Art is a timeless gift for friends and family, but there are some considerations for giving art. Here are five tips on how to gift art this holiday season.
Consider the receiver
Who does not love art? Many people fill their homes with art - weather it be realistic, abstract, pop art or one of infinite styles. Some people love big playful strokes of watercolor on paper, some like tightly drawn pictures of boats. This holiday season, consider how you might expand a friend or family members horizons by giving them a subscription box of art. Over a period of months an art subscription box gives a range of artworks - from regional aboriginal art to urban street art. People love the novelty, and its a great way to give new things every month. That loved one will be thanking you well into the new year! The artwork below was one of many handmade screen prints subscribers received from the artist Geoffrey Carran. This was a limited edition run of 50, and they are all sold out. One of the best things about subscription boxes is that your gift receiver will get priceless works of art and you will pay as little as $47 per month.
Consider the space
For a friend who recently moved in to her very own apartment, a converted warehouse, I searched for an artwork that adds a soft and romantic reprieve from the exposed brick and copper piping that characterizes her space. Staying mindful that her walls all serve double-duty—there are book shelves, pot racks, and knobs for coats and scarves to hang—I hoped to find a small piece that has high impact though it's bright colours, such as Ted McKinlay's work.
Find a work of art for someone who is far away
Works on paper and photographs can be shipped easily and affordably. To my friends who will surely celebrate a white Christmas. Take a look and Michael Meneghetti's work inspired from living in Taiwan or Justine Barlow's work made by hand from her farm in Kilmore.
Choose work that can be framed easily
Professional framing can start at $100 but quickly become more expensive. When searching for a gift, I look at the overall dimensions of the artwork, e.g. the size of the paper, and see if it will fit in a store-bought frame. Most frames come with a mat with a picture opening in a standard size—8 x 10 inches, 5 x 7 inches, etc. To properly present your gift of art, ask your local framer to cut a piece of mat board that fits within the store-bought frame, but has a window that works best with your work of art. For example, these works will each fit in standard A4 frames.
Consider giving a subscription box
Giving art can be hard, but a subscription box solves the problem of too many choices. Each month (for as long as you like) the receiver will get a new artwork. She might not like every artwork, but she will probably happily regift them. For the ones she does she will proudly put them on her wall and be eternally grateful to you for the experience of art she receives and for the fun of making every month a time to receive gifts. Have a look at our subscription box here.
