Mary Williams Fine Arts THE GREAT ARTDOORS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Where does one begin when purchasing art for one's home? Whenever I'm asked how to begin to decorate your home with artwork my first response is "Start out realizing you are embarking on a rewarding and enlightening journey and be excited. Also realize you'll need to be patient, and do your homework, so to speak." I choose to use the word collecting instead of decorating when it comes to art. If you go about the process of decorating your walls with a sense of building a theme, making a statement about who you are and what you like, the visual elements around you become more significant and meaningful. The process will admittedly take more time so it may not be for all of you. Some of you will just want it done and that's fine. But the point of this discussion is finding out how you want to buy art and the hardest question of all, what kind of art do you like? What do you like? If you don't have a sense of what you like the best way to start this part of the process is to visit local art galleries and museums, buy magazines that focus on the art world and in your travels always make time to visit galleries. You will start to discover what does and does not appeal to you. Granted, this takes time but the discovery of your taste is a large part of the fun. Once you learn what you like there are some fundamental decisions to make. Do you want original paintings, watercolors, etc., or would a good quality reproduction work? I like to see my clients buy original pieces whenever possible and most certainly put original art work in the important areas of your home or office. Good reproductions can suffice for less important areas. Buying low end poster art is never a good idea. Don't fall into the trap that more is better. Take your time and buy the best you can afford. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is an art collection. Remember, your art is an expression of you. How do I buy art? The first rule is to buy from established, reputable galleries or dealers. Assuming you've determined your interests, go about the buying process with patience. Compare prices, insist on background information about the work and make sure they back up their inventory with letters of authenticity and appraisals. Many people prefer to buy their art locally while others enjoy bringing home artwork from special trips or vacations. If buying art while away from home get complete information about shipping and insurance and establish clearly, their return policy, if any. The "hunt" for your treasures is probably the most intriguing part of collecting fine art. The journey will expose you to interesting people and inspire you to actually design around your collection. Most people buy the sofa first and then try to find the art second. I believe this is backwards. Art is a more personal, passionate decision and should be made first whenever possible. There are far more fabrics, chairs, and window treatments than there are pieces of art that you love. When you walk into a beautiful room that feels well balanced and harmonious it is due to the kind of careful planning that has been described above. In closing I would like to discuss custom picture framing, a final and very important aspect of presenting your collection. A good frame design can make or break the effect your artwork has in your home or office. A good frame designer should ask many questions about where the piece will hang, what the colors/fabrics in that area are, what type of furniture has been selected and how much room there is to work with. Fine art also requires archival techniques used in framing. All mat boards, glass, tapes, etc. must be of an upgraded nature to protect the art from the elements within your home and office. Not all framers are equipped to do framing of this kind so you must ask if you're dealing with a company who does framing to archival standards. Fine custom framing is just as much of an investment as the artwork itself. So my advice about framing is the same as for fine art purchases - invest in the best.

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