DECATUR - Judging by the brisk trade, it was hard to imagine too many painters having to miss meals after the "Starving Artists" sale, hosted Sunday at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel.

The event featured hundreds of original oil paintings on subjects ranging from Mediterranean seascapes to rainy views of Paris and still life in styles dabbling in everything from conventional to Impressionist.

The price was right, too, with 8-inch-by-10 inch canvasses selling for $7 and 24-by-36 works fetching $59. With framing available, it was one-stop shopping.

"I'm trying to match my artwork up with my decor," explained Kay Trummel, shopping with her husband, Phil, and clutching one of the larger paintings that showed a serene Mediterranean-style village with rustic red hues she found appealing.

"I was shopping for something I liked, and this picture will be for an entryway," added Trummel, who lives in Mount Zion. "It just means more to me that someone actually created this painting; I'm anxious to get it home."

US Art Inc. of Michigan staged Sunday's sale and has been putting them on in Decatur, and throughout the Midwest, for 20 years. Chad Breeden, 23, sale manager Sunday, said the event attracted a broad brush of customers, ranging from people his age to eager shoppers in their 70s.

"I think the variety we have here makes the sale work well," he said. "There is something for everyone."

Nick Stringer, who runs US Art, said the company acquires good pictures from unknown artists and has others under contract. He said customers looking to match paint schemes and decorative styles likely will find a picture to suit their palette and their budget. And they have the added pleasure of taking home a unique creation, not a mass-produced print.

"They are all original, done by an artist in his own style and his own colors," Stringer added.

Why call it "Starving Artists"? "Well, I think some of them are pretty close," said Stringer, with a laugh. "But no, it's just a catchy phrase."

treid@herald-review.com|421-7977

SCHEDULE

Sorry you missed the sale? Find out where the next one is by going to www.USArtExpo.com