File this one under idea #1001 that we wish we’d thought of. CollegeArtOnline.com is a way-cool Scottsdale-based company that bridges the gap between emerging artists and that empty space on your living room wall. Co-founded by Vincent de Sarthe, a NY transplant and son of a prominent art dealer, CAO offers young artists the chance to showcase their work to the world without having to fight for space at a traditional art gallery. Which is important, de Sarthe said in an interview with Phoenix Magazine, because “There are so many young artists but not enough galleries who want to show them.”

More important, the site allows art lovers the chance to acquire original and one-off pieces without paying the crazy markups at most high-end galleries. Take the piece above, entitled “Death of a Gummy Bear IV”, it’s one of dozens of paintings created by Texas State University student, Josh Bernstein. (Love the beard, glasses and especially the ceramic tobacco pipe, Josh). And with artwork starting at $20 and topping out at $2,000, you’ll never have to decorate your walls with cheesy Z Gallerie reprints ever again.

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