Buy Art from Living Artists (The dead don’t need your hard earned money!)

Have you have ever experience the profound magic in bringing a piece of art into your home when you know the hands that held the brush?

We often talk about art as if it belongs in the hushed, marble halls of history, those old masters hung in grand galleries or stately homes, something finished, framed, and safely tucked away in the past. But for me, the most exhilarating art is the kind that is still breathing. It’s the work being made right now, in sun-drenched studios and on cluttered kitchen tables, by people navigating the same world we are.

Here is why I believe it is so vital to support living artists.

When you buy art you are Fuelling a Creative Life

When you invest in a piece of contemporary work, you aren’t just buying an object; you are buying time. You are providing the literal resources, the tubes of paint, the heavy-weight paper and the studio light that allows an artist to keep exploring. You are becoming a patron of someone’s journey, helping them move from one ‘What if?’ to the next.

Hannah Rollings working en plein air

The Connection is Electric

There is an intimacy to contemporary art that you simply cannot get from a print or a piece by a long-passed master. When you buy from a living artist, you often get to hear the why. You learn about the specific morning light that inspired a wash of yellow, or the memory that shaped a particular line. That connection stays with the piece; every time you walk past it, you feel that human spark.

Hollie Savory abstract landscape painting

Art as a Modern Mirror

Living artists are our cultural witnesses. They are processing the ‘now’ - our shared joys, our collective anxieties and the evolving beauty of our modern landscape. By bringing their work into your space, you are capturing a fragment of the present moment. It makes your home a living, breathing reflection of the times we are moving through together.

Kevin Hadley Tablescape Painting

The Joy of the First Chapter

There is something so special about being the first person to own a work. You aren't just a collector; you are the guardian of that piece’s history. You are the beginning of its story. In a world of mass-production and endless digital copies, owning something that was touched, struggled over and sent to you with love is a rare, grounding luxury.

Erica Luke Studio

Keeping Our Communities Colourful

Artists are the heartbeat of our world. They open studios, lead workshops and remind us to look at the world with a bit more wonder. By supporting them, you’re ensuring that creativity remains a viable path for the next generation. You’re helping to keep our world a little more vibrant, a little more thoughtful and a lot more beautiful.

Polly Ruffman Workshop

The next time you’re looking for something to fill a space on your wall, I encourage you to look for a name you can still reach out to. Support the dreamers who are working today. After all, the ‘Old Masters’ were once living artists too, they just needed someone to believe in them!

Shop my curated artworks from living artists here.