Why the Internet is a Great Place to Buy Paintings

The Internet is about two things: choice, and information. That makes it an ideal place to buy paintings. When you buy art for your home or office, you want to be able to choose from a wide enough variety of styles, sizes and artists that you get something that fits with your decor: and you want to be given enough information to make an informed choice.

Comparison can be more meaningful on the Internet, where you can view a large selection of painting types, sizes and styles side by side – comparing price, delivery time, materials and colour at your leisure. You also get to make your choice with a minimum of intrusion – that is, you can buy paintings without feeling pressured by people or places into making a snap decision.

Ultimately, buying paintings on the net becomes a matter of convenience: which is really the same thing as choice and information rolled into one. Everything is there at your fingertips: and if you want more information you can contact the site that is displaying the pictures you are interested in.

One thing you can’t do, necessarily, is to view the paintings you are interested in, in the flesh, before you buy them. That isn’t out of the question, of course, but don’t expect it as standard. Sites that let you buy paintings direct from original artists, like the excellent Art 2 Arts, may have a shop – but the majority of pictures will be stored at the artist’s own studios. And they could be anywhere in the UK.

One of the best things to have come out of the Internet art revolution, if you want to call it that, is the option to have your own commissions created by an artist of your choice. In domestic and corporate environments, this works really well. Your finished picture will cost you no more than a completed picture you have chosen “off the shelf” – but it has been specified by you to fall in line with the decor of your home or office, or to embody a particular theme.

When you buy paintings as commissioned works, you can get really personal – even to the extent that you have a favourite family photograph used as the basis for the picture. Commissioned pieces make ideal birthday, Christmas and anniversary presents.

So how do you go about commissioning an original piece of art? Typically you’ll be asked to pay a deposit (around fifty percent of the full price is usual) and nominate a favoured artist from the site’s regular contributors. At this point the amount of information you give to your artist is up to you. A brief could be anything from a vague idea about style and colour to a detailed request for a particular scene.

When you buy paintings on commission, you get the same high quality work and good pricing that you would have from off the peg internet art shopping – but an added unique quality. This painting is not just yours – it was made for you specifically. You couldn’t easily have done that 20 years ago.