Author Topic: How does one even begin with paintings????  (Read 2810 times)

hudsonhacker

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How does one even begin with paintings????
« on: August 09, 2011, 02:45:58 pm »
Every sale, auction, market I go to has so many paintings for sale. Where would one even start in trying to buy and resell these types of antiques?????????? I imagine doing prior research on certain artists and then looking for their work would be a strategy, but there are so many artists out there.

I have only ever bought one painting, and that was at a flea market for $20, and the only reason I bought it was because I broke one of the vendor's plates when I went to pick up another item to look at! Thankfully it was a $2 plate, but I felt bad enough for having done it that I just bought the painting out of panic!

The thought of researching art/paintings seems overwhelming; am I better off just sticking to the stuff I know, or can a person buy and resell paintings without investing years learning about them? More of a general question, haven't found any cool new stuff over the last few days to ask questions about (well, except for that 100 year old wardrobe trunk I picked up for $40 yesterday).


waywardangler

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2011, 02:55:47 pm »
Stick with what you like because if it isn't worth much at least you like it hanging on the wall.

I think with paintings one has to invest a lot of time into studying certain artists and visiting galleries before even thinking about parting with cash. Now if you are just talking less than $100 you are probably safe. If you are talking thousands than you need a lot of knowledge. Idaho's recent post of a painting is a prime example of a very lucky find.  There are many, many fakes out there and just about any painting can now be ordered online, painted by an individual, and sold for not much money. Any size you want. Any picture you want. Very scary stuff. It really looks good.

mart

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2011, 03:00:50 pm »
Its safe to say if you don`t know what you are looking at,, you should not buy it !!  That goes double for art !!

fancypants

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2011, 03:42:41 pm »
Good question , hudsonhacker ...

Along with the cautionary tips/thoughts above , I'm feeling like adding a couple -

There's not one darn thing wrong with facing such a daunting & diversified task (bignorance is not always bliss) as learning is .

Sometime reigons vary quite a bit , esp. in areas where an artist/artists , when it comes to knowledge & availability of original art ... there's still a good number of great finds out there , in the world of 'art for sale' , IMO .

I have been 'networking' with artists , collectors , galleries & etc. for decades .... (& still have got alot to learn too !) these contacts have been a great boon to me , in more ways than I can remember (not just for $$$$$) ; I'd suggest starting with choosing an epoch/genre/style/artist which appeals to you & putting your nose to the grindstone to see what you find .... I've found it very helpful to predetermine what sort of profit margin one has in mind (and STICK TO IT ) , and also consider well what amount of loss is acceptable , in that grim reality for these types of items .

Like others alluded to sorta - buy something that you really would like to hang in your own place (if it turns out to be a valueless item , @ least you'll like it some) ...

You never know , you might just become the next expert !

Happy huntin' , with whatever 'game' you're after !
« Last Edit: August 09, 2011, 04:00:13 pm by fancypants »
" Methinks me the 'mental' in sentimental .... "

waywardangler

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2011, 05:53:58 pm »
Mart said
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Its safe to say if you don`t know what you are looking at,, you should not buy it !!
  Oh man, I violate that "rule" all the time. I buy it, then look it up but I am not talking many $$ here. I have made some very good purchases that way.

ironlord1963

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2011, 06:18:20 pm »
    If I were to get in paintings and Art in general. I would first begin with learning how to tell what one is looking at first, not so much Artist, date and etc. but things like telling a oil from a copy on canvas, how to get clues from the fabric used, and let us not forget how to tell the clues in the frame itself.  Once a good base is started, then go spend $ no more the Low $$ on thing you like to look at, and in a few years when you really get to know the stuff, pull out the $$$.00 to make $$$$.00. 

fancypants

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2011, 06:59:58 pm »
Great points to cover for sure , ironlord1963 !!!

Some of my most memorable/best learing experiences have been from me not knowin' whut I'm a-zackly doin ' !
" Methinks me the 'mental' in sentimental .... "

hudsonhacker

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2011, 07:29:30 pm »
Looks like I will stick to my "uniquities" for now. I have enough to learn on all the other stuff without worrying about long dead painters. I figure it might be better to focus on a small niche of antiques rather than try to figure out everything! I am in no position to lose cash on this hobby, and I have been doing okay so far without getting into paintings. Maybe some time in the future, but right now my focus is to turn the stuff I have bought over the last year into cash at a profit, buy some more stuff, and repeat! Once you look at time invested into this hobby, driving all over the place going to track stuff down, it is a fun hobby that sort of pays for itself, but I ain't going to quit my real job any time soon!

ironlord1963

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2011, 07:37:47 pm »
    But always learn enough to be aware on all aspects of this field, cause you never know.  ;)

KevinM

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2011, 10:40:16 pm »
That's a good question, "How does one even begin with paintings?". I'm currently looking at that including Watercolor Paintings and expanding that into a lot of other areas including Limited Edition Etchings and other types of Prints. Often I see some nice work in all areas at great prices so I don't just don't want to limit myself to paintings but that is my preference. I'm also limiting myself to $25 for any piece of art work. I don't think I can get burned that way. Since I just started looking into this I don't have any resell stories of my own to tell although I wouldn't mind hearing someone else. I heard of where a guy in Texas limited himself to $35 for paintings that he would buy at yard sales, flea markets, etc... and he's now a millionaire because of his purchases (the story went something like that).

