Art doesn't have to cost tens of thousands. I guess I don't really understand not finding anything you like outside of museums -- my "problem" (if you could call it that) is that I always seem to be falling in love with a painting or photo, and I've just run out of wall space! I think if you're going to limit yourself to only liking masterpieces, then you're either going to have to settle for prints, or be willing to shell out the huge bucks.

Have you ever perused Etsy or eBay for original paintings? I think you can find some amazing work there, and it doesn't force you to have to take a second mortgage in order to afford it.

I attended a seminar one day given by an "Antiques" expert....about "decorative items".
She showed things like a frame full of the works of an old and non working clock...the hands, dial, cog wheels etc...artfully arranged. Another with a blown up photo, edges feathered..., another with a collage of seed packets. Cut out campbell's soup labels and make your own Andy Warhol. Do a rubbing of a tomb stone and mat and frame it, gather some ole yellowing letters and frame them with a piece of blue ribbon. Dry some flowers and frame an arrangement, do some spray paint leaf stencils....frame travel posters. Take your camera....go take pictures....crop well and have them printed....
The possibilities are endless!

I love the ideas posted by Lindac regarding mounting and framing meaningful or interesting items as wall decor. I also like using collections of plates or mirrors. Etsy is a good source of original art, as SunnyCottage said, and so are local galleries that feature local artists.

I do not make my own art, am not very knowledgeable about art, have not inherited or invested (much) in art so will suggest how you may find something artistic to hang on your walls or display in other ways.

The second hand venues are often the best places to find items that are no longer wanted. There is a glut on the market of home decor items that baby-boomers were left by relatives and do not want, nor do their children. I've found many original oils and watercolors at yard sales and never paid more than $20 for a framed original oil. Thrift stores may also be a source as are antique stores which are not always expensive places to shop and especially good if you like vintage or antique art.

Another good source for me are small art galleries. I've found a few nice originals there and the price is quite reasonable.

I'm also running out of wall space altho that's not stopping me from collecting as I find original art more rewarding decorative items than the ubiquitous "made in China" stuff from big box stores.

Of course one can not be in a hurry and must only buy items that appeal to oneself with no concern over what others will think of it. I constantly watch for items as I am out and about, especially when traveling, and have a long mental list of things I'd like to find. I do much more 'window shopping' than real shopping but when I find something I like I buy it immediately.

I agree that nice wall decor does not have to be an oil painting with a gilded frame.

To me, wall decor can be just about anything as long as it evokes a positive emotional response and is creatively executed. I think if you get hung up on the fact that wall decor has to be valuable you are short changing yourself.

I buy old maps, book prints and antique signs from places we like to visit. They will never be "Art" but framed nicely and put in a perfect spot they look great in my house.

I recently bought something at a craft show. It's a large rectangular piece from an old tin roof. It's painted in a crazy folk art style with a stick picture of a house and the phrase "tin roof rusted". It hangs in my teen daughter's loft. We spent lots of time in the car shouting those words with the B52's on the radio. If someone saw it and didn't know about the B52's they would think it was a bit nuts.I know that "art" and "Art" that speaks to me does not always speak to others. That's okay though.

This post brings to mind why the "Home Interiors" home parties were such a success. Once upon a time ladies would gather in homes and be schooled on colorful, intriguing wall decor. Now all that is "tacky" or blasai...yet here we are wondering how to dress our empty walls. I am blessed. I have never yearned for a framed picture, "art" that cost beyond my budget. If I like something and see say it costs $500 for a poster..my "like" of it would quickly fade. I would never let someone convince me it is "worth" the price to spend $$$ on "proper" framing. I have never gone shopping for just the right picture for a given space. When out and about I have seen paintings/pictures I liked and bought. After I got home I found the place for it. I buy what I like and it all works out!

I have plenty of original Art... none costing thousands of dollars.

We have done very well at good local art fairs. Though it's possible to spend a fortune there, we have also found pieces by very good local artists at moderate (though not cheap) prices.

Pricing for second hand pieces or pieces created by local talent can vary depending on the area. My sister can easily find good, affordable oil paintings by local artists in Kansas City art fairs and sidewalk sales. Here in my corner of Connecticut -- with a large artist population, many art guilds & galleries -- it seems like the market is savvier. Even the thrift shops cull out the good stuff & raise the prices considerably. Maybe I just haven't found the right sales venues yet. But I'm getting a little envious of people's good finds for good prices that I see here!

