PICTURE PERFECT- How do I choose what is right?

"I don't know anything about art".... sound familiar? So many empty walls to fill, so much intimidating wall art. Art selection has always been a very personal matter, an intuitive process of narrowing down choices until you discover your own innate taste. Here are a few tips to help you in the hunt.

First, consider your own style. Are your rooms casual, eclectic, formal, traditional, contemporary, or country? Art should never match interiors exactly, but the theme should be similar. Color is also very important. Wall art should be complementary, never jarring. So don't depart too drastically from the room's palette and tonal quality. As a rule, bright colors create a more "active" visual environment, deeper colors and neutrals a more subdued one. Your should also consider the size of the wall art. Do you have a lot of wall space, or smaller, broken-up areas? Your available wall space will dictate what you need, whether it's a large focal point for the living room, or a group of prints to fill odd space in a narrow passage way.

Your price range will determine the best type-and value-of art work for you. Prints, paintings, and art photography vary widely in price. Often reproduction prints of famous works or those by lessor known artists are a superior value and can be so ingeniously framed and matted that they appear to be original art. Oil paintings reproduced onto canvas through a process called oleography can look fantastic and cost a fraction of the price of original art. Other processes include etchings, lithographs, and posters, too. . Also, keep in mind the appeal of a three-dimensional piece like tapestries, plaques, wall sculpture, architectural fragments, metal artifacts, and wall hangings. Often less expensive than traditional art, these objects lend a one-of-a-kind look to interiors. Look for rich materials like cast-iron, wood, or hand-painted tiles.

Determining the overall quality of wall art can sometimes be tricky. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all, and questions of quality are deceptive. You can evaluate mats and moldings by a certain yardstick of quality. But art is more difficult. The real test is how you respond, and how the piece fills your needs. The right artwork will emphasize your own personality and will be something you love.