Art fairs are a great place to hunt out really special Christmas gifts, but with lockdown 2.0 in full swing, hunting out beautiful watercolours, prints, etchings and more is a little tricky. Thankfully, these popular art fairs and open studios have pivoted to with an online offering this year

Lead image: Cockpit Arts Makers Market (photo: Lucy McGrath working in her studio, by James Winspear)

1 The Affordable Online Art Fair
6-30 November
The First Affordable Online Art Fair launches to the public on 6 November, with a roster of 50 hand-picked galleries and thousands of international artworks available. With artwork priced from £50 to £6,000, from both emerging talent and established names, there will be something to suit every taste, space and spend. Alongside a dedicated viewing room for each gallery, hosted on the online marketplace at affordableartfair.com, there will be an exciting programme of online tours and talks led by industry experts and Affordable Art Fair Founder, Will Ramsay, plus video interviews and meet-the-gallery blogs. Register online here.
affordableartfair.com

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2/6 #InstagramTakeover with @galleriramfjord’s residency artists @kesja.tabaczuk @valeria_duca @arnespangereid @gabrielschmitz.art . Over to you Galleri Ramfjord! We can’t wait to find out more about all four artists. . Kesja Tabaczuk – “My biggest inspiration is people. I am really interested in discussing emotions through facial expressions. I’ve been working with oil paint for many years which became my favourite medium. My love for realism is widely seen in my paintings.” . Valeria Duca – “I come from Moldova, but am currently living in Wahington DC, USA.The journey started with abstract, and ten years later I am painting in a realistic style, trying to hold on to some elements of fantasy; striving to refer to real issues, but still carry a dose of humour and child-like madness.” . Arne Spangereid – “I come from a small village on the south coast of Norway. I travelled the USA for 4 years – that’s when I got into cityscapes. Alone in a strange city I would take my easel into the streets and paint en plain air. The city is an endless source of inspiration.” . Gabriel Schmitz – “I am a German figurative painter. Since 1995 I live and work in Barcelona, Spain. The interest in the human body led me to contemporary dance as the potential of expression in a dancer’s body is both more challenging and gratifying.” . #theaffordableonlineartfair #affordableartfair #affordableart #artist #artisttakeover #artistsoninstagram #buyart #ownart #buyartonline #contemporaryart #collectart #discoverthejoyofcollecting #painting #fineart #artistresidency #gallery #galleriramfjord #takeovertuesday #thursdaytakeover @galleriramfjord @kesja.tabaczuk @valeria_duca @arnespangereid @gabrielschmitz.art

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2 Art on a Postcard Winter Auction
5-19 November
Art on a Postcard (AOAP) returns with its annual Winter Auction this month in partnership with Dreweatts Auction House to raise funds for the Hepatitis C Trust helpline. Since the global pandemic, the way artwork is made and viewed has changed. In light of this, AOAP has teamed up with art exhibition platform gowithYamo to present an online interactive show. The Winter Auction is no longer anonymous, providing an opportunity to discover in-depth the background and practices of the artists taking part, and, to accompany this year’s auction, there will be a full programme of podcasts and artists talks. There are 230 artists participating this year, all creating mini masterpieces in support of a worthwhile cause, including renowned Paraguayan artist Faith Wilding, known for her feminist performances and installations in the 70s, British artist Ryan Mosely, who has recently taken part in the group show Radical Figures at the Whitechapel Gallery, and Saint Lucian born artist Winston Branch, whose accolades include a Guggenheim fellowship. Bidding is online via dreweatts.com, starting at £50.
View the lots at artonapostcard.com

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3 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair: The Online Edition
12 Nov-13 Dec
The Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair – the UK’s largest contemporary print fair, showcasing the best in international contemporary printmaking with over 500 artists and specialist galleries – goes online this year. The unique open-call process creates opportunities for upcoming artists to sit alongside some of the most prominent international printmakers and dealers, while the rigorous selection process means collectors have access to only the highest calibre of original contemporary print. As well as buying directly from artists working in the unique craft of printmaking – from etching and lithography, to woodblock and screen-printing – you can also take part in an accompanying programme of online talks, panel discussions and demonstrations.
woolwichprintfair.com

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4 The Lee Green Open Studios
14-15 November
Lee Green Open Studios, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year with a bumper event, had originally planned to go ‘phygital’ this year, with both a physical event – taking place at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Handen Road – and a digital event. Sadly only the latter will now be going ahead, but the good news is that the online open studios will be running during the months of November and December. For details of works available online, from more than 25 artists, visit the artists gallery here.
leegreenopenstudios.com

5 House of Vans London x The Auction Collective
Until 18 November
 House of Vans London and The Auction Collective combine fine art and skate culture in a virtual 360° exhibition, followed by a live fundraising auction to raise funds for leading youth homelessness charity Centrepoint. Titled Objects of Art | The Skateboards, the exhibition and auction will feature 19 customised skateboards transformed into works of fine art by a mix of street artists, emerging artists and Royal Academicians including Grayson Perry, Yinka Shonibare, Charley Peters, Trust Icon, Olly Fathers and Camille Walala. Plus, those who hunt out a hidden image of Vans’ legend Tony Alva among the exhibition could win a prize – find out more via @houseofvansldn and @theauctioncollective on Instagram. The public can start bidding when the exhibition opens on 30 October, with the live stream auction on November 18 drawing the exhibition to a close.
theauctioncollective.com

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6 Wimbledon Art Fair Online
19-22 November
Wimbledon Art Fair goes online this year, delivering original, affordable art straight to your home. The online platform will allow you to browse, discover and buy online from over 100 artists and makers. You’ll find themed collections to suit all budgets and can join artists and makers for online Q&As and studio tours. Plus, you can book a studio appointment directly with the artist you would like to visit to see the work in person. Pre-book your free ticket for exclusive early access to the mini-masterpiece sale and Wimbledon Art Fair Online.
10 Riverside Road, Wimbledon SW17 0BB; wimbledonartfair.com

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7 Cockpit Arts Digital Makers’ Market
26 November
 Cockpit Arts’ annual Christmas Open Studio events usually entails a charming trip to the studios to sip mulled wine and peek behind the scenes of 150 designer-makers across its two London sites. This year, however, no can do. Instead, the Cockpit Arts’ team is launching a new digital Makers’ Market with more than 500 craft products and artworks available to buy, from splash-out collectible artworks shown in the likes of the V&A, to ‘studio exclusives’ created especially for the event and ceramics, jewellery and textiles. But if decision making isn’t your forte, Cockpit has enrolled style insiders – including London’s Deputy Mayor of Culture Justine Simons and ex-Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman – to share their picks in The Cockpit Edit.
cockpitarts.com

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8 Camberwell Arts Online Winter Programme
28 Nov-8 Dec
Camberwell Arts will be hosting an online Open Studios and Digital Marketplace this festive season. Running from Saturday 28 November to Sunday 8 December, the Open Studios programme will feature a mix of live-streams on social media, pre-recorded studio walk-throughs and a facility to book in-person studio visits with artists. The digital marketplace will offer sales directly through the Camberwell Arts website, making it a great spot to hunt out unique Christmas gifts.
camberwellarts.org.uk

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