Original artwork can still be affordable Phoebe Olsen from Spineless Classics, which places the text of a book on one poster. "It's such a wildly loveable, creative idea," she says. Picture: Aaron Francis Source: Supplied Painting by Suzy Buhle, whose originals usually sell for less than $1000. Flash, by Alesandro Ljubicic, is almost 2m high, and sold for $3900. WHEN Alan Bond paid a record $US53.9 million for Vincent van Gogh's Irises in 1987, he didn't have the money to pay for it, so Sotheby's lent him $27 million. Three years later, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles took it off his hands for an undisclosed price. It's a safe bet Bond is not the only person who ever coveted art beyond his reach, but living on that kind of edge is not for Alan Ashman, a Sydney businessman who represents today's ascendant breed of art buyer: happy to spend, but only within their means. Art, Ashman says, is about comfort. And one of the most comfortable things is being able to afford it. "I wanted to buy something I liked and that I fell in love with when I saw it," Ashman says of his recent purchases, which include two pieces by Sydney artist Alesandro Ljubicic for $3400 and $3900, the latter a canvas almost 2m high entitled Flash. The fact it might appreciate in value over time was an absolute bonus. He also bought two similarly priced pieces by Perth artist Rob Forlani from Katrina Hampton, who runs Double Bay's Art2Muse Gallery, which started as an online business in 2001. "I opened a physical gallery four years ago because people wanted to see the paintings in the one place," Hampton says. About 18 months ago I moved into an even larger space with one continuous frontage. People don't even need to come in; sometimes they see something while driving past, phone me and buy the piece. Paintings, sculptures, it doesn't really matter. They're looking for something that catches the eye, something worthwhile. But there are a couple of important psychological tipping points when contemplating affordable art. "Artworks priced under $3500 are bought on impulse whereas a painting priced over $5000 takes more deliberation," Hampton says. The global financial crisis had no discernible impact on her business, she says. If anything, sales became stronger because rather than buying bigger homes people were choosing to renovate, and the logical endpoint of a renovation is a nice piece, or pieces, of artwork. It also means they're finding those pieces which represent value but are still classic and unique pieces without going over the top. I represent about 95 artists and I'm struggling to keep that number below 100 because I've got enough on my books at the moment to keep me busy. Figurative artist Suzy Buhle, from Boonah in Queensland, says her clients prefer to own something original and are prepared to pay for it, although usually they part with less than $1000. "I've got quite a few repeat buyers; one lady has collected nine of my works and there is another with 12," she says. Buhle has long been honing her stylistic interpretation of women and, occasionally, rural scenes. There is a swing back toward art for art's sake, not as a decorative afterthought but because art has inherent value for people. I think people see the virtue today more than ever of an original piece ... it's certainly more sought after than a lifeless print of a print. There is also a trend among art lovers to buy works for their children at the affordable, innovative end of the market. Spineless Classics in Melbourne, for example, places the entire text of a book on a single poster, with a design inspired by the novel; prices range from about $70 to $150. "Nobody else is doing this in Australia and it's such a wildly loveable, creative idea," says owner Phoebe Olsen. Melbourne mother Sally Frawley, 42, ordered a creation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. "Ethan was absolutely ecstatic when he opened this up on his 11th birthday in June," Frawley says. He has hung it next to a painting that our next-door neighbour has done for him, right above his bed, and told me it will be something he will treasure for the rest of his life.