Found it at the Market- Flea Market Art

As most of my readers know my husband is in the military and we move a lot, like 9 times in the last 14 years a lot. Every move means a new house. Some of our houses have had more space than others so furniture is always coming and going depending on the space. The one thing I find I always have space for is art. In the hallway, bathrooms, floor to ceiling if needed, there is always a spot the hang something on the wall.

I know there are collectors out there that collect fine art masterpieces but I love to collect flea market art. It is beautiful,and cheap and very often comes already framed. Bonus points for a good frame. I have spent fair sums of money for flea market art but my max was probably around $100 on a single piece but most of my purchases being under $20. I love this frugal art!

Years ago I started a paint-by-number collection it has grown quite a bit over the years. I am always on the hunt for a new piece but here and Germany I haven’t found too many. So I have found some new things to collect!

One of those is German Lithographs. These are prints that have the look of a pen and ink drawing. The drawing style is quite delicate but the prints themselves can range in size from large poster sizes down to a 1″ square.  The subject matter is most often a German cityscape but I have found a few that vary and I have to say these are my favorites.  The lithograph below of the tree over a pond is just beautiful.

These lithographs you can find just about everywhere. On our first trip to Germany I bought a tiny one from a shop in Heidelberg for $18. Last week I bought one very similar from the thrift store here in Heilsbronn for $.75

Art does not have to be expensive…

My second collection is of paper cut silhouettes. I have a few I purchased in the States but I really started to collect them once I moved to Germany. These are most often black paper hand cut into silhouettes or scenes adhered to a white paper backing.  These paper cuts were quite popular in France during the 18th century and although many I have purchased appear quite old I have been unable to find an actual date on any.

These silhouettes can be quite intricate which means they are also bit more pricey, but even then the prices range from $10 to $50. A pretty good deal in my book for an original piece of framed art.

So don’t be intimidated by buying art. It doesn’t have to be a museum masterpiece just beautiful to YOU.  Garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores, street venders, art is everywhere and often very inexpensive.

And remember everything makes a statement when displayed in a collection, so you can keep shopping until you run out of wall!

I have a LOT of wall left…