7 Cool Female & Affordable Artists To Hang On Your Walls
If you’re looking to start building an art collection but don’t have a huge budget, or even a clue where to begin, we’ve got you covered. The Handbook’s Contributing Fashion & Lifestyle Editor, Astrid Carter, shares her top female artists whose work doesn’t cost the earth. From Western-inspired watercolours to modern line drawings, here are seven affordable artists she really rates.
Ruby Bateman
Working out of her studio in the South West countryside, Ruby Bateman creates work that is both subtle and symbolic, and deeply emotive. The Royal College of Art alumna draws inspiration from a rich tapestry of sources, including Jungian psychology, folklore, mythology, her mother, and the work of William Blake. Every piece feels remarkably rich, and I’m particularly drawn to her acrylic line drawings on linen – I’d love one hanging in a beautiful bathroom space.
SHOP RUBY’S WORK…
Isabelle Vandeplassche
Belgian-born, Portugal-based artist Isabelle Vandeplassche’s work is inspired by the quiet rhythm of everyday things and finding the beauty in the mundane. Drawing influence from the ocean’s hues, local architecture, and simple daily details, her oil pastel and acrylic works on paper feel nostalgic and playful, but with a sense of calm too. How sweet would her Colorblock Shoes piece be next to the wardrobe or in a dressing room?
SHOP ISABELLE’S WORK…
Jasmyn Fraser
If you’re looking for delicate, pretty floral artwork for your walls, bookmark British artist Jasmyn Fraser immediately. Inspired by the tradition of the florilegium (“gathering of flowers”), which was historically used to record the beauty of nature, Jasmyn interprets the rich bounty of blooms we have here in Britain. Her intricate oil paintings of foraged flowers are a true celebration of detail, texture, colour, and life. Imagine a small group of them together in a hallway or a quiet nook of the home.
SHOP JASMYN’S WORK…
Studio IMO
I loved learning about the story behind Studio IMO (run by artist Ibi Meier-Oruitemeka). Ibi didn’t enter the professional art world until recently; at 43, she had a sudden urge to buy a set of acrylic paints and pick up a paintbrush for the first time. After applying for a small local art market, she sold out her entire collection – and the rest is history. In fact, her third collection sold out in just 15 minutes flat. Drawing from her British-Nigerian identity, she explores themes of human connection and solitude while celebrating Black figures, and her work is often a visual metaphor for Black bodies taking up space. I’m patiently waiting for her next collection drop, but in the meantime, you can pick up her prints at very accessible price points on PSTR Studio.
SHOP STUDIO IMO’S WORK…
Jenna Elsby Studio
I actually have a piece of Jenn Elsby’s charming work on my walls – Ballet Slippers, which is based on a series of Polaroids taken by Andy Warhol at the peak of the Studio 54 era in the 1970s. In fact, that whole series of paintings was inspired by Jenn’s lifelong love for vintage Americana and the colourful characters that emerged from it: artists, rogues, poets, muses, cowboys, dreamers, and dancers. I also have my eye on one of her more recent pieces, Neverland, inspired by the classic children’s storybook. I love that it’s calming enough for a grown-up bedroom, but magical enough to be hung on my little boy’s wall, too.
SHOP JENNA ELSBY’S WORK…
Tuftluck Studio
Inspired by Spaghetti Westerns and 1970s pop culture, the work of Tuftluck (AKA Kara Rose Marshall) has a unique, unmistakable signature style. She creates handcrafted rug art featuring all things equine – from galloping horses to stirrups – as well as woven cotton throws that wouldn’t be out of place on a Midwestern ranch, and dreamy watercolour paintings of rodeo-type figures. Whilst the subject matter feels very on-the-nose for the Western interiors trend, I love her dreamy, wispy watercolour approach, which gives her paintings something otherworldly.
SHOP TUFTLUCK STUDIO’S WORK…
Lode Prints
I first discovered Lode Prints (AKA Lottie Delaunay) via the gorgeous small interiors business, Giddy Prints – a brand that specialises in sourcing antiques and prints alongside handmade frames that feel substantial and meaningful. They currently stock Lode’s The Jumping Horse, which sits firmly at the top of my Christmas wishlist. However, you can also find Lottie’s unframed work on Etsy and Holly & Co, for incredibly reasonable prices. Her eclectic collection features hand-carved lino prints inspired by her favourite things, from quirky animals to iconic design pieces and still-life fruit. Her style has such a wonderful retro feel, and I can just imagine it hanging in a cool, mid-century-inspired space.
SHOP LODE PRINTS’ WORK…
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Lodeprints
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