LONDON.- Lockdown has spurred Brits into collecting prints of coastal scenes, birds and nature, reports Affordable Art Fair. The online marketplace witnessed record breaking art sales in March through to May, providing vital income to the army of small businesses and independent artists that produce and sell original work.

Record art sales through the online marketplace since lockdown have been driven by popular search terms including spring, sea, beach, Norfolk and Cornwall. Kate Heiss’ ‘Oystercatschers Over Holkham’ in Norfolk has proven to be a bestseller with prints of Brancaster, Sandringham and Cambridge in East Anglia also popular with collectors.

The allure of limited edition prints continues following a focus on this fascinating medium at the spring edition of Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park, with online sales spiking in recent months as collectors snap up prints as an affordable interior design solution during lockdown.

Deborah, Wychwood Art who specialise in entry level work says, ‘Art has the power to change much more than a room. The positive effect it can have on your mood, especially at a trying time, is immeasurable. As a gallery, I feel incredibly lucky that I can continue to change so many art lovers lives for the better, whilst also helping to support my incredible artists with much needed sales ­­– the like seen by printmaker Kate Heiss. It’s so pleasing that her vibrant and illustrative work is proving to be the perfect antidote for so many.’

Will Ramsay, Founder of Affordable Art Fair says, ‘Since lockdown the Affordable Art Fair has sold over a quarter of a million pounds worth of art, more than doubling the value of art sold over the two months prior to lockdown. May has been our biggest month of trading on record with art sales continuing to spike – 65% up on the previous month of April.

Since the launch of the online marketplace offering in 2018, over £1,000,000 worth of original art has found a new home with galleries shipping works across the globe to locations including; US, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, and Australia to name a few.