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publications produced specifically for artists and contain up to date information on diverse subjects ranging from the latest techniques in pastel painting to dates for upcoming exhibitions and art contests. Knowing the ins and outs of what's happening at the cutting edge of the art world is essential to keeping up with current trends. Attending a few of those listed exhibitions and art contests will be a beneficial experience too.

Contests are run annually as fundraisers by many special interest groups and sporting clubs. Artists pay a set fee per piece to enter the contest, and most of these pieces will also be for sale at very reasonable prices. The club will often invite one or two accomplished artists to exhibit their work, take part in judging and maybe even donate one of their artworks to be raffled during the course of the contest. Chances are that the next Rembrandt is right at this moment putting the finishing touches on his first major work in preparation for entry into your local annual art contest, or not, but it doesn't hurt to take a look. More likely is the chance you will pick up a wonderful painting by a talented aspiring young artist at a bargain price.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing a piece of art as an investment. The key to making a good choice is discovering your own personal likes and dislikes and putting them together with the knowledge you have garnered in your travels to form an idea of what will suit your taste and budget. Approximately 20 percent of all works of art sold will consistently hold their value. Some of those will steadily increase in value, and a small percentage will rise rapidly to produce returns many times over the original purchase price.

All the knowledge in the world won't guarantee that your art investment falls into that small lucrative category, but a knowledgeable, well developed opinion of what constitutes beauty will guarantee you make the right choice for you. The worst that can happen is you wake up each morning to a work of art that is, in your eyes, a thing of beauty to behold.

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