Where do you buy wall art? I need ideas please!

[PennyLany]

There is nothing I hate more (interior-wise) than ikea like black and white pictures of cities on the wall, no offence if this is you, just not my thing. I have been collecting prints and photos over the years and have a few framed on my wall but I’d like to buy more art for our home. Where can I find some nice and affordable art that is also original and ideally made by a “real” artist (as in, not just a print from a website)?
Budget wise I am happy to spend up to £200. I live in London.
Thank you!

Local art or craft fairs

Local independent gallery or craft shop

Direct from artists

Search for arts events and arts organisations

As you are in London perhaps try looking while you are on holiday or trips outside London as it will be cheaper without the high commission charged in London.

Places like Cornwall, the Lake District, the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales have loads of arts organisations and galleries showing original art by independent local artists.

One of my favourite artists sells her ‘practice’ small A4 works for just over £100. Her oils go for several thousand. If there is an artist you like you could see if they do similar?

eBay, antiques shops, framed maps and magazines, local artists, Facebook marketplace.

I’ve picked up a few items in charity shops and one from eBay, all bargains but original works. I have some prints of artists I like too.

Art finder was helpful in finding paintings to suit decor - search by colour & style - and they’re direct sales from the artists. However the EU import taxes added a chunk to the price so better to find U.K. based artists.

eBay, Instagram and Etsy. That's where I sell my art. I'm going to be cheeky and put the link to my Insta page ;-)
https://www.instagram.com/gbooart?igsh=MW8waDk2OWJ0dXF1NQ==

In my Etsy shop of course))
https://alesiayart.etsy.com

Welcome to my world!

AndyOkay is a pretty good website.
I have some fantastic, rather risqué bedroom art from Etsy which really sets the mood in a good way.

We got some posters from this place. They have London Postcodes (and will do yours if they ask in the same style) and some nice positive quotes, one of which we got for our son's room. You can buy them framed, are printed in the UK and they are printed using renewable energy too.

We are getting some other friends a print of their postcode with a personalised message for hallway. I was going to get my husband the 'Don't forget your glasses poster' as a fun prezzie, I think he will take the joke. He's always forgetting them.

studiolaree.com/shop/

Keep an eye on local arts groups for shows or website lists. At an annual art show held in a local church we've picked up a few original pieces under £100 over the years. And we discovered another local artist at another church-based art show we just happened to be walking past one day.

I'm an oil painter of portraits, figurative studies and still lives, and I sell my work directly via Etsy and eBay, as well as other online art venues. I used to sell though a B&M gallery but they closed over Covid. Just search for 'original oil painting' for example, restrict by country to the UK if you want to avoid customs etc, and the choice is staggering!

You can’t beat a good local auction where you can register and bid online then collect in person. Around the South East I find Chiswick auctions and Roseberry’s to be particularly good. Of course there are loads of super expensive things in the catalogues, but you will often find small original works by lesser or unknown artists in the low hundreds of pounds and usually little competition in the sale.

Can you also say that you’re a human, not a spambot?

To purchase original handmade paintings directly from me, go to my website😀

www.sandrogia.com

I'm based in USA, but can make delivery arrangements.

Thanks
Sandro

OP I buy from an artist in Canada that I love - discovered via Instagram.
The good thing about Instagram is that if you search for something you’ll get lots of suggestions then on that topic and it’s easy to browse. Saatchi art too for ideas (secretly I think it’s overpriced items on there).
I paint but don’t sell because I’m too time poor and can’t manage to photograph art well yet but I’d recommend hunting on eBay (Etsy I find confusing because it doesn’t consistently list) and Instagram for quick finds. Then more local fares etc for local inspiration and raw talent. .

Prints are the way to go given your budget. There are lots of galleries around, so really depends on your taste. Look for artists in your area and also consider prints from the famous artists that you can buy from the Tate for example. Finding the right piece of wall art is a journey!
I can recommend the Affordable Art Fair, Artsy and Avant Art. Sometimes you can swing a blue chip name print for very little. Some famous galleries in London would sometimes offer signed prints from their rising artists, which is also a good idea from an investment perspetive, as who knows, it may be worth some money in a few years time.

Jo Slade did a beautiful painting for me based on a photo for about £100. I think she might have (rightly!) put her prices up since then but her work is beautiful

https://www.josladeart.com/about

I buy original art on eBay

Local colleges and universities may well have art for sale by students. Give them a call to ask.

In London the Mall Galleries host lots of annual exhibitions for art societies so look at their timetable and go and see any that interest you. You'll see a special exhibition for marine artists next month if you like sea/coast/boats in your pictures. There's also a wildlife one, a birds one, the society of oil painters, botanical art, the society of watercolour painters, pastels, women artists, etc

There are art fairs. Open studios in different neighbourhoods. That’s where I bought my last few paintings.

For your budget I would be looking on ebay, local marketplace & charity shops or buying prints online. Get them remounted & reframed - quality mount, nice frame and glass not perspex - decent frame can elevate even the cheapest print.

We recently treated ourselves to a large signed limited edition pop artwork to mark a special anniversary. I LOVE it and it's beautifully framed which helps but we did have to buy on 0% interest credit spread over a year which I wouldn't normally advise - now it's paid off I'm so pleased we did.

I recently bought some amazing things from Riseart.com