Your company has moved into a new office. Congratulations! You have the perfect office space—well, almost. You notice the walls are still bare. No worries, these days you can select art that will fit your company's personality without costing you a fortune.

Original art with a contemporary edge can give the office the lift it needs to create a well-balanced work environment, offering that all-important polish and making it stand out. To select that perfect piece of art, think about the image you want to project and consider the following:

• Do you want the art to blend in with your environment or do you want people to walk in and notice the art?

• What kind of art pleases you, your colleagues and the people with whom you do business?

• Keep an open mind; the type of work that will be the best fit may surprise you. You may think that you want a traditional landscape but end up liking an edgy abstract.

As for the art itself, learn the differences between the mediums, such as oil, acrylic, and watercolor.

• Oil is a natural medium, rich in color and with a smooth texture out of the tube. It's a slow-drying paint.

• Acrylic is fast-drying paint made from plastic. It's diluted using water but becomes water-resistant when dry. Depending on how diluted or modified with acrylic gels or pastes the paint is, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting or have its own unique characteristics.

• Watercolor is generally applied to paper. It's usually transparent and allows light to show from the surface of the paper, creating a luminous effect.

The next time you're at an office, notice the environment. Ask yourself, what does this office tell me about this company?