The art of buying art
By Michelle Warren • Bankrate.com

She sells to people from all walks of life -- from dabblers to major collectors to business owners and investors -- and takes great pleasure in helping people connect with the right piece.

"There is something very exciting about buying your first piece of art," says Russ, adding that most buyers want to know a little bit about the artist and the thoughts behind a piece to give it context.

Who's buying?
Experts agree that first-time buyers come with a variety of backgrounds, budgets and knowledge. Some people get into the scene early, while others wait for a special occasion. Smith has a client who bought her first piece on her 50th birthday and found the process so intoxicating she's since amassed quite a collection.

When Toronto's Sarah and Phil Healey married two years ago, they asked family and friends to forgo traditional gifts and contribute instead toward a series of paintings that had caught their eyes in a local gallery.

"It was better than just asking for money -- this way people knew they were helping us buy something really special; we'll have them forever," says Sarah, adding that as 30-somethings combining two households, they had little need for toasters or crystal vases.

It's easy to educate yourself
There are plenty of ways to educate yourself about the Canadian art scene. Most large (and many smaller) galleries host information sessions, and it never hurts to check out magazines such as Canadian Art or Artforum and read newspaper reviews.

Smith encourages people to get to know gallerists and ask a lot of questions. She also advises people who are afraid to make a final commitment to ask if they can take a piece home for a few days and live with it. "Once it's in your own space, having a conversation with everything else in that space, you'll know."

That said, she discourages people from buying art because it matches their new couch, or, for that matter, solely as an investment.

For your first piece, try not to get caught up in the idea of investing in art. You should respond to art the way you do to music. If it stirs something within you, if it appeals to your sense of beauty or irony or emotion on some level, it's worth considering.

Of course, art can be a great investment -- if done right. For the past 50 years, art has outperformed the stock market. However, experts agree that the one thing you should never do is buy a piece of art you don't love. In most cases, in order for it to appreciate, you have to hold on to art for a long time. You want something that you can live with and enjoy in a larger sense, not just as a source of potential income.

Russ says she deals with some investors, but 75 percent to 80 percent of her customers "are wanting it because they like the piece -- it speaks to them about something."

This should really be the measure of a work's value: how much you like it. In order to figure out what you like, Smith says the best method is to get out there. "Trust yourself, visit galleries and ask questions. Nobody should not be buying art because they feel intimidated by a gallery or gallerist."

Be warned, however, that once you buy your first piece of original art, it can be addictive. There's nothing more rewarding than bringing something beautiful into your home and knowing that it's yours and yours alone.

Michelle Warren is a freelance writer living in Toronto.