Free Vintage Art
Did you know most paintings and art prints from your favorite stores are actually public domain art? Art that you can download for free?? Oh yes.
Search, download, print, and frame them to create beautiful pieces of art for your home, without the expense! Open Access art seems to be this big secret for some reason! Thank goodness for Pinterest, or I’d never have heard about it!
When I inherited my childhood home, and my husband and I made the decision to keep it - it needed alllllll the updates. I wanted to scrap every piece of furniture, every yellow lightbulb, and every piece of hideous, mauve colored tile (yes, it’s disgusting and still a work in progress). So after the new roof, new floors, and a fresh coat of paint, I desperately wanted to decorate the walls!
Naturally, I wanted to incorporate some equestrian aspects in my decor, but in particular, some equine wall art. Luckily, I found a variety of online sources to search - and it completely legal to download and print them for your own personal use! For FREE. This was an amazing find for me, since so much of the art I loved in retail stores, such as Studio McGee, Pottery Barn, or Arhaus is INCREDIBLY expensive. When I tell you I have expensive taste, I do not lie. I have a knack for choosing the most expensive item in any store, every time. It’s a gift. Ugh.
Anyway, I am a member of several Facebook design and decorating groups for inspiration. I’m obsessed with the organic modern look - made very popular right now by Studio McGee, which has a line of home goods in Target (competes with Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia line https://magnolia.com/ , which I also love) and a reality show on Netflix called “Dream Home Makeover”. The online store is located here: https://studio-mcgee.com/. The people sharing in these groups post about furniture finds, less expensive dupes, and online sales for home goods. What I noticed though, is no one is talking about free art. And I’m sorry, but as much as I love everything from these big name retailers, I’m not spending $800 - $1,200 for a reproduction print that everyone could have in their home. No thanks. I even had my posts deleted and hidden by the admins in these groups for trying to share that this art does not have to cost a fortune! Ridiculous.
I was able to find a TON of art that is identical in style to fit my organic modern home! All I did was search, download, and send to print at mpix.com. Seriously, if you’re going to print it and hang it on your wall - don’t bother having it printed anywhere else. Been there - wasted that money! Also, I do a lot of framing at Michaels, but I’ve been trying to check my local thrift shops for some vintage gold frames, which are my favorite.
Since I prefer to keep my old ribbons and horse show photos in the back hallway or in my office upstairs, the art I discovered from all my online searches will be for my formal dining area, living room, and master bedroom. I have copied and pasted those sources below for your convenience but also have included a few of my favorite images for you to grab right away! “Horses” and “Landscape” were my two top key words.
I hope you like these or find some other ones you love! I will keep hunting and will add to this ASAP.
Feel free to drop me a note in the comment section!
