Shoestring art makes a splash_英文原版

 

browsing galleries for expensive works of art used to be reserved for the well-to-do but smart art direct aims to make beautiful paintings accessible to everyone.

the team at smart art direct produce an ever-changing range of oil and acrylic paintings on canvas without the hefty price tag. the average piece costs $250.

from showrooms at botany, the central coast, cronulla and melbourne, smart art sells 500-700 paintings a month. the average gallery sells three or four.

"the more i can move, the cheaper i can sell them," says director scott hepburn.

formerly a property developer, mr hepburn started the business in june, 1995.

unlike the paintings in eastern suburbs galleries, he says smart art's paintings are more about putting colour on walls and matching artworks to a room's decor.

much of the artwork on display in smart art's showrooms is modern, abstract and stylistic. classics such as the mona lisa are given a quirky spin.

"this is a feel-good product, i relate it to fashion," mr hepburn says.

a team of six comes up with the concept for each painting and, once a month, they brief a team of artists in their indonesian studio on what is required.

the indonesian studio employs 120 trained artists who are paid for each picture they produce.

a maximum of 30 paintings of the same design are produced but each is slightly different -- hence the "original" label.

"because it's hand-painted and not done by machine, it's considered original."

the artists don't sign their own paintings once completed. instead, the studio employs someone to do the signatures to make sure they don't take away from the artworks.

mr hepburn stresses that what smart art direct is not trying to do is compete with australian artists.

"this is about colour on walls. it's a decor item," he said.

their aim is to have a buyer walk away with a piece of art that not only sparks an emotional connection but is also practical in terms of the space, colour and lighting where the painting will hang.

"choosing art is first and foremost a personal preference and should be appreciated and not necessarily understood," mr hepburn says.

he is the first to admit he is no art expert.

"i profess to know nothing about art but i know what i like."

mr hepburn relies on artist kate kelly and interior designer bridie coolahan to run the creative side of the business and they are also shareholders.

they joke that any series of paintings mr hepburn says he doesn't like always tends to become a best seller.

ms kelly and ms coolahan pay regular visits to furniture stores to keep tabs on what decor trends are emerging and design their artworks accordingly.

many of smart art's current paintings are textured and feature bold colours.

"people are being more adventurous with their interiors these days and are shying away from the usual chocolate browns and neutrals," ms coolahan says.

when he started the business, mr hepburn's market research told him that families would be their target market. "we thought it would be mums and dads and joe averages but it's proved to be everyone."

customers range from families who have always wanted to buy a painting to people who live in the wealthiest suburbs of sydney and leave the showroom having purchased 18 pieces to adorn their homes.

home owners readying their property for sale and developers looking to adorn display units and houses are also regular customers.