Good Paintings under $50.00

I'll only buy art that I like for the reason that I don't want a lot of stuff piling up that I don't like, even if they are listed.

I'm like Mark, I'll spot a piece I like and then do research on it. If the artist is listed, then great.

 

Like I said, this is fine if you are buying for yourself. If looking for resale or as an investment, your criteria needs to be a bit different. Besides, how much art can one display at any given time? I own a couple hundred paintings but only display a handful. When you get to this point, you need to be a bit discriminate unless just too cheap to pass up.

 

I know this is a very inflammatory statement but this is how I feel.....
*most* artwork is crap. Even when dealing with the work of a listed artist with an established auction record, still, most of it is crap. If I refused to buy things I didn't love, I would barely buy anything at all. I have a personally very picky taste for myself. Therefore, even if I don't love the piece, sometimes I will buy a piece because I know others will like it. This also goes for everything else, ceramics, metalware, whatever. Most of it is crap. One thing I do when trying to evaluate any kind of antiques is to ask myself "What makes this NOT crap?" If I cannot answer that question, I try not to buy it. Of course, I've still made mistakes and bought things that I shouldn't have, but asking myself that question has helped me out a lot lately.

 

Indeed much (maybe not MOST) is crap. As a dealer, do you really want to be known for selling crap? Better collectors seek out the dealers that edit out the crap and specialize in the cream.

 

Here are a few more paintings .... Same criteria as above.

Swedish/American artist John M. Erickson. Identifying the subject as the falls on the Yellowstone helped this one immensely.


Watercolor from Indiana artist Rob O'Dell. Popular living artist.


Under $50.00 for the pair by Italian artist Claudio Molinari. A step above most tourist paintings in size and quality.


Not a painting but don't overlook Japanese block prints. This one is by Shiro Kasamatsu.


Indiana artist Kenneth Reeve. Not too crazy about this one but Indiana art is very collectable and Reeve was 101 when I bought this.


American artist Calvin W. Fryer. Small work by a respected artist. Was able to pick this up cheaply on ebay since it was unstretched and unidentified in the title.

 

You're right...but but a weak eye can be offset by a good business mind and a boatload of learning.

 

Brad, the O'dell .....haunting ....but very interesting & strong !

 

The Reeve is very nice too.....I've always liked fall scenes.

 

I try to make a living at this. I f I didn't sell crap, I wouldn't be able to make ends meet. Unfortunately, since the downturn of the economy, I sell more crap and more good things at cheaper prices than ever before. I have to work twice as hard to make half as much.

If you try to keep your standards up, the merchandise just sits. Nearly everything I have sold on ebay this past month or so sat in my store for months at comparable or lower prices. You want to have some good things but you can't just give it away.

There are very few collectors any more. People are buying to decorate. They don't care whether or not something is good, has age, or collectible value. They are just going to get rid of it in a year or so anyway when their whims change.

 

The artwork shown is all very competent. I believe one must have an artistic eye to collect sale-worthy art for investment purposes. I've always suggested to BUY WHAT YOU LIKE as you may wind up stuck with it. I put this into practice when I collected antiques and odd old stuff too.

Like Brad, I have a ton of paintings carefully perched around the edges of the extra rooms of my home. The one thing that I would caution anyone about collecting art is: store them where no water can ever flow from a broken pipe, fixture or flood. This is more difficult than most realize. Carpeting can wick up water quickly. I plan to try to sell off my excess artwork (both personal and collected) because for me, it just isn't worth the gamble to keep it safe from potential water damage.

Armando, I once read you planned to have a painting appraised for insurance purposes, did you do that? I ask because I wonder what the going rate for an appraisal for a piece of artwork is?

The approximate rate for a written appraisal for a piece of jewelry runs me about $60 per piece. At that kind of cost for each piece of artwork, I doubt my collection would be worth paying for an additional insurance rider each year.

 

I have not had it appraised yet. I'll probably get that done in a couple of more weeks.

It may seem steep, the appraiser is charging $200 an hr for insurance purposes. That's included written documents, photographs, etc everything I need. I don't believe it's going to take her a hour to appraise the painting.

What's an isurance rider? Is that where you have something else other than home, car etc insured?

 

a rider is an add on to your policy to insure an individual item....at a given price.

 

I love the O'dell piece, reflects my mood

I have always bought what I liked/loved back in the day as they were purchases for me and nothing more. Then the hoard sprang up and I began to sell. First I sold off antiques,jewelry and collectables to get above water in trying to save my boarding stable, then I found ebay and for awhile began to sell.

 

Armando, an insurance rider will cover one or more pieces of art, jewelry, coins, guns, whatever is valuable and insurable, but it comes at an extra annual cost as it covers items not insured under your home owner's or renter's coverage. For example, my home owner's coverage has a cap on the amount of speciality items they are willing to pay replacement value for. The item(s) must be appraised by a certified appraiser with a written appraisal, a copy is given to the insurance company. I've never had a piece of artwork appraised. You would have to read your policy and/or speak to your insurance agent to find out what isn't covered.