Having just made the leap from living with my parents to my first proper attempt at living on my own since my University days, I have been endeavouring to decorate my flat to reflect my own taste and style. Having managed to convince my parents to contribute towards my ‘basic’ furniture coupled with a few odd pieces I have picked up over the years, I am left with a considerable amount of blank wall space that is crying out to be filled. With ‘gallery’ art out of the question and not wanting to plaster my walls with bland prints or edgy posters a la my student days I was thrilled to come across BuyStudentArt.co.uk.
BuyStudentArt.co.uk was founded by Kerri Lister, whose inspiration came while she was looking for art to decorate her new home. Like many of us, she couldn’t afford the bank-breaking price tags of her local gallery nor wanted an anonymous piece from an online auction site that gave her little information on the artist, the origin of the work or the inspiration behind its creation. Kerri set about creating a marketplace for aspiring artists to showcase their talents to the world, and to earn some money in the process, as well as giving ordinary people the opportunity to own unique, inspiring and above all affordable works. With students now facing eye-watering £9,000 fees from 2012, BuyStudentArt.co.uk is the perfect way for budding artists to earn some extra money whilst studying which also has the knock on effect of cheering up other people and their homes.
All artists looking to contribute their art must be aged 18 or over and can list up to 5 pieces of art at a time, whether it be photography, oil paintings, sculpture or mixed media. Most of the artwork is under £200, with some less than £50, and all art is listed at a set price, so there’s no bidding war if you fall in love with the perfect piece for your home. Once you have selected your chosen piece it will be delivered straight to your door and you also have a 7 day money back guarantee.
Buying art with BuyStudentArt.co.uk not only means you’ll be supporting aspiring artists/impoverished students, you will also have full access to their biographies and find out about what inspired them to create the work you are purchasing. And who knows, your clever investment could turn out to be a hidden gem in a treasure chest of the next generation of artists.