Wall art - tell me what I’ll like.

[ohfook]

I’m trying to get some artwork up on the walls and I’ve realised I have no clue what I like. So I was opining I tell you what I don’t like somebody might be able to point me in the right direction of something I will like!
Firstly I can’t afford actual artwork, so I’m thinking prints from like tk maxx, Etsy etc.
I don’t like things that are trying to be funny or could be up in a halls of residence.
I don’t really want those prints that are just there to fit in with a colour scheme rather than actually looking good.
Im not that bothered about typography prints either.
I think I basically want prints that are cool/quirky/eclectic without looking teenage ish. If anybody can help, I’d be very grateful!

The Tate modern website has some brilliant prints. I quite like vintage stuff in charity shops/car boot sales and advantages are they’re already framed

https://shop.tate.org.uk/exhibition-posters

Have a browse of Etsy. Lost of interesting stuff by independent artists that don’t cost too much (amidst the crapper AI stuff, mostly digital downloads you print yourself, but you’ll spot those)

I would look at classic art (could be old stuff or new and I like the tate suggestion) and find some thing that you genuinely like and then buy a print.

I used to live near here, these people are fab - lots of independent artist prints so that you can decide what you love: https://eastendprints.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOooZvZe11QdxAl0prUEXJmj9nNvVlJBe0tObFJv09sI5XS1-U3MW

Budget?

I think it may look generic unless you take your time finding and choosing things you like. I have two paintings in oils, a collage, an old map and a big mixed media piece made out of unravelled rope fibre on the walls of this room, but some of those are 30 years old or more — things picked up at auctions, or that I was given, or found. (We have a painting that was left on the street outside a flat we were renting after the artist left the upstairs flat.) I’ve bought things at the local art school’s degree show, and there’s a local printmakers’ collective thst sells some beautiful work.

I’ve bought a few things from here:

https://www.kingandmcgaw.com

You’ll find a mix of prints of classic art in a range of styles.

I don’t have a budget for original pieces, but have a lot of wall space to fill, so I tend to think of a theme that suits us in a room and work from there. My living room, for example has a mix of art work relating to where we live. Couple of vintage framed prints we inherited, small prints from someone local that I put in Ikea frames, it’s a mix of modern and old and works well (I think so anyway!).

We like to travel and DH has a thing about modes of transport, so we have a lot of prints related to places we have visited etc. I always look in museums, gift shops etc. on our travels for posters or prints that I can have framed when we get home.

Charity shops often have old prints and artwork for peanuts, so it's worth a browse.

If you're near any art galleries, you can often buy prints of paintings.

I think art collections are best built gradually. I agree with your approach not to buy things just because they fit with a colour scheme. You have to ask whether the picture gives you pleasure when you look at it, does it evoke a mood or memory, is it interesting and something you can look at again and again; are the colours soothing/exciting/stimulating?

My general rule is that if I like it and afford it, I will buy it!

I made a few wall hangings from different things I had. Bought empty frames, charity shops are good or IKEA...and filled them with my own photos, postcards, cigarette cards my dad had collected back in the distant past, one has those colourful credit card size gift cards. Maybe you have something that would look good on display that could be the start.
Garden centres often have an art gallery with local works that are not to expensive.

I visit art fairs, open studios etc - sometimes the art is cheaper than you think, but many artists also do prints of their work.