I would almost never buy any of these art works unless I liked it and would consider placing it on my wall. I say "almost never" because there is also a lot of value in the frames, glass, matting, backing and other hardware that you can get with a very cheap bad piece of art at a very good price and even re-frame a great piece of art work with it. Here's an example, I have this really nice Watercolor that someone did for me. To get what I consider a nice frame including everything and framing it myself might cost at least $50 or more (it can go much higher). I've been looking for a second hand frame for a couple of weeks now while I look for other things and found a nice one for $8 with an original Oil painting in it that I wasn't too crazy about. I removed the old oil painting from the frame and re-framed my Watercolor with it and it looks fantastic! I guess that's the other consideration. Even a nice piece of art work you buy might look a lot better in a nicer frame for reselling so you may end up looking for artwork and frames at the same time if you already have another art work to re-frame unless you want to buy a new frame which might cut into your profit margin.

I would agree that research is the most work and can be overwhelming even if you know in advance or after you have purchased an artwork. In the case of going to a yard sale or thrift store, flea market, etc... there's really no or little time for research, you could carry your hand held device with you and do some quick network searches on the artist name to see if you've stumbled upon something. But then that is where luck may have to come in play and some experience with identifying a reproduction oil painting, watercolor, etching, artists or anything else. You may also want to consider bringing a small magnifying glass with you, even better if it has a light attached to it so you can look at the fine detail of the work to see if there's dots in the print or if there's paint over print to help you authentic if it's real or not.

What I would do is ease into buying paintings and stay away from any type of pressure sales like auctions unless you really want, like, and know about that piece of artwork and its value. I would also start out small and set a maximum dollar price you are willing to buy any artwork for or a weekly or monthly allowance set aside just for that purpose. Also, use that artwork as a basis to test the resell market for the artwork you have bought. You may want to narrow the art theme field and buy only artwork with Indians or Cowboys or both in them. Or perhaps art with just Ships or certain types of Animals or made just by certain artist. That way you may become more knowledgeable about certain themes or artist of artwork that are more in demand at this given point in time. Yesterday I bought a Limited Edition framed print by a well known artist of a Lab Puppy in mint condition for $3. I looked up the estimated value on it and it was between $225 and $275. I don't think it's worth more than around $100 and that's only if someone is willing to pay that amount for it. It may be hard to turn that around fast and I may have to sit on it awhile and even drop the price before I sell it. So the next question would be just where to start your asking price for the artwork you have bought. Other things to consider may be finding someone who can restore a nice piece if it's worth doing it.

There are a lot of things to lookout for and it's almost a gamble a lot of time. You will probably see a lot of artwork from these starving artist sales and artwork boiler houses and reproduction shops. It's out there and there is a lot of it. There's also a lot of competition out there, almost like the people who frequent those storage auctions (that's another place to find artwork but risky again). I've been in thrift stores before and seen lots of well dressed middle aged men rifling through the artwork at lunch time and after normal work hours. I've seen when the cart loaded with restock artwork comes out and all the people in the store swarm around and start grabbing the artwork before it hits the shelf. I've seen someone pick up a piece of artwork that someone else wanted but didn't get it first so they kept following them around the store to see if they would decide not to buy it and put it down. I think this Antique Roadshow is starting to send people into some kind of frenzy.

Kevin

waywardangler

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2011, 11:12:59 pm »
Quote
I heard of where a guy in Texas limited himself to $35 for paintings that he would buy at yard sales, flea markets, etc... and he's now a millionaire because of his purchases (the story went something like that).
  ::) Texas or urban legend that probably started as a pebble and grew as it rolled down the hill until it was now a huge boulder.

Your ideas on frames are good except there is no money in used mats or glass. Used frames are always good if they have the type of period molding you need for the picture . I buy used old frames all the time, especially large ones that can be cut down for smaller pictures. I pay $1-2 each and hang them on the basement wall until needed.

There is almost zero money in new limited edition prints. I avoid those like the plague. The prices quoted are for insurance purposes if one had to go out and find one on the secondary market to replace the same print lost in a fire/hurricane/tornado/etc. Once you hold an original oil next to its limited edition print, you will never buy a print again. Prints are like blah next to an original.

Even the new starving artist paintings are very nice for the money if it is art you like to look at. They are much better than limited edition prints in my opinion. I have numbered prints I bought years ago and wish I could just get back even money now that I am more knowledgeable. If I want to sell, they would be pennies on the dollar at best.


mart

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #11 on: August 10, 2011, 09:23:24 am »
Well I didn`t mean literally !! But you need to know and understand art and most people do not !! And even if what you buy is only a few dollars,, if it doesn`t sell you are investing your money and may not get it back !! One piece may not appeal to everyone !!  Not all signed artwork is valuable nor is it worth a lot just because it is old !! And if you buy it you need a place to sell it !!I do not recommend ebay for that due to packaging and shipping difficulties !! Cost much more to get a painting ready to ship without damage than it does most other items !!





Mart said
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Its safe to say if you don`t know what you are looking at,, you should not buy it !!
  Oh man, I violate that "rule" all the time. I buy it, then look it up but I am not talking many $$ here. I have made some very good purchases that way.

waywardangler

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #12 on: August 10, 2011, 01:28:49 pm »
Unfortunately, mart, I am a fairly literate person, I mean literal.  ;D

mart

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Re: How does one even begin with paintings????
« Reply #13 on: August 10, 2011, 06:14:26 pm »
   I try to have a good idea of the market before I buy an item,, but sometimes I will buy with a feeling that it will do well !!  Went to a church rummage sale a while back and found a rusty button hole attachment for a Singer and a full set of embroidery hubs from the 50`s !! I thought someone might use them and after all the entire package was $1.25 so I had little to lose. They made over $30. !! So not a bad profit on a "feeling" !! Seems older sewing machine attachments are in demand !!