The first work I ever bought was at a show very similar to this one. I didn't spend much money, £200 I think, but at the time it felt as if it was more than I could really afford. So did I regret it? Not for an instant: it was the best investment I ever made, as it has given me unending pleasure for years.

I have yet to come across a collector who is sorry they bought a work because it was too costly - it is always the one that got away that fills them with regret. That doesn't mean you should spend vast sums of cash ensuring you beat your opposition at auction, or that you should commit thousands after just glimpsing a work for fear of losing out. Art needs consideration, and there's nothing like the old maxim "buy in haste, repent at leisure" to keep you in check. Spend time with the work, and question yourself about it - does it grab you in your heart? Is it the best work by that artist that you want and can afford?

If your budget is limited, don't spend all your days looking for cheap, off-day paintings or unfinished sculptures - instead consider collecting artists' prints, which are surprisingly affordable (even for the modern masters), or work by young, emerging artists.

That brings us back to the Discerning Eye, which presents work by both printmakers and new talent alongside more senior artists, so there is a range of work to suit most tastes, and prices to suit most pockets. And above all, open exhibitions like this one are not intimidating in the way that galleries can be. So go on, give it a go.

You never know, you might like it...

Charlotte Mullins

 

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