Jill Clark is the founder and principal agent of Magnet Management, a multi-national agency that represents over 100 artists worldwide. In addition, Ms. Clark is a professional art consultant for a number of wealthy collectors and art connoisseurs. Her impressive track record includes the placement of numerous masterworks valued over a million dollars. Through Magnet Management she has organized dozens of high-level international art exhibitions in conjunction with leading museums and private galleries. Her work regularly takes her abroad, where she represents artists from over 20 countries and regularly attends international art exhibitions at all levels. Now Ms. Clark lends her years of experience and knowledge to the Ooks.com readership, as we explore the significant process of "Choosing Your Art".

There are a number of steps everyone should take prior to purchasing their first piece of art. Unfortunately, people sometimes become dissatisfied with art they have purchased, often because they failed to ask themselves a few critical questions up front. Once you have decided that you are interested in purchasing art, ask yourself these questions:

• What do I like?
• What is my purpose?
• How much time do I have?

Although it may seem ridiculous, many people purchase art, some many times over, without discovering what it is they truly like. Regardless of whether purchasing for investment, prestige or inspiration, art should represent the qualities you wish to see and be reminded of on a regular basis. There is a stark contrast between the beauty of impressionism, with its soft and pleasing colors reflecting idealized settings, and the often-brutal detail of surrealism. It is important to spend the time to understand, at least in general terms, the art movements of the past, so that you can view a modern artist's work in a historical context. Modern art has the widest spectrum of styles and emotional expressions. Therefore, it is important to be aware of those styles and emotions that you wish to capture in your own collection. What may be ugly or offensive to some may be the next central piece for another collector. Along this same theme, it is also important to consider different mediums, including painting, sculpture, and mixed media. Spend some quality time in either a museum or gallery exploring art. Only through an up-close examination will a piece or style truly stand out.

Once you have a good concept of what type of art is desirable, the next question becomes "why am I buying art?" The notion of collecting art solely as an investment is rarely a good idea. If it is your desire to make money quickly, invest in tech stocks or solid commodities, as art is usually a lifetime investment that rarely sees significant return. This is not to say that you can't buy an original work by the next Picasso, which could yield a thousand times your original investment; unfortunately, this is just about as likely as winning the lottery. If you do choose to buy art primarily as an investment, it is critical that you either consult with an expert or spend a significant amount of time researching your purchase.

Another reason people purchase art is prestige; often to show-off a new work in a social setting. Ownership of art has always been associated with the cultural elite, and to this day a person's art often says more about its owner than the owner does about their art. If this is a factor, it is important to consider what message you would like people to receive about you when experiencing your art. Are you a lover of the classics, a revolutionary embodied by cubism or a cutting-edge thinker in tune with the latest trends in modern art? All of these pieces and movements speak volumes about their owners, whether or not that is the intention.

A third (and perhaps the ideal) reason for purchasing art is for personal inspiration or uplifting of the soul. If you are buying art led entirely by your own desires, know them intimately. Take the time to truly explore what is available to you and what piece or pieces you would want to surround you. Every work of art holds its own message that is as unique as our individual interpretations. Finding the correct match can be very time consuming, and at the same time an extremely rewarding process, the rewards for which can last a lifetime.

The final consideration in purchasing art is the amount of time one can spend doing so. If your time is limited, it is wise to seek professional assistance. This too can be wrought with pitfalls, but we'll share with you are a few basics. Most people's initial instinct is to contact a local gallery that carries pieces within their budget. Gallery owners tend to be knowledgeable, but, like anyone else, this is their business. Consulting just a single gallery will often limit your options to only the art carried by that gallery, which can easily lead to a poor selection in the end. The other mistake that people often make is using their interior designer as an art consultant. This is not to say that there are no interior designers with extensive experience in the art world; one must simply be careful. Interior designers often have no more knowledge of art than an educated layman, and are therefore likely to only recommend artists or galleries with whom they are familiar. The best choice is always to select a consultant who has no direct ties to a single artist or gallery. This will give you the widest range of choices and greatest amount of experience to draw upon.

Once you have asked yourself these qualifying questions and determined an amount you are willing to spend, it is time to start looking. The first and most obvious place to begin is at local galleries. If possible, one should make an effort to visit galleries in larger cities, where there is a higher population of living and working artists. Beyond the galleries, there are a number of major art exhibitions that take place throughout the country. Some famous shows include Art San Francisco, Art Chicago, Art Miami, and the Armory Exhibit in New York. At these large international exhibitions hundreds of leading contemporary artists, as well as galleries displaying a wide range of styles, are available for your perusal. A final shopping opportunity is found at local art festivals. These festivals often attract nationally touring artists showing many wonderful pieces available for purchase, especially for the more thrifty art buyer.

Now that you've identified where you will begin your search for the perfect piece, it is important to know how artists are grouped, and the strengths and shortcomings each group possesses. The term Emerging Artist is applied to young or up-and-coming artists who are just beginning their careers. This category yields a great deal of cutting-edge, exciting art, but it also contains a lot of garbage. You must be extremely careful in selecting art from this field; just as in hiring a new employee, one should be particularly scrutinizing of an artist's track record. Worthwhile artists possess a résumé of their gallery shows and other exhibits. But a résumé should not be taken at face value. It is important to research the quality of the galleries an artist has shown in - even calling the gallery to get their feedback can be a good idea. After all, if you're going to spend $10,000, is it wiser to get a large canvas from an emerging artist or a pencil sketch by Vincent Van Gogh. It is important to know that an artist is committed: they may be full time now, but will they still be working in 10 years?

This brings us to our next classification: 'Mid-Career Artists' - those who have established themselves as working professional artists for at least 10 years, marked by a number of prominent shows or gallery exhibits. Most mid-career artists will have at least one piece in a modern art museum or in a significant collection of a prominent collector. With proper research, a mid-career artist can be an excellent investment as they are about to come into their prime.

Established Artists are artists with a lifetime commitment to their art and a track record that reflects this. Artists in this category tend to be much more expensive as they are widely recognized as a good investment. Often, the established artist's work is featured in periodicals and art journals, in addition to hanging in museums. Exhibits by such artists are usually widely attended and can be quite exciting events. The older an established artist becomes, the more valuable their work becomes, as their inevitable death will mean an end to their creating.

The final category is, of course, Dead Artists. This includes the widest range - all the way from masterpieces by the great geniuses of our time to pieces that never rise above obscurity. With good research or professional consultation, your best investment opportunity lies with dead artists. Their works also carry a significant amount of prestige, as acquiring any such works carries with it a certain degree of difficulty. Even so, it is important to remember: just because an artist is dead does not necessarily mean they are good.

As a final consideration, once you have found the perfect piece of art; now it needs to be incorporated into your interior design. There are two important factors to consider beyond the design itself: first, when displaying multiple piece of art, it is important to identify the theme of the pieces. Are they all classical artwork or paintings of landscapes? Often people will choose an eclectic theme, perhaps including other decorative elements such as antiques or photography. Whatever your theme is, it is important to keep this them in mind when finalizing an interior space. This unification brings us to our second main point is that of an art pieces display, in particular it's frame, or in the case of sculpture, its pedestal. Often these elements can help tie a room together, for example, when combining a modern abstract work with Grandmother's Victorian couch; a stained wood frame may unite these two otherwise contradicting styles together. Remember these simple principals and you will have great success in filling your life with beauty, culture, and inspiration.