Got a piece of bare wall? Art Lovers Australia has got you covered

We get to know this great online art retailer...

What made you decide to start your business?
We began trading as Art Lovers Australia in 2016. We were tired of seeing so many amazing artists not getting the exposure they deserved - traditional galleries are only able to support a small number of elite artists. With our online model, we represent around 500 emerging and mid-career artists, and the bonus for the collector is beautiful and interesting art at very affordable prices.

Who are the people behind the brand? 
The creative couple, Jarrod Knight and Nancy Donaldson-Knight are the co-founders. Being artists uniquely positioned them to know the obstacles artists faced, and their years in the arts meant they had many artist friends to help kick start the Art Lovers Australia online gallery. They are also passionate about arts education and spend time every week personally mentoring artists.


'Presence' limited edition print by Kellie North as seen in El'ise and Matt's guest bedroom.

How do you decide which artists should be represented by your store?
It is a difficult process, with only 1 in 25 artist applications being approved, as we aim to keep the quality high. Our team has criteria that new artists must meet - obviously we’re looking for beautiful and interesting work and the artist must have a body of work ready to exhibit.

Do you sell both original pieces and prints?
Our focus has always been original artworks, however, we do sell limited-edition prints for even more affordable options.


'Lucious Pears' by Natasha Junmanee as featured in Mitch and Mark's butler's pantry.

How personalised is your service - do you work with potential buyers to ensure they've got the right piece of art for their home?
Most people find using our filters – theme, colour, size, and budget – helps hone into the perfect artwork. Our buyers are able to view the art in their own room, true to size, by using our Hoverlay Augmented Reality app. We also offer a free curation service where we create a selection for buyers to choose from.

Which artists/styles are your best sellers?
Clients with huge walls often find large abstracts have the impact they need. We saw that a lot with The Block contestants, especially Jesse and Mel, using Belinda Nadwie’s bold colourful abstracts and Andy and Deb using Amica Whincop’s light organic abstracts. Once the artwork was selected styling could be based on the palette of colours the artist used. Currently, there is a strong trend towards Fine Art Photography and Figurative Paintings, like the works of Trisha Lambi and Jeska Valk, used by Block contestants El'ise and Matt.


Deb and Andy's serene master bedroom featuring 'Breathe Me' by Amica Wincop available in a limited edition canvas print from Art Lovers Australia.

Do you have a favourite artist or genre?
We really don’t have a favourite - our own collection is very eclectic. Some of our earliest investments were indigenous artists, but now we have abstracts, figuratives, surrealism, portraits, wearable art, sculpture and photography. We are always on the lookout for something that sparks our interest, and we try to buy the artist’s early career, for both affordability and to support their career. A few times we left it too late and the artist’s career took off beyond our budget!

How did you match the pieces of art that appear in this year's show with the contestants - did they visit you to go through your selection?
The contestants viewed the work online. With all the wall space of the Oslo, the contestants needed a lot of art. And for houses in the $3M+ range, you really need quality, bespoke fittings and features, including art. 25 of our artists were included over the season, it was massive! We had artists sending work from all over Australia to St Kilda, we even had Kellie North on a plane with her photography the next day to get her art to The Block in time! 


The calming 'Mother' by Jeska Valk was a standout piece in El'ise and Matt's Oslo guest bedroom.

That sounds full on!
It was an exercise in logistics with short time frames. Each of the contestants received a copy of our Art Lovers Australia 2019 book, which features a selection of our artists. And, of course, our online gallery has over 10,000 artworks, so there was a lot to choose from. The contestants were able to use our filters to search for their theme, size, colour and budget. And the Hoverlay “view in your room” app allowed the contestants to preview the art in their space ahead of time.

That sounds like a pretty easy way to pick art…
Jesse and Mel were confident with their own choices and simply made their orders online. Other contestants liked to talk their brief through with us and have a selection curated for them to choose from. But in the end, it was always their choice.




El'ise and Matt's dining room looking like a stunning gallery featuring more art from Art Lovers including 'The Lioness' by Damien Venditti.


Jesse and Mel featured two stunning Belinda Nadwie prints from Art Lovers Australia.


El'ise and Matt's formal living room featuring stunning art choices from Art Lovers Australia.

Shop Art Lovers Australia range of emerging artists HERE


This is a sponsored post in conjunction with Art Lovers Australia