There’s probably a small part in each and every one of us that wishes we could live by the sea. Fantasies of walking the dog along the sand, having breakfast on the sea-facing balcony and popping out for an afternoon dip in cool waters float to mind whenever the sun begins to shine.

Whilst we can’t all up-sticks and permanently plant ourselves by the sea, the right selection of seaside inspired art can give your home that beachy feel all year round without you having to succumb to the sharp sea breeze of winter and the menacing seagulls!

Top: Mirrorpix – Beach Umbrella 1963, Keri Bevan – A Day at the Beach
Bottom: Norfolk Boy – After Surfing Always a Pasty, Hannah Cole – Waiting Dog

See our full collection of seaside prints HERE

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If you’re out and about in London this weekend, Pick Me Up – the UK’s original graphic arts festival – is definitely worth a visit. Currently in its fourth year and held once again at Somerset House, Pick Me Up focuses on graphic art, design and illustration. We paid a visit to the festival earlier this week to see what was on offer, here are our highlights.

A brilliant collection of Damien Florébert Cuypers’ crayon illustrations, featuring the likes of Kanye West and Anna Wintour at Paris Fashion Week are on display. You can also book a slot to have your very own one-minute portrait done by the famed artist.

This collection of work by Ugo Gattoni features an elephants head flanked by four of the incredibly detailed cityscape drawings he has become known for.

Stop by We Are Fatherless, a group of graffiti artists and graphic designers from Illinois to see a bit of live silk screen printing in action

With workshops galore dotted around the exhibition, there’s certainly room to get stuck in if you start to feel inspired. And if the sun is shining, you’re in the perfect place to soak up some rays in the beautiful courtyards of Somerset House.

Pick Me Up London at Somerset House – Tickets £8.00

The team have kicked off their first annual festival of pattern with a bang. Pattern Power – Superstripe immerses visitors into a world of stripes, encouraging them to think about how they interact with patterns in the real world. The exhibition, containing lashings of must have monochrome has been put together with creative minds from the worlds of fashion, science, technology, art, the environment and beyond.

As well as taking in the exhibition, you can jump feet first into the world of stripes by attending one of Patternity’s workshops which have been running daily since the exhibition began. There’s still time to get involved in a spot of stripy textile painting with fine art graduate, David David or join Fred Butler in making some rainbow accessories.  Visit the Pattern Power Eventbrite page to book tickets.

For more monochrome inspiration, take a look at our collection of black and white prints.

Roy Lichtenstein, Ball Of Twine – Erin Rafferty, Zebra – Pierre Soulages – Painting

Patternity Pattern Power – Superstripe is at Londonewcastle Project Space, 28 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DP until 21^st April. Free entry to the main exhibition

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Colour is back with a vengeance. From fashion to interiors, colour is here to remind us that it is the top tool for transforming our homes, our outfits and the way we feel. Loud and proud tones add an instant injection of energy to a room by making unapologetic, bold visual statements.

Colours can pop in all shades and tones; it’s the intensity which gives them their super popping power.  In a time of uncertain seasons and flippant temperatures these confident hues stand up to be counted and make a definite mark. We’ve put together a collection of bright prints, here are a few of our favourites.

Marylin, 1947 (on blue ground) – Andy Warhol
©/®/TM The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

Fremont Street, Las Vegas – Anonymous

Californian Poppy – Deborah Schenck

All My Childhood Dreams Were Analog – Anthony Peters

Glide – Sean Greene

What do you think of these bold pieces of wall art?

You may not have known this, but floral still lives are most definitely your friend. I know what you’re thinking. “That’s so dated.”… Wrong! Floral canvases are tres cool and I can prove it. Observe and admire the above room, which incorporates two simple floral canvas prints to add a delicate and very elegant touch. Canvas prints are an affordable option for ready-to-hang art, so I’m a major fan.

I selected three options as a little taster, but there are some many great directions you can go with this idea. I like these classic paintings, but there are some great modern pieces out there as well!

Welcome back, friends! Happy New Year to you all! I had to laugh a little at myself this Christmas because I didn’t realise how obvious my love of coffee was to my friends and family. I got a nice coffee thermos as a gift from my brother and another person said they were thinking about giving me a coffee-related gift as well!

If you’re a little of a coffee fanatic yourself, you may enjoy this kitchen idea. This clean, white room features some coffee art over the little table that I find simple, but effective. Couldn’t you imaging yourself relaxing at this table one morning with a fresh cup of coffee and admiring the art? I could– that’s why I hunted this print down alongside a few other coffee art prints that would be smokin’ hot in a kitchen.

I came across this room and noticed there’s no art on the wall. Shock-horror! There’s colourful bedding and a fun heart pillow, so why not play off of all of these great elements on that excellent blank canvas? I think it would be a good touch to work with the pillow design with some heart art.

My favourite choice for this room would be the top left print shown below. This is a simple, but interesting print from Andy Warhol that would pick up nicely on the pink and red hues of the bedding. To be honest, any of these would be a great choice, though, as they all bring something a little different.

Yesterday while looking through some limited editions and silkscreens, I came across some great black and white abstract expressionist prints. I couldn’t think too long about them, however, because I was on a different mission. Well, destiny led me right back to these beauties because this morning I found this extremely chic room featuring a similar print to what I saw yesterday. Please feast our eyes on these beautiful prints!

Don’t you love the black, white and gold combo??

I often show you how you can achieved a desired look with your art choices, but this pre-supposes that you’ve already made the decision that you would like to incorporate art into your room. Today I thought it would be fun to have a look at a few rooms I’ve found that don’t have any art on the walls, and then magically drop some art in the room so you can see the difference.

Here are three different rooms with very different décor schemes to give you a little inspiration. If you like any of these, you should explore more typography and floral images.

Print:

Room

Room

Are you familiar with the portrait photography of Jane Bown? If not, allow me to tell you a little about the Bown, whose work is included in the Guardian’s beautiful collection. Below is a wonderful video that the Guardian did featuring Bown’s work and decades-long career in photojournalism. Please watch and revel in her wonderful skill for capturing people. Then feel even more excited by the knowledge that you can now own it for yourself!