Things That I Have Bought
I like to buy artwork (not in a fancy way) and I thought I'd share my favourite findings here.
James Pagen
6/21/20264 min read
Not Sponsored
I'll start off by saying, even though I feel ridiculous bothering, that I am not sponsored or affiliated or whatever else by the people I'm about to talk about. Really, I've just seen them pop up in my Instagram feed - in the moments when I lapse from having Instagram deleted - and liked the vibe. The other batch of things will be stuff I stumbled across when exploring my local city or on holiday elsewhere.
Brainfreeze Press
An artist I discovered on Instagram in one of the algorithms better moments. I love the vibe and have purchased many a sticker from their online store and had them shipped across the pond.
I also have quite a few of their pieces framed and displayed around my flat - as you'll see below! I can't get enough of these prints, even if I am running out of space to put them. Completely out of space in my small flat, to be honest.
The only down side, people always ask me whether I drew them and I have to sadly say no. Although I can safely say that I wish some of these were my creations!
Loading Artist
Another social media find, Loading Artist creates short comics (duck related and otherwise). My absolute favourite comic of theirs has got to be 'Out of Sight' but I recommend having a look over their other stuff as well.
The little duck with coffee is a drawing I did based on a T-Shirt I bought from them. I've got a few shirts and mugs from that store - and the temptation to pick up more is building even as I look over whilst writing this. (Okay I gave in and bought some) It does sometimes worry me just how much the stress-related merch resonates...
Travelling Around
I've also picked up a bunch of art on my trips abroad. I love visiting a museum or gallery - not as much as the food, obviously - so I often pick up little post cards or prints from the gift shop.
I'm a sucker for stumbling across little stores or mini-galleries as well.
I've bought silly T-Shirts from the "Citees" stores I encountered in a few cities in Italy. Makes for good pyjama wear!
Whilst in Spain, I enjoyed perusing and picking up a strange cake man from El Moderno Gallery in Madrid. They had some wonderful graphic art on display. And whilst in Venice, I stopped in to 'Poings Lab' with their cool animal designs - which you can check out on their Etsy store if you don't fancy travelling out to Italy!
Local places have their appeal as well, of course. I have a piece by Carlos Gualo that I bought in a market here in London. You can check out his website but the one I have is a London skyline in a paint-splattered style that I adore. I love the vibrant colours that stand out bold against the ethereal white background.
I have also been, several times now, to the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. One of the photos was actually bought for me by a friend, rather than a personal purchase, but still one of my favourites around the flat.
Shows how it is worth exploring at home as well as on your travels!
Kurzgesagt
I've linked to their website, but many will know them better for their educational YouTube channel. The videos are great and in no small part due to the artwork, which I couldn't help but pick up a few pieces of over the years.
I almost always buy their calendars to keep track of my year ahead. They are too beautiful to throw away, so I really need to figure out something to do with the old ones. Some way to turn them into a display. And I also have a bunch of their notebooks, pockets logs and even a few T-Shirt designs.
Just Stuff?
I know these are all only things, but I'd rather have some lovingly crafted things laying around than just regular old clutter. It's great visiting someone who has interesting things around their home - little pieces of them - that you can talk about. But I've found that these bring a smile even just to me and make me feel a little more at home.
