Original art in the frame

THE air hums with the sound of drills, whirring their way through chipboard. Spirit levels stick out of jean pockets, conversation is muted by nails clenched between tight lips and hammer blows punctuate the clatter of footsteps on aluminium ladders.

Lynn Hanley hanging some of her work

There's not an easel, tube of oil paint or even a brush in sight. Indeed, the Corn Exchange, the day before the launch of the Edinburgh Art Fair, is reminiscent of a building site rather than an artist's studio.

But then hanging art for sale is a serious business. Getting the works to sit perfectly on the white walls of the 64 individual exhibition stands can be tricky. As can choosing which paintings should sit next to each other. If it doesn't look right, sales could be affected.

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Not that event organiser Andy Naismith is too perturbed about that. Since he and business partner Andy McDougall launched the fair six years ago, attendance numbers and sales figures have been growing consistently.

Last year's fair saw 12,000 people through the doors, and just over 1.5 million worth of art was sold - at a time when consumers were supposed to be reigning in their spending. This year, he hopes, will be just the same.

And with artworks ranging in price from 75 to 40,000 it could well be that art has become a safer investment than keeping money in the bank.

"We did think that sales might be down last year because of the recession, but it was our best year yet," says Andy. "The average price was around 1000, although we had a Beryl Cook which sold for 50,000 and we had - and still have - original art which is around 75, the same price you'd pay for an Ikea print."

He adds: "The numbers who came too . . . well we had queues outside at one point. It was terrible weather last year and there were floods. We thought it would be dead, but people came in their droves. It got to the point where security staff were getting a little concerned. People thought they'd come for a couple of hours, but ended up staying all day because there was just so much to see.

"If you think that fairs like this in London attract around 20,000 people and have 150 or so galleries showing, then Edinburgh is really punching above its weight."

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He was, he admits, "flabbergasted" at the amount of money generated in sales.

"Given the financial situation we were a bit apprehensive, but sales were tremendous. As someone who buys art personally, I think people are investing because art doesn't depreciate in value. If you get a young, up-and-coming artist, a piece could double in value in the space of a year, which is a much better investment than you get from interest on savings in a bank.

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"Also, I think people are looking for something different for their homes, something that shows their personality. Original art always makes for a talking point. On top of that the Edinburgh audience which comes to the fair is very knowledgeable. People here know what they like and they're prepared to pay for it."

The two Andys set up their art fair business after spending a couple of years attending other fairs around the world as dealers themselves. As well as Edinburgh, they organise fairs in Cambridge and Torquay, but also run the Arte in Europa online gallery - which deals in the works of Italian artists, including a former professional footballer Giampiero Malgioglio.

"The fair has artists' work from around the world, over 1000 artists are represented, and we have big names this year too. Alexander Miller's pieces sell for around 40,000, and we also have work by Peter Howson, and sculptor David Begbie," says Andy.

"The dealers are also from all over the place, and the furthest travelled is from Argentina. We have another from Prague and one from Ireland, but mostly the exhibitors are British.

"Around 80 per cent of them are returns because they love the Edinburgh fair so much."

One new gallery on the block, though, is Hanover Fine Arts, a well-known name from the Edinburgh art scene, as owner Richard Ireland had his gallery in Dundas Street for 22 years. He sold up last summer and is concentrating on internet sales and fairs.

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"This is my first time at a fair and the butterflies are going strong," he laughs. "I've just got to get hanging now. I've never done fairs before because it was just me in the shop, so I couldn't devote the time.

"I had to close because of rising costs and rates and declining sales. I think online galleries are the future, and fairs like this where so many thousands come through the doors and see what you can offer.

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"It is expensive to exhibit at a fair, and my artists have helped with the costs, but I definitely think it will be worth it. The business that was done here last year was tremendous."

He adds: "The recession definitely hit my business. People are being more careful with their money, but while they might not have come into a gallery specifically, coming to a fair where there's so much on offer, is a different experience, and I think sales will be good."

Not all the exhibitors are gallery owners, though. At the Carby Art Gallery stand, Beith artist Iain Carby is hanging his own works of Spain, but he shares the space with other artists from the WASP studios in Glasgow. Elsewhere there's the mother/daughter/friend collective Smith Hanley.

Lynn Hanley is an Edinburgh artist working from the Coburg House Art Studios in Leith, while Ingebjorg Smith and her mother Inger Smith work in Tain.

"This is our fifth time at the fair," says Lynn, whose work is mainly landscapes of Edinburgh and has been described as "like Lowry crossbred with Beryl Cook". "It is just great being in Edinburgh and attending something like this."To have so many seeing the work is fantastic.

"There are people who want to buy, people who want to commission, and also galleries who are looking for new artists to stock. Commercially, it's great and my works range from 150 to over 1000. We normally sell around one third of what we show, but we were almost out of everything last year. And we get the same people coming every year and buying more. I often wonder where they put it all."

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She adds: "I think the best thing about the fair, though, is that it exposes thousands of people to different art, and it makes original art more accessible."

• The Edinburgh Art Fair runs at the Corn Exchange, Chesser Avenue, until Sunday. Doors open 11am to 6pm (5pm Sunday). Admission is 6/4 for a weekend pass, allowing unlimited access. The Gallery Restaurant and Champagne Bar is open for lunches and afternoon teas. A creche is also available. For more information, visit www.artedinburgh.com.

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