We’ve already given you a list of holiday markets, shops, and selections of artworks you can buy online this holiday season. However, if you’re still looking for gifts for yourself or for others, here’s a collection of online shops where you can buy work directly from artists themselves.
(Note: this is just a fraction of Texas artists who sell their work online or would be open to selling their work online. If you’d like our suggestions about how to talk to artists about their work or how to collect and give works by artists, go here, and here. For a list of our favorite museum stores, go here. To see some of our favorite art books, go here.)
A ceramic ewer by Jeff Gibbons. Photo: Soup Ceramics
The artists: Summer Aquino and Jeff Gibbons
The shop: Soup Ceramics
What we like: Aquino and Gibbons’ plates, cups, and bowls are a perfect blend of artistry and functionality. Get a ceramic that’s wonderful to look at that you aren’t scared to use!
Winter Cards by The Center for Imaginative Cartography & Research. Photo: The Center for Imaginative Cartography & Research
The artists: Emily Halbardier and Erik Sultzer
The shop: The Center for Imaginative Cartography & Research
What we like: Halbardier and Sultzer are regulars in the Zine Fest Houston circuit and always have bright, fun publications, calendars, cards, and more.
Trenton Doyle Hancock’s Moundverse Infants Torpedoboy Doll. Photo: Mind of the Mound
The artist: Trenton Doyle Hancock
The shop: Mind of the Mound
What we like: One of Texas’ best-known artists, Trenton Doyle Hancock doesn’t just make paintings, drawings and prints. His online shop features catalogs of his work as well as Moundverse vinyl dolls.
Mystic Multiples’ Roach Trap risograph print. Photo: Mystic Multiples
The artists: James Beard and Sarah Welch
The shop: Mystic Multiples
What we like: Beard and Welch, under the moniker Mystic Multiples, collaborate on zines, prints, comics, and more, many of which use their signature green risograph ink. Welch is also a co-organizer of Zine Fest Houston.
A tote bag featuring an illustration by Sebastian Gomez de la Torre
The artist: Sebastian Gomez de la Torre
The shop: The artist’s website
What we like: The artist, another Zine Fest Houston regular, had his first solo show in 2018 at Wedge Space in Houston. His zine by the same name was reviewed for Glasstire by Brandon Zech.
Martha Hughes’ painting Kitchen Table, Columbia Street, Marfa, 23 May 2020. Photo: Martha Hughes
The artist: Martha Hughes
The shop: The artist’s website
What we like: Hughes, who has a show currently on view through the window of her studio, sells small-scale paintings and drawings through her website. Look for indoor scenes rendered with solid color, as well as intricate drawings, paintings of tabletops and more.
Robert Hodge’s record Friendly Fire: The Audio Experience. Photo: Robert Hodge
The artist: Robert Hodge
The shop: Friendly Fire Store
What we like: You can now purchase the vinyl edition of Friendly Fire: The Audio Experience. Learn more about the album by listening to Christopher Blay’s interview with Hodge.
Bill Willis’ painting untitled (past lives online). Photo: Bill Willis
The artist: Bill Willis
The shop: The artist’s Instagram
What we like: The artist, a longtime painter of food and landscapes, now sells his watercolors via Instagram. Look for midcentury chairs, views of Houston, and more. As Glasstire writer Michael Bise said in a review of Willis’ work: “There are no excessive painterly flourishes, and the closest Willis comes to angst is rendering a taco and a sandwich in monochrome.”
St. Sucia Issue XIV: Soy. Photo: St Sucia
The artists: Isabel Ann Castro & Natasha I Hernandez
The shop: St. Sucia
What we like: Castro and Hernandez, in addition to being instrumental in San Antonio’s zine scene, have published fourteen issues of their publication St. Sucia, which has the goal of (via the publication’s website): “Exposing What It Is To Be A Mujer.”
Sam Lao’s Muse 004 wall rug. Photo: Sam Lao
The artist: Sam Lao
The shop: Sam Lao
What we like: In addition to being a staple of Dallas’ music scene, Lao makes colorful rugs that can be hung on the wall or placed on the floor.
Camp Bosworth’s Butter Pecan Sundae. Image: Wrong Store
The artist: Camp Bosworth
The shop: Wrong Store
What we like: From wishbones to sundaes, Bosworth’s carved (and sometimes painted) wooden sculptures speak for themselves. He sells these through the Wrong Store (Marfa), which is run by his wife, Buck.
JooYoung Choi’s Stella Starleen soft sculpture. Photo: JooYoung Choi
The artist: JooYoung Choi
The shop: The artist’s website
What we like: Flirting with the line between art and toy, Choi’s soft sculptures are a delight to hold and to look at.
Acidwinzip’s print I Can See You. Photo: Acidwinzip
The artist: Acidwinzip
The shop: Acidwinzip
What we like: In addition to showing at Flax Studio and Provenance Gallery in San Antonio, Acidwinzip sells original art, prints, apparel, stickers and more.
Jessica Ninci’s Basketball Necklaces. Photo: Jessica Ninci
The artist: Jessica Ninci
The shop: Squiggle and Dash
What we like: Galveston-based artist Jessica Ninci makes ceramics that are perfectly imperfect. Whether you want a basketball necklace, an incense holder, or a bowl or vase, her shop has you covered.
Narong Tintamusik’s Blizzard screenprint. Photo: Narong Tintamusik
The artist: Narong Tintamusik
The shop: Narong Tintamusik
What we like: Featuring paintings, screenprints and giclée prints, Tintamusik’s webstore is filled with their wonderfully messy and busy works. We particularly like the above snow-inspired work.
Raul Gonzalez’s sculpture Rebuilding the City Divided. Photo: Raul Gonzalez
The artist: Raul Gonzalez
The shop: Raul Gonzalez
What we like: When he’s not dancing (or, even when he’s dancing), Gonzalez is making art. His online store features some apparel he’s designed, along with original pieces at various price points.
A shirt by Jeremy Biggers. Photo: Jeremy Biggers
The artist: Jeremy Biggers
The shop: Stem & Thorn
What we like: Filled with zines, apparel, and more, Biggers’ online store is an extension of his practice of creating works about the Black experience.
