Journal from the Studio

Where to Buy Original Australian Art Online

There is something very different about living with an original painting.

Instead of choosing an image produced by the thousand, you're bringing home something that was actually made by a person. You can see the brushwork, the layers of paint and, depending on the artist, sometimes extraordinary amounts of texture. No other home has that exact piece.

The good news is that buying original Australian art no longer means walking into a traditional gallery and trying to look as though you know what you're doing. Australian artists increasingly sell directly through their own websites and studios, which means you can discover original work, learn about the person who made it and buy from home.

If you're looking for original Australian art online, here's where to start — and what to look for before you buy.

Start with the kind of art you'd actually like to live with

“Australian art” is an enormous category. You'll have much better luck if you think first about what you want the artwork to feel like in your home.

Do you want something colourful and joyful? Quiet and minimal? A contemporary landscape? Abstract art? A traditional still life? Something highly textured? Something playful enough for a kitchen or child's room?

Try searching more specifically for things such as colourful Australian art, original textured paintings, Australian abstract art, contemporary Australian paintings or original Australian art for the home.

You don't need to know the correct art-world terminology, either. Searching for the feeling, colours or subject you're drawn to can be just as useful.

Buy directly from Australian artists

One of the best places to buy original Australian art is directly from the artist.

Many independent Australian artists now have their own online stores, allowing you to see available originals without going through a gallery. Buying directly also gives you much more context around the work: who created it, how it was made, the story behind it and what else the artist creates.

It's particularly useful if you discover an artist whose style feels very you. You can follow their new work, join their mailing list, enquire about commissions and often see new paintings before they appear elsewhere.

Independent artists can be discovered through search engines, social media, local exhibitions and art societies, as well as online art marketplaces. Once you find somebody you like, it's worth checking whether they have their own website and seeing their full collection there.

Know whether you're buying an original or a print

There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying an art print — but if you're specifically looking for original art, make sure you know which you're getting.

An original painting is the physical artwork created by the artist and is one of a kind. A print is a reproduction of an existing artwork and can usually be produced in multiple copies.

A good original-art listing should make this distinction clear and tell you the artwork's dimensions, medium, framing details and whether it arrives ready to hang.

If texture is important to you, look closely at detail photographs as well as the straight-on image. Raised acrylic, impasto, palette-knife work and visible brushstrokes can change dramatically as light moves across the surface — something that's difficult to appreciate from a single photograph.

Look beyond the big galleries

Large galleries and art marketplaces can be excellent places to browse, particularly if you're still figuring out what you like. But they aren't the only option.

Some of the most distinctive work comes from small independent studios. Buying this way can also introduce you to artists earlier in their careers, before their work is widely represented elsewhere.

At Bloom Studio, for example, Australian artist Shelley Bailey creates colourful, highly textured original acrylic paintings centred around nostalgia, joy, movement and the small pleasures of everyday life.

The painting process blends traditional and modern techniques — including brushes, glazes and cake decorating tools. Acrylic paint is sometimes piped directly onto the canvas much like buttercream, creating raised surfaces that become part of the artwork rather than simply sitting underneath the image.

It's an unusual technique, particularly within Australian contemporary art, and it gives the finished paintings a tactile quality that changes with the light.

Bloom Studio's original collections range from flowing contemporary florals to playful paintings of cakes, ice creams and nostalgic treats. Each original is created individually rather than reproduced as another original, so once that painting has found its home, that particular piece is gone.

Don't assume original art is automatically unaffordable

Original art can cost tens of thousands of dollars. It can also cost a few hundred.

Price varies enormously depending on the artist, size, materials, framing, complexity of the work and where it is being sold. If you're decorating a home rather than building an investment collection, there is no rule saying your first original needs to be enormous or expensive.

Smaller original paintings can be a particularly good place to start. They work beautifully on shelves, bedside walls, kitchen nooks and smaller sections of a gallery wall, while still giving you the pleasure of owning something genuinely one of a kind.

When comparing prices, check what's included. A painting that's already professionally framed and ready to hang may represent quite a different purchase from an unframed canvas that will need additional work before it reaches your wall. Shipping costs are worth checking too.

How do you know if an online art store is trustworthy?

Buying a painting online can feel strange the first time, particularly when you're spending several hundred dollars on something you haven't seen in person.

Look for basic signs that there is a real artist and business behind the website. You should be able to find clear photographs of the artwork, dimensions and materials, shipping information and a way to contact the seller. An artist's About page, photographs or videos of their process, exhibition history, social accounts and customer reviews can also help you understand who you're buying from.

For highly textured work, multiple photographs are particularly important. A good listing should help you understand not only the composition and colour but also the surface of the painting and how it sits in a room.

What should you consider before buying an original painting?

Start with the practical things.

Measure the wall. Check whether the dimensions listed include the frame. Find out whether the work is framed, whether it's ready to hang and how it will be shipped.

After that, forget the rules for a moment.

You don't need an art degree to decide whether a painting belongs in your home. You don't need to be able to explain its artistic significance to visitors. And you certainly don't have to choose something serious because it seems more appropriately arty.

Pay attention to the piece you keep coming back to.

Art lives alongside all the ordinary parts of your life: breakfast, toys on the floor, people dropping in, quiet Sunday afternoons, terrible days and good ones. The best piece for your home may simply be the one that makes you feel something every time you walk past it.

Finding original Australian art you love

There has never been an easier time to discover Australian artists without relying entirely on traditional galleries. Search specifically, explore independent studios, visit local exhibitions when you can and follow artists whose work catches your attention.

And don't worry too much about whether you're choosing the “right” artwork.

If you love it, you have somewhere to put it and you'd be disappointed if somebody else bought it tomorrow, you've probably got your answer.