My photography club has an annual exhibit which I entered for the first time, held at our library. I was shocked to see the others putting prices of $250 for their work.
"Do they get those prices?" I asked a member. No, but if you price too low, then people think the work must be inferior, so better to inflate. "Has anybody sold a photo?" I asked. Again, no, but if you do sell, you split the profit with the library. Fair enough. I showed two 8x10 photos and priced them for $25 each. The director asked me to raise the prices. "But I just printed them out on my ink jet printer," I said. "They're not a quality photo print." She raised my prices to $75 a piece anyway.

Look to exhibits at local colleges and universities that have fine arts programs. Many times if you like a piece by one of the exhibitors then they also have additional work you can view that you will like as well. I've picked up some very nice pieces for not very much money and am happy to support a real local starving artist rather than the production line art sellers that merely mass produce drivel. Heck, look at your local high school arts program (if it still exists with the budget cuts) and make a high schooler's day by offering him $50 for one of his canvases.

I also echo Lindac's suggestions to create your own decorative items. If you have any small items that you've inherited, then a shadow box with them in it can be personal and meaningful as well as decorative. Old music that your grandmother played on her piano, a quilt scrap from the coverlet that you had as a child, a cherished doll and accessories, a football jersey, a famous person's autograph....whatever you are interested in can be framed and decorate your home in a manner that is meaningful to you.

I completely relate to the OP. I am not "artsy" and am rarely drawn to art. I hardly ever like anything enough to give it a permanent home on my walls. I am definitely not the type to buy a piece without thinking about where it will go. Finally, I do not like clutter and like things to be practical, functional or at least meaningful. Do I sound like the Grinch yet? :)

kitschyKitch, I suggest you think about your passions and interests when thinking of how to fill your walls.

For example, I love gardening and history. Thus, framing botanical prints in a grouping for a large wall made sense for me. (Yes, it is getting overdone... but the wall grouping makes me happy.)

Because of practical reasons, I do like mirrors on my walls. I just put up a large mirror in my office to fill an empty wall. It beautifully reflects light into the room, which makes the crystals in the chandelier dance.... love it.

In another room, I have framed antique maps of where we are from.... coupling my love of history with some meaning.

If none of that entices you, look at catalogs (even PB and RH) and home decor magazines..... look at what they put on the walls.... does any of it look nice to you? PB mags typically have wall displays with unique items..... might inspire you to go to an antique store and look around...

I will say two things in defense of proper framing.

The first is that well-chosen and well-proportioned mats and frames can give any image a remarkable lift, and allow you to see it at its best. Sort of like dressing for a wedding instead of to run out to the garden center...both fine, but one is more appealing to look at, and more respectful of the image.

The second, and the more important, is that a mat and/or backer board that is high in acid, and the wrong adhesives, will do a lot of damage.

I think it is always worth the extra cost to use acid-free archival mat board and backer boards, to attach prints or photographs or water colors or any works on paper with acid-free archival linen tape, and to make sure that there is a paper dust cover on the back of the finished frame.

It has been said....that a good framing job can make a picture cut from a magazine look good. But when you cut out a picture from a magazine, you don't need to spend a lot on rag mats and acid free glue.
I can only think of one "thing" on my walls that is a photographic repro...many are original lithographs and etchings and ther are water colors and oils....and one of my favorite things...well sort of...it is water color of mops and buckets. I bought it at an art show silent auction for charity. It was done by a Korean exchange student and donated to the sale....and I guess not many liked a picture of mops and buckets....but it's perfect for the basement stairway where the mops are kept! I think It cost $5.

I bought an old picture at an auction strictly for the frame. When I pulled off the cardboard on the back, on the inside of it was laminated a paper print of a watercolor showing an old man sitting in a park in autumn with a squirrel in a tree over him, obviously twittering and twitching its tail, falling leaves everywhere. The cardboard picture may have been part of an advertisement or something before it was cut up to back the banal oil in the frame--but totally charming! I did put my own oil in that old frame and had the old guy and squirrel professionally framed. (BTW, you have to stick your nose in a frame to suspect a print of a watercolor isn't the real thing, and even then...). :)

Now, Kitschy, if you really can't find anything outside a museum you like, it sounds like it's very important to you that art work be not just good, but original. I'd suggest taking an extra $20 cash every time you go to the grocery store, tucking it away, and seeing what you can do with, oh, several months' accumulation. $600-1000 won't buy a masterpiece, but these days that can purchase a very competent piece from a talented listed artist and give you a lot of fun shopping.

I could not agree more with Bronwynsmom about good framing. Along those lines, I regularly scout for good frames at thrift stores and antique shows just to have them on hand to use when I have an item that needs a frame.

