AS punk poet laureate Adam Ant once observed, ridicule is nothing to be scared of. Yet the thought of becoming a contemporary art collector tends to bring out the nerves, the uncertainty, a fear of being conned. Indeed, the very prospect of entering a gallery is too much for some.

"Often people are frightened that what they like might be considered rubbish by others or that they might be made to look like fools," acknowledges David R Durham, director of Adze Gallery in Goodramgate, York. "But art should be about what you like, not what you think you should like."

Dee Bray Calvert, the gallery's exhibitions co-ordinator, says: "You don't need to be in Manhattan or be a lottery winner to start collecting art. More and more people are taking the plunge for something original and different to have on their walls. Original paintings, prints and even sculptures are not necessarily numbers with big zeros after them."

Ah, those 'big zeros'. Invariably, price or rather over-pricing is the first complaint when it comes to buying a new work of art by an artist yet to acquire the status of a David Hockney, Howard Hodgkin or Lucian Freud.

David R Durham, himself an artist, explains how a price is derived. "Foremost, the artist sets the price and arrives at it via a personal route," he says. "Some base it on the number of hours they've worked on a piece; some on what they feel they would be happy to pay for it. So it's not like there is a set price structure... and that's why a bigger piece is not necessarily more expensive.

"With a new piece by a new artist, you're not paying for the intrinsic value but for the creativity, the emotion of the work, and that can be very powerful, so how do you price that?!"

Nevertheless, he encourages a sensible pricing policy, with a lowest price of £80 and a highest of £750 in the gallery at present. "While it's important for the artists that they don't give their work away for next to nothing, we try to explain that with a gallery like Adze, we're introducing their work to a new audience and so it's vital to make it realistic," says David.

Dee concurs, then adds: "If you buy through a gallery that champions new work, you will be buying at introductory prices."

Should prices still feel prohibitive, then consider two increasingly popular options: firstly, a deposit scheme involving an initial payment of 25 per cent, then three further payments, with no interest to pay; secondly, the setting up of a syndicate for shared ownership, as in the horse racing world.

"If a painting is really desirable but just beyond budget, then why not buy with a group of friends and share display time," suggests Dee. "It's art's answer to time-share holidays, and it's an easy way to begin collecting."

Price sorted, problem number two is more basic: persuading the great British public to venture inside. "People tend to be rather shy about art galleries, often because they may never have been in one before, and think they are shrouded in mystery like a holy place," says David.

The aroma of bacon, sizzling in the pan in the backroom as Dee prepares a lunchtime sandwich, would quickly dissuade you from any such notion. "We believe in an informal, friendly atmosphere," says David. "Some people feel they have been intimidated when they've gone into a gallery, and galleries must be very conscious about trying to break down that barrier."

College end-of-year shows, especially at Britain's best art schools, have become a fashionable honey pot for art buyers and can be a first port of call for new collectors too. However, David believes novices are better served by seeking a gallery where the personal touch can "help you to gain an awareness of contemporary art and build up your confidence".

Once a purchase is made, thoughts must turn to lighting and position.

"Where possible I would advise good natural lighting, except in the case of watercolours, unless they have protective glass," says David. "Standard tungsten bulbs tend have a yellow or orange glow so they knock back the blues and greens in a painting, whereas halogen spot lighting has a more natural spectrum and shows off pieces more like the artist painted them, so I recommend halogen bulbs."

Avoid fluorescent lighting. "It's the worst. It gives off a nasty, green, yellow, acid light that knocks the warmth of a picture for six," David explains. Position? "People tend to be old fashioned in hanging art well above eye level, so we suggest they should be positioned lower; and they should not be too near a heat source or too close to each other. They need space to breathe."

Should your appetite be newly whetted, Adze Gallery's new exhibition with an Italian theme, Altera Roma, opens tomorrow, with a companion show following suit on Tuesday at St William's College.