Building an art collection while shopping local

If you buy art that you love without concern for how it will fit in your home's décor, you'll truly have a personalized collection with one-of-a-kind elements.

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Starting or building an art collection while shopping local is easier than ever—with rising artists, revamped spaces and galleries offering art to fit any décor and taste imaginable.

"Once you're bitten by the bug of collecting original art, you can't stop," says Louis Perticone, founder of Elizabeth Collection/ArtisanWorks on Blossom Road, which has a huge collection of art for sale and viewing. "Typically, decorators helping with homes—even the wealthiest homes—pull prints or silkscreens from catalogs to match the décor. But real, original art is more evocative."

Perticone's background is in psychology, which suits his artistic role well. "Art is how it makes you feel."

So when shopping for art, don't think about your or what guests will think. "Never buy a piece to fit into a spot," says Perticone. "Buy it because you're absolutely, madly in love with it—because it moves you."

Collect like that and you'll truly have a personalized décor with one-of-a-kind elements—ones you happen to love.

Jennifer Lotta of Pittsford began her art collection with an oil painting, Boats on Canvas, by a Toronto artist, Sabina. She bought it at the Nan Miller Gallery, soon to reopen in the Neighborhood of the Arts.

"I loved the bright colors and textures of the oil, and I wanted something a little different than a meadow or landscape," she says.

Still, she was concerned about the painting matching or fitting into her décor. But its visibility became a virtue. "My house is decorated in browns and beiges, so the color in the painting was just what I wanted to make the wall pop."

Staff from the gallery visited Lotta's space to help her select the piece and even let her "live with it" for the weekend to see how it looked at different times of day. When she decided she wanted it, the staff hung it, as well.

"I really feel the artwork fills in and completes the space. The room feels cozier and brighter. I now know it's about what I like—not necessarily what matches, but what accentuates and complements."

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