Experiencing Joy Through Art

   Hello and good afternoon my friend! It’s great to sepnd some more time with you dishing about art. As with some of my previous posts, I have yet another tip for artists on a way to save some money when buying supplies for your studio.

   As a still life artist, I can tell you it is important to have a “library” (so to speak) of objects you can use for your still life set-ups. My studio has a closet and one side of the closet holds extra art supplies, while the other side holds shelving to store my still life objects.

   I have found one of the best ways to find treasures to paint, is to visit thrift stores like Salvation Army or GoodWill and see what they have. People will often donate household decor objects and I’ve found some very nice things there including silver goblets, vases and Delft-style bowls.

   The trick is you have to hunt and peck a bit and naturally there are times when the pickin’s are slim. However this scenario allows you to pick out things at the best prices. Typically 1 to 5 dollars.

   The next step up in price, is online auction sites like eBay or sales venues like Etsy. You can get very nice stuff there at pretty reasonable prices, but they won’t be as low as a thift store. I once got a very nice silver teapot on eBay for around $15. Ebay has its own benefits and drawbacks though. Firstly, you must have an account and most of the time you also have to pay for shipping, which you don’t with a thrift store. If the seller is in the same state as you, you may also have to pay sales tax. 

   Thirdly, there are the antique stores and/or antique malls. These have wildly amazing selection but the highest prices. Occasionally you might find something priced low but most of the time you will pay full value price for vintage or collectible objects. The key here is to look for sales, particularly around holidays. This past weekend I was visiting several antique stores with a friend of mine and I found a great earthenware vase in a seller’s case who was having a 50% off sale. That meant the vase was only $4. It will be showing up in some soon-to-come paintings, I’m sure!

   Another resource to tap into for still life objects would be garage or yard sales. So look in your local paper or on craigslist and see what you can find! Treasure hunting can be a lot of fun when anticipating using those great finds in your artwork! If you have any venues you’ve frequented, please don’t hesitate to share them in the comments below.