Websites for original art

June 22, 2010 4:20 AM

What websites sell original art directly from the artist?

I want to support unknown, aspiring artists and purchase several pieces of *original* art (paintings/photography/sculptures) for my home, but I want to buy them directly from the artist. I scour deviantart almost daily looking for pieces and have found a few that I like, but I know there are more sites out there. I especially like abstract paintings on canvas, as well as unique pieces (think Tom Cruise's painted snowboard in Vanilla Sky...). Commission is also an option.

Are there other websites, similar to deviantart, that sell original art from starving artists, local and international alike? Gold star for sites that allow interaction directly with the artist and/or do not take a cut.

posted by nineRED to media & arts (13 answers total)

Etsy
20x200
posted by pyro979 at 4:45 AM on June 22, 2010

also eBay has a direct from the artist section.
posted by pyro979 at 4:47 AM on June 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

2 other sites that are similar to Etsy:
1000 Markets
Artfire
posted by belladonna at 6:18 AM on June 22, 2010

Trunkt has a very high level of quality. It's meant primarily as a wholesale site, but anyone can sign up for an account, and once you do that and you find an artist who's work you like, most of them have their retail website listed in their "About" section.
posted by MexicanYenta at 6:44 AM on June 22, 2010

Mods, please remove this if it's out of line (conflict of interest?), but

http://www.maureenseeba.com

is my mother's work. She's done exhibitions on 4 (maybe five?) continents, as well as the Peace Museum in Chicago, and various places around the country - direct interaction's pretty easy either through her contact page or email. She gets pretty swamped sometimes, but answers everything personally.

She does abstract work on canvas, steel, copper, and the design gallery has magnetic pieces of abstract art on steel plates so it's interactive.
posted by Seeba at 6:49 AM on June 22, 2010

What I have done previously is put an ad in craigslist under "gigs'. I normally get many responses, with prices and quality levels that run the gamut. You can either buy art that they have already completed, or if you have a specific size or color scheme or subject in mind, you can often contract for a new piece.
posted by newpotato at 6:58 AM on June 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

Campbell Laird. And I really happen to like his stuff, too.
posted by Work to Live at 7:41 AM on June 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

Self links OK?
posted by dpcoffin at 9:21 AM on June 22, 2010

Seconding eBay's "Direct from Artist" categories. It takes a cut on sales and the quality of the art is... variable. But it's easy to browse by subject, style, medium, size, date - even region of origin. There's buyer protection and more choices than you'll see anywhere else.

[Disclosure: I work for eBay.]
posted by Joe Beese at 9:38 AM on June 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

If you find artists whose work you like, approach them directly about sales. Artists can be hard to find even in your own town/city, depending on what local groups and infrastructure support are available for them to make themselves known to the public. Art fairs and art walks are great if they're available in your area.

There are also sites like artgallery.co.uk that have hundreds of artists (and generally lower commissions than what bricks-and-mortar galleries charge).
posted by thatdawnperson at 2:17 PM on June 22, 2010

www.MyBrightArt.com
posted by KneeDeep at 8:36 PM on June 22, 2010

Thanks for the excellent suggestions. I was unaware of the eBay Direct from Artist section. and commissioning via Craigslist is brilliant. Never would have thought of that...

Also, feel free to MeMail me self links to your art! Extra karma points if I can help out a MeFite artist in the process...

Thanks again!
posted by nineRED at 3:33 AM on June 23, 2010

UPDATE: According to newpotato's suggestion, I put up a post on Craigslist. I received numerous responses from all over the US, despite seeking out local DC or Baltimore artists. I contacted a couple of local artists about their work. Then, after 2 days, my post was flagged and removed from CL...no idea why. I may try rewording and reposting...
posted by nineRED at 8:38 AM on July 1, 2010