4 ms·

I agree with that, but also offer another option, local artists. In every good sized city, there will be an arts community. And within that community, there are

by varikin 17y ago

I agree with that, but also offer another option, local artists. In every good sized city, there will be an arts community. And within that community, there are events, art fairs, local shops showing art, galleries, etc. In Minneapolis, there is the North East arts district, http://www.northeastminneapolisartsdistrict.com/ http://www.northeastminneapolisartsdistrict.com/. Also check out local colleges. Most should have an art department that have a end of year student sale. There can be some great finds in those. I have nothing against Deviant Art or Etsy or SupermarketHQ or any other site to buy great art for the artists, but don't discount the local artists.

tseabrooks 17y ago
That's a good point. As someone who does most of my shopping online I sometimes forget about the ability to purchase from local artists. In the past I have found a lot of local artists to be to expensive. Perhaps I should check out student sales like you suggest.
- varikin 17y ago
  It can take a lot of digging to find good local art that isn't expensive, but it is out there. Generally, if you hit big art fairs, you have a better chance. My wife is a photographer/artist so I have become very familiar with the local art scene in Minneapolis and have gotten my hands on some great art. Some pricey, some very cheap.
blhack 17y ago
A lot of the local artists are a bit insane with how much they're trying to charge for their prints. I've seen moderately interesting prints that cost >$500 and are from people who do photography as a hobby. I'm not saying artists shouldn't be paid, but when I cannot tell the difference between a $20 print from Target or a $500 print by some unknown artists that I bought off the wall of a coffee shop, I'm probably going to either just go for $20 thing, or spend $50 and print some of my friends' photos.
- varikin 17y ago
  At $500 dollars, you might be paying for the framing, printing, and matting, plus the fact that the artist might be well known in the community and has people buying his work. Or they are just unreasonable. But I would hope there are local artists with more reasonably priced artwork.

by varikin 17y ago

tseabrooks 17y ago

That's a good point. As someone who does most of my shopping online I sometimes forget about the ability to purchase from local artists. In the past I have found a lot of local artists to be to expensive. Perhaps I should check out student sales like you suggest.

varikin 17y ago
It can take a lot of digging to find good local art that isn't expensive, but it is out there. Generally, if you hit big art fairs, you have a better chance. My wife is a photographer/artist so I have become very familiar with the local art scene in Minneapolis and have gotten my hands on some great art. Some pricey, some very cheap.

blhack 17y ago

A lot of the local artists are a bit insane with how much they're trying to charge for their prints. I've seen moderately interesting prints that cost >$500 and are from people who do photography as a hobby. I'm not saying artists shouldn't be paid, but when I cannot tell the difference between a $20 print from Target or a $500 print by some unknown artists that I bought off the wall of a coffee shop, I'm probably going to either just go for $20 thing, or spend $50 and print some of my friends' photos.

varikin 17y ago
At $500 dollars, you might be paying for the framing, printing, and matting, plus the fact that the artist might be well known in the community and has people buying his work. Or they are just unreasonable. But I would hope there are local artists with more reasonably priced artwork.