Inspire me
My Affordable Art
In the first part of our My Affordable Art Series, we’re getting a peek into the personal collections of the UK team and taking a closer look at some of the pieces that they just couldn't resist taking home!
Affordable Art Fair
Monday 7 January, 2019
With our new My Affordable Art series, we’re taking a look at some of the pieces that the UK team have fallen in love with and just couldn’t resist taking home! In Part One, we talk taking the plunge and making that first purchase, using art as a form of escapism, and discovering the perfect painting missing from an ever-growing gallery wall. Read on for a peek into their personal collections and find inspiration for displaying art in your own home.
Holly Selby – Head of Digital
I first saw this piece at Affordable Art Fair Stockholm in Autumn 2017. It’s called ‘Luminous’ and is by the print artist Frea Buckler. It was actually my husband Dave that pointed it out as we walked past the Jealous Gallery stand – he fell in love with the neon colours. We didn’t buy it at the time because I was on a work trip and we were on something of a flying visit around the fair, but after we arrived home I thought about what a great Christmas gift it would make.
The gallery is near where I live, so I went after leaving the office one evening and bought it on the Own Art scheme. I had to arrange to keep it in a friend’s flat until it was time to gift it – it was far too conspicuous to try and hide! Despite collecting a lot of prints from local artists over the past decade, it’s the first piece we’ve spent a few hundred pounds on and has made a really vibrant addition to our collection. We put it together with some of our best loved pieces and created a gallery wall above our dining table – everything else is fairly monochrome and I love the way it stands out against both the other prints as well as the chalky Farrow & Ball white paint. We’re looking to move soon but this piece will still take pride of place in wherever we end up next.
Sally Dickson – UK Fair Development Coordinator
I found this piece at the Hampstead Fair in 2017 and bought it to celebrate my first year of working at the Affordable Art Fair. As I tend to use art as a form of escapism, I’m naturally drawn to pieces that have captured a fleeting second and make me feel calm. I rarely let myself sit still and reflect, but art gives me the focus to take a quiet moment and appreciate it. That’s exactly how I feel about this piece by Charlotte Keates. The outside has been brought in with the barriers of walls removed, and seeing the still silver birches and vast mountainous scene beside that cosy book cellar invites me in to this stranger’s home as a haven from the cold.
It was the first experience I’d had with making a purchase of my own, and despite being a nervous first-time buyer, I was made to feel welcomed, valued, and supported throughout the whole process. I bought it knowing I would have to move everything in my room to be able to hang it, but I’m so happy I did and I still get lost in it now. I’m sure it’s the first art purchase of many!
Sarah Barrett – UK Partnerships Manager
I bought ‘Long Shadow’ by Lucinda Metcalfe from Bearspace who were one of the galleries included in the Project Space Collective at the Affordable Art Fair Battersea Spring 2015. I completely bought this piece on a whim because I knew I simply couldn’t not have it. I was immediately attracted to the intense, shimmering colour palette with fluorescent undertones.
To me Lucinda’s paintings could be stills from travel brochures, selling us dreams of escapism, and I find them completely seductive. I’m a huge fan of Lucinda’s now, and I can’t wait to see what new work she produces in the future.
Feeling inspired? Start your own collection today or discover that special piece that’s been missing from your gallery wall on our online marketplace. Browse thousands of artworks now »
Header image: Provided by Sarah Barrett
Images from top to bottom: Photo provided by Holly Selby, featuring artwork by Frea Buckler who you can shop online with Smithson Gallery.
Photo provided by Sally Dickson. Artwork by Charlotte Keates.
Photo provided by Sarah Barrett, featuring artwork by Lucinda Metcalfe from Bearspace.
