So what do you put on your walls?  We all have quite definite tastes – personally, for example, I’m not mad about splashy flashy pieces that seem a bit incoherent and pointless, or yet another picture of Marilyn Munro or Mick Jagger  – but that’s just me of course, you might think they’re great!

The first and most important thing about choosing a piece of art is that you really, really like it (duh!). Secondly, although a good painting should be happy to live anywhere – think of those amazing rooms you see in magazines like Interiors, where modern furniture is combined with Renaissance paintings – you should still consider how it will look in your room.

If your home is very traditional, are you sure you could live with a piece of pop art? If your dining area is purple, is it a good idea to have a brightly coloured painting of oranges?  Size speaks for itself of course – the painting can’t be bigger than your wall! – but then you might want to think about whether you hang an arrangement of smaller paintings or just one big one.

Here are a few of the things that grabbed my attention at the recent Affordable Art Fair.

Inject some colour

If it’s just a blast of colour you’re after, how about these paintings by Henrik Simensen. The one in the thumbnail on the left is part of a series, in which each one has a different vivid colour combination, scarlet and turqouise. blue and yellow The outlines of plants are light and quite fluid, so not overwhelming if your room is small.  So if your room is crying out for something other than a traditional landscape, still life or watercolour, maybe this is it.

Exquisite Vietnamese paintings

I have come across Raquelle Azran and her stunning Vietnamese art before, but every time I see it I fall in love. Her artists all live and work in Vietnamis The thumbnail to the right is by  Dinh Thi Tham Poong who paints scenes from the village life she experienced when growing up. Her technique is beautiful and the paintings are both incredibly still and graceful, and full of a kind of rhythm. Apparently the size of the feet in her figures reflects the rootedness of the villagers in the earth. I haven’t got room here to feature any of the other artists, but pop over to Raquelle’s site and check them out for yourself.

The opulence of gold

Gold leaf is a beautiful material and can bring a hint of opulence to a room. Jack Frame has produced some gorgeous works depicting trees in blossom set on a gold background. It seems that trees are a favourite theme of his. The pictures are very simple, even quite minimalist-  in a non-minimalist sort of way! Some people might call them girly – and in truth they wouldn’t look bad in a boudoir – but I think they would hang well on most walls.

Fabulous photos

Some people aren’t that keen on photo art, but some of it is really creative and it seems somehow very in tune with 21^st Century life and our obsession with Instagram, Pinterest and the like. Some people are also not that comfortable with images of faces hanging on their wall, but I have to say I was very impressed with James Sparshott’s photos of tribal African faces.  In the show they were hanging in a very impressive group, but just one could look amazing in the right setting.  Many of the portrait on his website document faces and cultures that are slowly disappearing.

Love life, love art!

And finally, like life, art is a love affair. But sometimes love and life can get the better of us all so you might want to hang this  photo print from the Jealous gallery in Shoreditch over your bed –  just to remind you!