I recently started buying art online and have been enjoying the process. It took me a while though to figure out how to start my own collection, and this is how I do it.

I’m interested in buying directly from artists, getting the chance to talk to them and understand what they are doing now, and what they are planning to do in the future, and without a gallery around, the conversation is usually much more personal and most of the time prices can be better. I also gain a feeling that I become part of the artist’s career.

So instead of going out there looking for art, I announce on Works that I’m looking to buy a piece, I share my budget range and ask artists to send me their portfolios. In the art world this process is called Open Call and it is used a lot by art institutions and awards.

In the period of 10 days I usually received several online artist portfolios from around the world. Some are OK, many of them are great, and a few are always amazing, I feel like buying everything! I use the free open call tool on Works to manage the call and the selection. The simple rating system makes it very easy to review and rate each portfolio. It takes me about an hour to end up with my top 5 artists and I contact them directly, asking for offers. After about a week I make my decision and buy one piece.

I keep in contact with several artists and I hope I get a chance to buy from them as well. This art buying experience is amazing, I repeat it every Q and now I’m already announcing my 4th open call.

If you are looking to buy art, I recommend to try it in this way, it’s a good experience.

You can get access to the Works tool here