Shopping For and Buying Fine Art directly from an artist is not as straight-forward an experience you might think it is. Much of this is due to our digital, online shopping methods and social media. You have to consider what you are buying, and sometimes, especially when you see an artist’s listing on Facebook, for example, some information can be excluded. Whether this is intentional or just the nature of the writing a post I can’t say, but if you don’t get what you want, its not your fault – that is in the hands of the artist, but its you who pay for not understanding the situation.

For example, you see a beautiful painting on Social Media listed as a 12×16 inch acrylic painting. The price looks great – really great (let’s say its $1280, or $2220, or whatever price is right for you). The painting is perfect, just what you’d like hanging on your wall.

You contact the artist and he informs you shipping to your location will cost $15 dollars (or 50). No problem. You send off your payment and a couple weeks later, a large, flat-pack arrives. You accept the package without any idea what it is, but any package can be exciting to receive. You ARE still waiting for your box containing your new painting, your canvas painting, but you’re curious what’s in the package in your hands…

So, you open the flat-pack, and “lo and behold,” it IS your painting, but its on paper, and not on stretched canvas as you assumed it would be, and its certainly not ready to hang. Everybody knows if something is called a painting, its on canvas, right? No, not right. Now we know watercolors are always done on paper, and they are most certainly  paintings, so if anything other art is done on paper, like Gouache, pen and ink, drawings and the like, the artist should say so. Should you have to ask about this? Sadly, yes, if you want to know what you’re getting for your money – so now what?

Obviously, you’re let down, but you love the painting and want to keep it. You can try pulling some teeth and receive some kind of recompense, but like pulling teeth, that can be painful. You had thought you got a great deal with the price you paid, but you actually paid a pretty regular price for a proper painting done on paper. You know canvasses are usually more pricey, but again, you figured you were getting a deal. The artist didn’t say he was reducing his prices or having a sale, but by exclusion of information, has kind of duped you – so there you go. You’ve spent what you wanted to spend to get this art on your wall, but now you have to spend more.

So why does this end up costing you more?

Well, unless you just want to tape it up or thumbtack it to your refrigerator or wall, you need to frame it so it can be hung. It needs to be behind glass, as well, because its on paper and probably shouldn’t ever be cleaned. Plus, it needs to be put on and behind mat-board so the image doesn’t touch the glass. These are details I’ll go into later in another post, but you’ll have to spend even more money to get your new painting hanging in that special place in your home.

Always be sure to question the artist with any of your thoughts and be sure he’s been fair, complete and honest in his presentation. Look at images closely and read descriptions. Look for what might have been overlooked. You don’t want to hear the artist telling you that he sent you exactly what you asked for when you forgot to ask a few questions.

Consider the following –

Stretched canvasses – is the painting gallery wrapped (explained above), wired, and ready to hang, or does it need a frame? Frames for canvas can be a considerable purchase – well-worth it, but considerable. A stretched canvas will always be shipped in a box.

Unstretched canvas – If its unstretched, it needs to be stretched. There’s nothing wrong with painting on unstretched canvas, you just need to know what you’re buying. If unstretched, you really should have a professional handle the situation – I wouldn’t recommend doing it yourself. Stretching a canvas requires “stretchers,”  the wood pieces found behind the canvas, they’re what makes the painting square, or rectangular. Paint can be overstretched if the canvas hasn’t been put on stretchers before painting, resulting in later cracking, buckling, warping and even separation from the canvas. And remember, after stretching, you’ll still, maybe, need a frame. In this case, your painting will usually be rolled and shipped in a tube.

Canvas prints – these are prints, make no mistake, but they cost much less than originals. They may or may not be stretched when sold. If stretched, they may or may not need to be framed. If not stretched, there will be the additional expense of mounting on stretchers, by a professional. If stretched, it will be shipped in a box, if not stretched, it will be rolled and tubed.

Paper products –  whether your buying a print or actual one-off, original painting on paper, it WILL need to be framed, and put behind glass. As mentioned, board-mounting and frames add to your cost. If you’re satisfied with the frames you can find in Walmart, and can find a standard, pre-cut, mat-set in a good color that will fit the painting and the frame, that’s great! You can still expect to spend 20 bucks or more with the do-it-yourself method. Depending on the weight of the paper and the size of the print, your art could be rolled and tubed or sent via flatpack.