apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I would try

http://www.beholder-art.com/
www.giantrobot.com

I happen to be an erotic photographer, and my prints seem to be in your price point. My website is www.samanthawolov.com, and I have a few more shots on my blog that I haven't uploaded yet. The URL is nekkidwithacamera.blogspot.com.

Let me know if you have any questions.

--Sam
samantha at his dot com.

You're in P-town? Go to first Thursday - isn't that when all the art galleries are open late and it's one big party? Should be a good place to at least see some stuff and get inspired (plus, last time I went there were fire dancers!), I would also keep an eye out for any craft fair-type things, if you go to enough you see some great stuff and the prices are usually much better than at a gallery. Most of what I have came from art fairs and I've never paid that much for 'em but you just have to keep an eye out (also they will often negotiate if you really love it and it's at the edge of your $ range).

This was posted recently on AT: Chicago, and I think it's a wonderful way to decorate on a budget.

http://chicago.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/how-to/how-to-make-fabric-art-031058

Try reprodepot or someplace like that for interesting vintage fabrics - I'm sure you can find hand-printed originals there as well.
Also, yard sales and flea markets rarely let me down; at the very least, you can buy reasonably nice frames on the cheap if you aren't quite ready to part with some of the nicer posters - just slip them in a frame! Even the little postcards I've held onto can fit in the frames, I just paint the cardboard backing a nice contrast color and center the postcard inside the frame.
Hope that helps -
Katie

Check out

http://www.dailypainters.com/

Highly recommended.

A lot of the art is small, but there are larger pieces as well. And there are literally hundreds of artists and their works available.

I love Etsy, but I find that a lot of the best work there is really small, under 12" by 12".

For larger pieces, check out eBay. Look under "Art" for the "Self-Representing Artists" category. You'll have to wade through a lot stuff to find the good pieces, but it's definitely worth a look.

I have had some luck with eBay but the search can be a drag - many many hours spent searching over many many months for a couple of pieces that I really like. You might want to try Lumas.com which features limited edition photographs (usually in 2 sizes) from some fantastic established and up and coming photographers. Ugallery.com features student works from around the country. Boundlessgallery.com also features some original works in your price range.

samantha9484, i just spent forever looking through your sites. awesome work!

aw, thanks!

PNCA (the pacific NW college of art at NW 12th and Johnson) holds a student art fair each year in december. They have great prices and beautiful work. Also, First Thursday in the Pearl.. kind of pricey unless you hit the Everett Street Lofts. Check out First Fridays in the central east side area (look up CEAD for a map of galleries) and of course Last Thursday on Alberta. who needs etsy etc.. when you can see the stuff in real life! Portland is an amazing resource for affordable high quality art. ( i do love etsy though.. great prints to be found)

i♥PDX

Rattus, thanks so much for posting that site. It's such a GEM! I think I will definitely be purchasing some work in the immediate future.

http://www.lumas.com

Buying art over the internet can be extraordinarily risky; not because the sellers may rip you off, but because a photo on a website cannot convey the subtle but important differences between an exciting piece by a talented artist and a clumsy effort by a hack.

You can buy a lot of decent art at an art auction, often for a fraction of the gallery price, especially if the artist has fallen out of fashion. Also groovy cafes often feature the work of struggling artists, usually for a low low price. Even little community art shows, like those put on by Rotary which invariably contain terrible florals by bored housewives, generally have one or two pieces that are actually not that bad.

Artspan's Open studios is online here:
http://www.artspan.org/

You can view a sample image of every participating artists work and links to their website

As a painter myself " http://www.lizamoveson.blogspot.com " and a member of the http://www.dailypainters.com gallery, I find that that is a very good site for buying art at affordable prices. You can find over 50 new paintings every day on the home page and more available artwork on the individual artist's gallery pages.
Definitely worth having a look! Enjoy, Liza

There are many wonderful artists with virtual galleries on Art.Net: http://www.art.net/

Some are amateurs, some are semi-pro, some are pros. They have great hosting for artists ($60/year, huge file and download allowances) and are run by artists.

Disclaimer: I are one! (amateur) http://www.art.net/studios/hackers/strata/

I saw this man's work at the Washington Sq. Art Show a few months ago and love it. Check it out:

http://elson.cc/gpsiteintro2.html

I wrote a series about affordable art called Taste Without a Trust Fund:

http://howtobuyart.blogspot.com/search?q=taste without trust

It has some locations to buy art in the $250 range by major artists. (Tip: Most artists donate small works to various charities during the year. They're often very affordable, and you can get some fabulous -- if small -- works).

check this out from ATNY-- original art and everything is $99.--

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/artwork/original-art-for-99-043543

http://20x200.com/