Like others have mentioned, student and community art shows are great places to look for inexpensive art. I live in the Northeast and there are lots of talented artists who show work at "Open Studios" events, community art centers, etc. I have a very open approach to art - and I don't over think it. When see art I like (as in "like," not "love") I am totally happy to acquire it if it's not particularly expensive, and I almost always find that I grow to love it when it is on my walls. Perhaps you could visit some flea markets or thrift shops and try to buy a few inexpensive paintings (in the range of $10-20) that you like "well enough" - put them on a wall and see what happens. Sometimes you have to really scout for these bargains but they are out there. It would be like dipping your toe in the water to see if you can find some things you like even if you don't love them.

I love your Art Annie, especially the driftwood above the picture.

here's my 'art'...

...painted by DH while recovering and tucked behind glass at the range in the kitchen.

I love it. Eye of the beholder and all.

Thanks, musicteacher...Mom was into driftwood many years back and her father came across this piece and gave it to her...I've always liked it and kept it.

I love vintage art, landscapes, portraits, pastorial scenes with farm animals, with a dark background, or dark colorations. Most have been purchased from antique/thrift shops, Estate sales, and auctions. I've been fortunate to find them in original frames also, which is sometimes an added expense when buying art. I have oils and prints and mix them together in vignettes since the 'darkness' in the colors brings uniformity to a grouping.

Your biggest problem will be choosing art of a particular category or want to mix it up.

Here is a link that might be useful: European pastoral scene

I love vintage art, landscapes, portraits, pastorial scenes with farm animals, with a dark background, or dark colorations. Most have been purchased from antique/thrift shops, Estate sales, and auctions. I've been fortunate to find them in original frames also, which is sometimes an added expense when buying art. I have oils and prints and mix them together in vignettes since the 'darkness' in the colors brings uniformity to a grouping.

Your biggest problem will be choosing art of a particular category or want to mix it up.

Here is a link that might be useful: European pastoral scene

Of course there is a difference between 'art' and 'wall decor' altho there's probably a lot of overlap and many differing opinions on how some things might be termed. For example while most of the decorative plates I've hung on my walls are 'wall decor' I have some that are handpainted and are more 'art'. Most of my mirrors are 'wall decor' but the ones with frames I decorated with seashells have been called 'art' by some altho I call them a craft. Another subject!

Decorating with 'wall decor' might be the way to go until one finds things that one considers true 'art'. Nothing wrong with 'wall decor'.

Let's see:

We have very old portraits -- done in oil ... bought YEARS ago on EBay ...

We have old Ouija boards plus an original theater poster for a magicican from the 30s ....

We have very very old land deeds framed and hung in the office ....

An old tapestry in the guest room ....

Old prints ... from any and every source that comes to mind ...

Art is truly in the eye of beholder ... and art comes from every and all kinds of sources ...

Here is a link that might be useful: Example of a grid of prints from designer Phoebe Howard

Perhaps the OP is undergoing a little bit of "analysis paralysis?"

We have all sorts of art from original oils and acrylics to canvas glycee prints. If we see something that speaks to us, we buy it.

Where I used to live, there was an amazing local gallery who had great stuf. Overall, local gallery crawls and sidewalk festivals are great. We bought two items from a street festival in San Francisco, and I won this small acrylic painting at my conference's silent auction. Apparently, I was the only person it spoke to since I was the only bidder on it. Oh well, *I* like it, and that is all that counts.

What a treasure, CelticMoon! In fact, it's such a NICE picture that I'd like to have it myself, when, of course, it has 0 deeper meaning for me. Lucky you (picture and DH).

Thanks Rosie. That painting is a pleasure for me on so many levels - the crazy coloring, the "art" labeling, the primitiveness... I am way too constrained to create that freely. And then there is the personal - knowing all DH was going through at the time and his very surprising decision to try painting for respite. It inspires me.
For the OP, reflect on what is appealing to you about those museum pieces you like. Crystalize that as best you can. Any gallery would be happy to help you discover works you love, for a price. If that price is prohibitive, try 'lesser' galleries, student art shows, resale shops, art fairs - just look and trust yourself to respond. Let yourself make a mistake or two, it's the only way to learn what you really love.

And yes, framing can make all the difference.

I think I mis"spoke" a bit here. I tend to think of oil paintings when i say something as broad as "art". And in that case, I still do find that I do not care for most amateur oils, and even in galleries I see a lot of things that strike me as mediocre. I should add that i prefer representational art. I should just go to a few auctions.

As for the myriad other types of art, these are some great suggestions.