The best gift ideas for the art lover in your life!

You may think that the perfect gift for any art lover is a work of art itself. Example, a painting, wall hangings, or a pass to an upcoming exhibition of their favourite artist! Not to say that these are not appreciable, but have you ever looked outside the box and considered functional art as an idea?

For instance:

• A pair of earrings featuring original etchings by a printmaker.
• A reusable coffee cup with pottery art.
• A tote bag with an indigenous painting.
• A book frame to showcase and organise your favourite illustrated book. These artful products serve a purpose while remaining faithful to their aesthetic value and experience.

Wander through, find a source of inspiration and make gifting creatively thoughtful!

1. Lousy Ink

Old ink in a new bottle! Encouraging sustainable creative practices, Lousy Ink, founded by two artists sources their ink from upcycled inkjet printer cartridges within Australia. On a mission to save them from ending up in landfills, empty cartridges are collected, crushed, and filtered to recycle the plastics and all the remaining ink bottling them into new use! Perfect for illustrators or doodlers who want their art to flow sustainably!!!!

2. Hanging Frames

Guided by admiration for our earth, the creative duo at Corner Block Studio in Brisbane creates clever and functional wall art designs that give the home decor a whole new personality while saving space!

A Book Frame for displaying open books, a Pressi Frame to exhibit your artwork, or a Tea Towel Frame to present your favourite tea towel!

Crafted from recycled timber (which reveals the characteristics of their former life) and a 100% cotton strong sash woven cord (which safely biodegrades at the product's end-of-life!), these hanging frames have a curious past, an unconventional present, and a waste-free future!  

3. Kate Piekutowski Earrings

Earrings that make you lost in nostalgia, travel, or a romanticised world, this exclusive range transforms ears into wearable art! Based on original etchings by Melbourne based by contemporary printmaker - Kate Piekutowski, these flawless finds are digitally printed onto recycled aluminium and backed with surgical steel hooks or surgical steel posts that are perfect for sensitive ears.

Each pair of these limited-edition pieces are presented onto an A7 card and individually wrapped in lovely printed tissue paper. And if you are planning to gift these for a special occasion like a birthday, attach it with a Kate Piekutowski greeting card which features similar stunning whimsical narratives printed on recycled paper.

4. Crockd Paint n' Pot: DIY Painted Planters

Art is not just a visual delight art is therapy as well! Tropical Fruit Edition or Paint Landscape Edition, paint your way with the DIY Painted Planters kit that comes with everything you need to decorate your own planter pot including tips on how to use the paints and design instructions. Great gift idea for art and plant lovers alike!

5. Sassi Puzzles and Book Set – Art Treasures
   

An Art Insider enthusiast? Obsession with the different eras and styles in art history? Loves talking about the distinctive brushstrokes and the emotions of the artist? Not a trip to an art gallery, but a jigsaw puzzle should solve your gifting dilemma! 

Sassi Junior’s Art Treasures - a puzzle and book set that features the famous Mona Lisa painting by Italian Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci or Post-Impressionist Vincent van Gogh’s Vase with Twelve Sunflowers.  

Read the 32-page book about the life and work of the artist, assemble the 300-piece puzzle. Frame the famous painting, or keep fixing it again while discovering something new in those brushstrokes every time.

6. Alperstein Designs Fold up Bag 

Casual bag for the sophisticated aesthete. Featuring artwork by Warlukurlangu Artists, Alperstein Designs’s cotton fold up bags are head turners in bold patterns and bright colours. A painting of the great Warlpiri story of the Seven Sisters Dreaming by Alma Granites, or Pikilyi Jukuurpa (Vaughan Springs Dreaming), by Theo Hudson, these are deeply rooted indigenous art that travels with you!

Small enough to fit in a pocket or your other bags, these also include information about the artist and artwork.

Established in 1985, Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation is a not-for-profit organisation that is 100% Aboriginal-owned by its artists from the remote desert communities of Yuendumu and Nyirripi in Central Australia.

7. Bryteka Pottery 

Sipping a hot cup of hot coffee by the fire admiring at a visually pleasing and enchanting work of beautifully blended blue and pink glazes over a gloss green base. Not at a framed artwork, but the very ceramic cup you are holding!  

Microwavable and dishwasher safe, Bryteka Pottery’s reusable ceramic coffee cups are pottery art on the go! Made on the Gold Coast, Queensland, each piece is handmade by a master potter with over 20 years of experience. Hand thrown, glazed, and fired, these cups not just keep your coffee hot and help reduce wastage but also celebrate aesthetics with beautiful artwork that you may not want to cover with your hands! 

8. Elodie Barker Bowls

A happy whale swimming in a round, large and deep bowl, a butterfly fluttering within the curved corners of a large square bowl, or a not-so-slow determined snail snug in a small one. Make the dinner table fun and colourful with crockery filled with such whimsical creatures!!

These hand-thrown bowls by this award-winning artist, Elodie Barker features funny animals all vibrantly painted to bring joy during mealtime!  If the one above was pottery art on the go, these are functional pottery art at its cheerful best!!

9. Prints by Little Sister Co

Know what is underrated? Hand illustrated cards and prints. A contemporary spin on traditional art prints, these heartfelt artworks rendered in watercolour and ink are spontaneous and speak for themselves. According to illustrator Doris Chang, she loves working in watercolour because of its organic nature, where the materials speak for themselves and are beautiful on their own. It is not about rendering the image to perfection but manipulating the natural characteristics of the material.

Combine one of these prints with Corner Block Studio’s Pressi Frame, and you have a winner!