Choose By Colour

Ways To Buy Art (1/3)

Art shopping can seem daunting. Even for the very experienced of us. I’ve been enjoying looking for pieces to add to the walls here at 2020 over the last few months but even I have found the mountain of choice overwhelming at times. So, in this series of CHOOSE blog posts I’m going to explore some different ways that you can approach the exciting journey that is art selection.

This week we’ll look at using colour as the basis for your selection(s)

Identify

Beyond the age of 8 we’re usually not so confident when asked what our favourite colour is. So, the first important step when choosing a colour palette to use as your inspiration for your art choice is to identify one or more of your preferred colours. There are two areas that you can look to for this. One is your interior décor, either in general or if you know the room you plan to add the artwork to the colours specific to that room. The other place, strangely enough, is your wardrobe. Fling open the doors and survey the contents. It won’t be long before a few dominant colours become apparent.

Shopping

When you are out art shopping, be sure not to limit yourself to looking for the colours you’ve nominated as the dominant colours in the piece. The artwork will fit just as well if the chosen colour(s) only appear in a subtle way. For example, in the National Gallery of Ireland’s gem, Burton’s ‘Meeting on the Turret Stairs’ (below) there are a host of colours aside from the main blues and reds. As circled, there is burnt orange (1), gold (2) and olive green (3), to name a few.

Display

When you’ve chosen just the right spot in your home for the piece add accessories such as cushions, throws and other accents in similar hues to highlight and flatter the artwork.

Coming Next Week: Choose by Theme