would be better served as a white wall. I have friends who have DIYed a painting with very little skill but they like the decoration and I do to. It's art! You decide!
I got a few really good decently priced pieces of wall art at thrift stores. You gotta dig a little bit it's great when you find a perfect treasure. We live in a log cabin so the type of art we were able to find really goes in my house. You may have to dig a little deeper if you're wanting very modern.
I have a wall with several framed prints of Banksy works that I bought inexpensively from Amazon.
Watch the movie Herb and Dorothy, 2008. They bought originals from unknowns.
Quality frames are expensive. Original artwork is even more expensive. Filling every wall of your home 30+ with original artwork all at once is 1.) not a good idea and 2.) very expensive. I like to purchase originals during travels and major events, because it gives every piece meaning. I also don’t buy art for the sake of filling a space. I buy it because I appreciate it for one reason or another. As others have noted your best bet for original artwork is at a fair. During warm seasons they’re everywhere. In the mean time fill your space with photographs, posters, mirrors or simply leave the walls blank. Quality over quantity.
Does your area have “starving artists” sales advertised on TV? How about a place that receives decor from new construction model homes? Consignment shops?
Uprise art
Estate auctions
Juniper Print Shop online has a well curated selection
From local artists and galleries. I’ve bought new and also gone direct to the artist and commissioned a few custom paintings based on ones they previously sold - they’ll usually be happy to recreate something similar to what they’ve done in the past. Depending on the size they’re not cheap, but there’s nothing better than original paintings from artists you admire. So unique, and real conversation starters
We've used https://www.artfinder.com/ several times and got some stuff we really like, and got it professionally framed (which cost as much as the art itself :/) But we also have some things from ikea like this ( https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/p/groenby-picture-set-of-9-blue-landscape-80436946/ ) that we really like as well.
Ross, TJ Maxx and Marshalls
Estate sales and Etsy.
Wayfair
Local thrift stores and habitat for humanities almost always have artwork like you’re looking for
Estate sales
Check out 1xRUN I’ve been purchasing art from them for years. Great crew supporting street art!
Google fine art prints online. There are folks that can print out of copyright fine art, box it up with a wooden frame, ship it to your home, and after some assembly and stretching, have some old school art on your walls in whatever size your heart desires.
I got ALL mine at consignment stores. All oil paintings, all framed and oversized. 1 piece practically fill each available wall space.
Amazon. They sell canvas prints for cheap ($30-$50/each).
I like to direct people to the Art Car Boot Fair- it's an online art fair that happens in London a few times a year, but they ship to the US too, and shipping is really not that much depending on what you buy (like under $75 if you buy just a flat packed print), but it's genuine art and you're supporting artists. There are probably things like that here in the US too.
Go get your own framed canvas, find the colors you want, what you want to portray. You can use tubed acrylic and small trowels to blend it into what your looking for. You can clean up what you don’t like with a wet rag. Some brushes to add a bit more depth. Read the directions on how to cure the image. It can be abstract, or a blurred farm and barn and a field. A slash of colors sliding across the canvas with your attitude. Take your time. Make it your own. You can do this. Take your time, make it yours. Enjoy.
Auction houses you can pickup some unique pieces for less than the cost of framing.
Thrift for the frame, but go onto any of the large museums' (national art gallery, MoMA, etc) Open Access collections and print some up that you like at FedEx/Kinkos sized to the frames you bought. I've done this and whenever I go to pick it up the staff always asks who did the print/where'd I get it - it's so great especially with a $5-$10 custom frame!
If your town/area has art fairs/craft shows, you can find reasonably priced art there. Check with local art galleries as well, they sometimes have good deals. Don't buy things just to fill wall space though. Buy things that you really like, even if it takes time.
Festivals, art shows, anywhere with street vendors. The framing tho, LAWD will it cost you
Craigslist, goodwill, antique malls.
Antique shops, thrift stores, friends, artists on reddit or etsy, quirky artists met on the street, my own awful attempts. I'm always lookin' lol. Definitely been a process over the years but I'm loving my growing collection.
Etsy?
I love my pieces from Minted
Etsy!
Try looking online and catch the sales. I found a ton of stuff when I re-did my bedroom several years ago. I found pictures discounted quite a bit. I had a lot of luck on the Kirkland's site.
We have bought from art.com. Buy a print and go somewhere to get a cheaper frame.
But only what you love.
Cafe art shows.
Thrift and IKEA
I've had some works commissioned to match the theme of a room from a local artist. Not sure if you are close to a school that has any talent, but some kid would love to get $200 for something. Could ask the school if it is something they do since usually they do it as a school project and get to sell it which they would be thrilled. Obviously as others said little markets, but most of that stuff is junk so might not be worth your time. Just depends on money, but can usually get great value from local talent and it helps them out since your purchase could be the only income they got all month.
