Where to buy paintings in Austin? (Burnet, Wimberley: appointed, for sale, apartment)

[artsyguy]

I know Austin has an artsy vibe to it so where can I buy some decent paintings at a bargain price? I want to classy up my apartment.

[another_hot-day]

If that guy is still down on 6th street doing his thing I reccomend him.
I haven't seen him for a while tho.

[Trainwreck20]

Many local restaraunts display local artists on their walls, but most are not what you would call bargain price. Wimberley has some shops, too, that carry local artists. I am sure there are a bunch of others, but my walls are pretty much covered in my wife's handiwork .

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by artsyguy

I know Austin has an artsy vibe to it so where can I buy some decent paintings at a bargain price? I want to classy up my apartment.

art and bargain dont mix.

However on ebay you can find a ton of stuff you can even search for pictures with keywords like "blue" and it will pull up a bunch of blue art

[Phisch]

Sort of OT: driving down Nutty Brown Road from 290 (note: I didn't say the 290! yay!) to 45 on the right hand side there's a really funky house that has to belong to an artist. The house has red and black trim and some fencing painted red. Not far from his house, there's a sign that looks very much like an official traffic sign only it has a large blue dot and it says "Blue Period" underneath.

I'd be cool if could take a nice photo of it, blow it up to poster size and make it the right kind of grainy.

[another_hot-day]

Just out of curiosity, does that guy still paint on the 6th street?
You know he makes awesome painting with spray paint?
I have a couple of peieces I bought when i first moved here, they were pretty cheap.

[tibbar]

Local Starving Artist Art Shows are sometimes advertised on TV. My sister got a beautiful seascape for $40. Sometimes Garden Ridge has some really nice pictures at not bad prices.

[pilotskid27]

What kind of art are you looking for?

If you just want something to cover bare walls, the big box stores all offer framed posters. (i.e. Garden Ridge, World Market, Bed, Bath, and Beyond. ) The prices are cheap---generally $100 - $200 for a sofa sized print. Personally, I don't consider anything that is mass-produced like that "art", but maybe that is just me.

If you are seeking something that was actually created by a creative brain and human hands, there are several interesting options in town. I agree with the poster who mentioned that art in many restaurants is for sale and can be a good source....I do, however, think those works ARE bargains. Just stop in Art on 5th or any other gallery around town and see what galleries charge for original works!!

A secret I have discovered for great, budget-friendly artwork is checking out a couple of the furniture consignment shops in town. Some of them sell the contents of model homes after the developer is finished with them, you can find interesting prints with REALLY nice frames for a fraction of what the frames would cost to make. Granted, it is technically "used" but how much wear and tear does a picture recieve while hanging on a wall? (Check out It's New to Me at Burnet and Anderson or Design It With Consignment at Lamar and Ben White.)

Also, Design It With Consignment actually carries original work from a handful of local artists. The pricing is more expensive than a print....more the $200- $600 range, with a few even pricier pieces. But, it is WAY cheaper than gallery pricing, and you might learn a little something about the artist who made it.

[satanoid]

Etsy :: Your place to buy and sell all things handmade

Awesome place for indie, and affordable art.

Also, south congress, has any number of small art booths most weekends.

Check out the city wide garage sale too.

[DesignerWalls]

Look for talented, self represented artists who haven't been snatched up by the galleries yet. They aren't under contract to sell at gallery prices so they are free to negotiate and offer affordable pricing. Galleries have bills to pay so go straight to the source, the artist, if you can.

For absolutely beautiful, original, abstract paintings check out Mone' Musel in East Downtown Austin....she's an emerging, self represented artist so her prices are a fraction of the gallery prices....she carries a huge assortment of works...most likely, you won't be disappointed:
[url]http://www.monemusel.com[/url]
http://fineartaustin.com (broken link)

There are also a ton of other talented, independent artists and artisans in the central East Austin area that you can visit during the East Austin Studio Tour. Many of them can make deals with you at that time if you see something you like:
[url]http://www.eastaustinstudiotour.org[/url]