33 pieces of (mostly) original art

And nothing over $250

This newsletter is my consolation prize for all the people who regularly ask me how and where I find art. I’m sorry to report that I don’t have a quick and easy trick for it, I am simply putting in the hours. But what I can offer you is a selection of pieces that I would happily hang in my own home that aren’t astronomically priced. Skip ahead if you just want the links!

Where I’m looking:

• online (eBay, Etsy, LiveAuctioneers, Everything But The House)

• at estate sales, antique malls, and consignment stores (the best way to get a sense for the scale, color, and texture of a piece is irl of course)

• on Instagram, both for resellers who sell original art like Maven Collective, Archived Interiors, and Limited Time Only (@harrisvintage’s new thing) and for working artists whose pieces I enjoy (I add them to saved folder on IG and sign up for emails about new releases if they do that)

My personal qualifications for art:

• I want originals, but I don’t really care who they are by. I am happy to have an unsigned piece, an amateur piece, a study of a famous artist’s work as long as I get some sense of the maker’s hand in the work. I want brushstrokes, a penciled edition number, an emboss from a printing plate etc. The soulless Matisse reproductions on Etsy need not apply.

• And then my exception to the above (lol) are exhibition posters, preferably from the original printing. There are exhibition posters that have become famous in their own right and continue to be printed and they just don’t have the same je ne sais quois. I don’t mind some creasing or a torn edge — that’s just extra flavor.

• The colors, the style of mark making, the subject matter all must appeal to me. I am picky and particular in a way that defies any logical rationale but I feel strongly that I don’t need to settle for a piece that doesn’t feel wholly “YES” when I lay my eyes on it.

One last practical note:
There are lots of great art pieces and sellers in Europe that I felt were worth including below. If you are shipping to the US from an international location, my current understanding of the ever-changing tariff situation, based on this resource, is that anything from the UK and EU will have a 10% tariff on it, with the EU-specific tariffs potentially increasing in July. Peruse this document yourself to make an informed decision because I am a graphic designer and not a trade lawyer and it would not be the first time I have misread a chart.

Without further ado!

1. $117 painting ships from the UK

2. $78 painting

3. $76 painting — I love this proportion and the frame is excellent

4. Current bid $65 — anything can happen at auction, but I’ve had better luck purchasing with Everything But The House (meaning I don’t get outbid pretty much immediately like I do with everything on LiveAuctioneers). I also like that there are no buyer’s fees, you can get instant shipping quotes, and EBTH handles the shipping themselves. This is a sizable diptych and I will definitely be watching to see the final closing price.

5. DM for price — Reneesha Mccoy is one of my favorite working artists. She is prolific and I love her sense of color. She often has story sales and many of her smaller paintings and pieces on paper are available for less than $200.

6. $75 pastel