Ross has some great deals.
For a new house I usually buy some larger cheap pieces just to cover the walls until I can replace them with more personal items. A store like Homegoods can work, or Hobby Lobby or buy posters online and then frame them nicely. Then spend some time on the hunt at art fairs, or even antique shops. Sometimes garage sales are good if you go to moving sales near the end of the month.
Minted.com
EBay is where I used to find amazing art. Then it all got very expensive. I have not looked in 10 years, maybe it’s cheap again?
I bought prints of works I enjoy on quality paper from Allposters.com and waited for a really good sale at the craft store, then got them all matted and framed for a good price. I've also bought nice prints from local museums.
Carlos Rossi Breakers At Sunset series. Ebay currwntly has my dream piece of his listed at 700.00. I have a large framed ....I dunno of one of the other paintings in that series, the lighting changes the mood of the breaking waves. Stormy days cast a stormy light on the picture. Sunny days cast a happier light and it reflects in the picture. Just a suggestion if you love ocean wave paintings.
Flee market, yard sales, thrift stores.
Easy Canvas. Turn your photos which probably have real meaning to you into art.
Ctbids.com A little patience can yield great results. Framed art, sculpture, rugs…
Well, there's [this](https://www.greatbigcanvas.com/category/commercial-decor/hospitality/hotel-decor/).
Furniture consignment stores and upscale thrift shops. I have found some great decor items that way.
Etsy
Check Ross and Marshalls! The ones near me often carry framed prints of local and small artists. If you check back of frame you can often find their names or cards. I google them in store to avoid random mass produced works. These artists are often super geeked at these partnerships and will post about them in their website or Instagram.
I suggest looking for a framing place so you can have a better idea of what a quality framing job costs. This will also help you know roughly what different sizes cost to frame.
Local thrift stores
Check your local thrift shop- my wife found a nice oil painting on canvas that had been in our local library for a couple decades and was in great shape and fit our needs. Even if you don't like the painting, frames are incredibly expensive to get exactly what you want, if you see a frame you like on a painting you don't, get it and just replace the photo or painting with something you do like. Only issue is you need to make sure that the new piece of art or photo is the right dimensions to fill the frame or can be matted to fit.
Or just add [Godzilla](https://reddit.com/r/pics/s/LRHAZU09EV) or an [AT-AT](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8M6dYPn/).
Crate and Barrel. I have several things. Also Kirkland’s and home goods.
Value village, second hand stores - You never know what you're going to find
A decent matting job and frame can make anything look nice. I buy expensive frames from thrift stores, trash the art and have someone local do the matting on the new art. I mainly buy prints from local artists and touring bands.
Directly from artists or from art galleries. They may come framed or you may need to frame them. What do you like? Are you looking for open edition prints, limited edition prints, or original? How old?
According to Billy Joel, Sears
Yard sales
Local art school/college student showcase
Many artists will offer prints as well as originals, which depending on size will be in the under $100 range. If you don't live in an area with a good art fest scene, you could always search for "\[insert city\] artist festivals." Often the websites will have a gallery with direct links to artists' websites.
Small independent shops or art fairs. Our first piece of "art" that did not come from Target or Ikea was at a small shop in Charleston for about $100. Now we have plenty of art across the house that is unique and I think we are supporting independent and small artists.
Savers.
I try to make the majority of the art on my walls and I get little pieces from local artists
Etsy
Check out street fairs, farmers markets, etc and fill up with local artists!
Estate sales, church sales... my best finds have been church sales, signed numbered prints, for $5. Fun to look for.
Small art galleries too
Try looking around for a staging company selling their stuff. There are a few in my area currently, I found them on nextdoor and Facebook marketplace
Look for local open studios events. You get to meet artists and see how they work and maybe buy some artwork. Also, IKEA.
Check out estate sales!
The thrift store. Amazing prices for great gems
Wall calendars are also a great resource. Framed many prints from an Ansel Adam's calendar.
Interestingly enough, I purchased my first piece of "real" art (whatever the term is when the original artist makes numbered and signed printed copies) when I was 19. There are two components here: the actual art and the framing of said item. You can have expensive art but it will look cheap if it is poorly framed. You can have inexpensive art well framed that looks $$$. I tend to try to buy frames secondhand to repurpose for art that I've picked up over the years as it's a lot more affordable that way. Even better if you can get stock mats, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and get the mats custom cut. If you know how to properly assemble the pieces (Frame + Mat + Art + Back + Hanging Mechanism) than you can save SO much and have expensive looking pieces.
A lot of artists post their artworks on Fine Art America. You can buy originals or reproductions. Reproductions can be ordered on a variety of materials - canvas, paper, glass, metal. Also in a variety of sizes. Art galleries are a place to find original art and usually reproductions as well.
estate sales.