Buying British art and prints for gifts and presents

Buying a gift for someone can be challenging at the best of times. Choosing contemporary British art, British paintings, or Limited Edition Prints as a gift or present for someone is no different. However, if you find the right item of British art the recipient of your gift will experience years of enjoyment and pleasure from your art gift. Everyone at Red Rag Gallery are always willing to provide help on ideas for British art presents whether you are looking for original contemporary paintings or limited edition prints. However we hope you find this British art article a useful start point:

Buying the right contemporary British art gift means considering several things. Before buying British art or paintings as a present or gift you may wish to ask yourself a few questions:

What type of British art gift or present?

It is key to choose the right piece of art for each individual. Art is very personal, so if you have viewed art works in the home of the recipient of your art gift it is a good start. You need to think about the style of British art or art prints they like. Consider the type of contemporary paintings and sculptures they have now. Are they abstract or realistic? Do they prefer some genres of paintings such as Landscape paintings, Marine paintings, Figure paintings, Figures or Still Life paintings? Or do they like Portrait paintings Another point to consider is which colours in paintings and art prints do they seem to prefer?

If you do not know the recipient well choosing British art as a gift or a present is much more difficult. The personal style of the person may be very different to the art at their home. Unless the person is an enthusiastic art collector, the original art or Limited Edition Print present is going to need to fit in with their interior design and taste. So generally it is a good idea to talk with someone else who knows the recipient's art interest well before selecting a British art gift.

It is important to know and select a British art present that they will appreciate. Even when you know art tastes well, finding exactly the right art gift can be a challenge. The British contemporary art market is varied, so it pays to focus your initial search to a manageable size.

Favourite place ' art gift Alan Kingsbury

How much do you wish to spend on an Art Gift or present?

Obviously the bigger the budget for art then the greater the choice becomes for a present. Your spend is usually the deciding factor in what art gift you can consider. For example: if you are looking for minimal spend on a British art gift then the Red Rag Limited Edition Prints or Ceramic Sculptures are a perfect gift. If your art budget is higher then Original British art and Bronze Sculptures make great art gifts. It pays to start by establishing how much you are willing to spend on an art present.

Small British art gift or large?

Once the budget and style of art has been decided you need to think about what size British art piece should you buy as a gift. You do not have to buy the biggest and most expensive when it comes to art presents. People usually appreciate a smaller piece of original art as a gift that meets all of the previous requirements just as much as a large art work. The same is true of Limited Edition Prints. Another factor with smaller art pieces is that it is much easier to find a suitable space at home for a small art work than a large piece.

If you are searching for a specific place in the home of someone you must have the measurements. Contemporary paintings and sculptures can end up being stored rather than being on show simply because they do not fit in anywhere else. You must also think carefully about the room and how the painting and frame would look when buying a British art gift or present.

Gift Idea: Limited Edition Print from Janet Ledger

TYPES of ART GIFTS and PRESENTS

British Art Gifts can be used for a variety of occasions such Birthdays, Christmas, Retirements, Business and Leaving presents. Choose subjects of interest to the recipient. Here are some ideas:

• Anniversary Gifts and Presents ideas
• Favourite places ' Architectural paintings
• Birthday Gifts and Presents
• Commission a Portrait painting
• Retirement and Leaving Gifts and Presents
• Sailing and boating' Marine paintings
• Walking and Gardening ' Landscape paintings
• Food and Wine ' Still Life painting
• Wedding Gifts and Presents ideas
• Favourite places ' Architectural paintings

Retirement Art Gift ' painting from David Eustace

Remember you usually have the opportunity of finding out what the intended recipient appreciates in art. This can be done discreetly or directly, depending on how much of a surprise you want the gift of original art, Limited Edition Prints or Sculptures to be. It is better to check what they want, rather than buy the wrong present.

Lastly if you find the above a little too much and want to be totally sure the recipient gets the right art gift then why not buy an Art Voucher from Red Rag Gallery. You simply decide how much you want to spend on your art present and we will provide an Art Gift Voucher which can be redeemed against payment for any of the British art, paintings, prints and sculptures on our websites or in the gallery.Art Gift vouchers are valid for 12 months from date of issue and are available in £ sterling and cannot be exchanged for cash.For further details of Art Voucher scheme contact the gallery