Over the next few weeks, the degree shows at art schools across Britain will be showcasing the talents of 3,000 graduating hopefuls. A few will go on to become the next Hockney or Warhol, and see their works fetch a fortune, although the vast majority will never enjoy financial success.
So if you are keen to support young artistic talent â€" but have an eye to possibly making a few quid along the way â€" where do you start in what is a famously fickle market?
Sarah Ryan says she has the answer. She set up New Blood Art, and has, since 2004, trawled round all the degree shows in England, Scotland and Wales signing up artists. She then sells their work online through her website. "It is like looking for a needle in a haystack," says Ryan, 39, a former art teacher and graduate of London Guildhall, now called London Metropolitan.
Trying to pin her down on what she looks for is as elusive as finding the next Damien Hirst. "It's not about the medium or the style; it's more about the quality of the artist. They need to have distilled their style into something characteristic of themselves, to have a unique visual language. I speak to the artist and their tutors," she says.
Tellingly, it's not only about being talented. She's looking for those who are prepared to put in long hours in the studio, apply for prizes and residencies and intend to dedicate themselves to art for decades to come. "Talent alone won't take them through. People can coast with that. They need to be totally committed and passionate."
When she founded New Blood Art, selling art over the web was in its infancy. But in the past few years there's been an explosion of site launches from galleries, artists' collectives and individuals themselves.
Many of the sites which show a collection of artists have no adjudication process. The artists simply upload examples of their work, sometimes for a fee. One example is Saatchi Online, started by the Saatchi Gallery in 2006, which is free for any artist to use.
"I have reservations about that," says Ryan. "It's a lovely ideal, but artists need guidance, especially when it comes to pricing their work. They need a track record of selling at a particular price. We go as low as is comfortable for the artist to get traction. Then, when there's demand, the price can gradually pick up."
She cites Welsh artist Iain Andrews, a graduate of Aberystwyth, as an example. When she took him on in 2005, his paintings were selling for £300 to £400. More recently he sold a commissioned abstract for £20,000.
The price tag on his works shot up after he was featured as one of the emerging artists on the TV series, School of Saatchi. He won the Towry award in 2011 and The Marmite Prize in 2010. But the level of demand means Ryan has no originals to sell.
She also bought early work by David Wightman in 2004, which sold through New Blood Art for around £700. It now fetches £8,000 to £30,000 through Halcyon Gallery on New Bond Street, which represents the artist.
Ryan makes her living by taking a cut of the artists' sales â€" and, on the face of it, this sounds breathtakingly high. When New Blood Art sells an item, it keeps 40% of the price. Compare that with the debate over investment funds on the stock market (see page 6), where the argument is over charges of 2.5%. But Ryan says her costs are actually lower than the physical galleries, which typically take 50%.
The basic tenet of any investment is buy low, sell high. She says you could wait until you see the price of an individual artist's work start to pick up before buying or they win a major prize.
"I would rather invest before you see any increase, but there's more risk and more reward," says Ryan. "If you wanted a surer thing you could wait until the price goes up."
Among the 200 artists she features online, she tips Polish Bartosz Beda whose oil paintings cost £500 three years ago and are now nearly £3,000; Rebecca Fontaine-Wolf whose prices have trebled in seven years; Lisa Scrimgeour whose work sold out as soon as she was launched online and Masaki Yada who has attracted renowned collector Anita Zabludowicz.
"Some people buy a whole collection, which immediately makes their investment more valuable," she says. "By investing you affect the value, especially if an esteemed collector buys the work, too."
But what of this year's crop? Who's hot right now? Ryan says she has been immensely impressed by works coming out of the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art Design, which is part of the University of Dundee. She tips works by Yasmin Davidson, "a lovely and very talented graduate I discovered at their show last week", selling for £450 upwards. She also rates the work of Morag Cullens from Dundee, whose framed oil on paper creations sell for £500 upwards.
Potential investors can, of course, attend the degree shows themselves and make their own choices â€" and enjoy a great day out. The Edinburgh College of Art show opens on 1 June, with the college transformed into the Scottish capital's biggest gallery space as it celebrates the work of more than 500 graduating artists, film makers, designers and architects.
On 3 June, Portsmouth's degree show opens to the public. Shows in Glasgow, London, Leeds and Birmingham follow. Most are free entry, although some are weekday only.
