What Makes Quirky Art Prints Worth Buying?
Start With the Print You Can't Stop Looking At
The best quirky art print is the one that pulls you in at first sight. Maybe it's the color. Maybe it's a strange idea you want to understand. Maybe you're just curious enough to sit with it a little longer. Whatever the reason, that pull is worth trusting.
I'm an artist, and I make quirky prints from my favorite art pieces. Here's what I think makes them worth bringing home.
They Start Conversations
Hang a quirky print where guests will see it and someone will likely ask about it. An animal that looks familiar (but also kind of peculiar too 👀) , with oddly human eyes, gives friends and family something to talk about.
Even the titles get people wondering, like The Critter Won't Go Incident or I Wear My Owl On My Sleeve. Quirky art breaks the ice in a way a matching set of generic decor rarely will. And good conversations are what make life interesting.
They Give You Something New to Find Every Day
Quirky art rewards a second look, and a third. You spot a detail you missed, and the story you saw last week shifts into a different one. Living with a piece like that keeps your mind a little more curious, and it can help when you feel stuck in the same patterns in your day-to-day life.
Quirky art is often colorful, too, so it brightens a room while it does all that.
Why My Work Looks the Way It Does
My originals begin with a lot of paint on canvas. I spread the colors around with different tools and add plenty of water, which creates random watery marks, blended hues, and texture I couldn't plan if I tried.
Once it's dry, I come back and look at the texture the way you'd look at clouds. I find images in it, and then I bring them out. That's pareidolia, the psychological phenomenon of seeing faces and figures in random patterns.
The result is a lot of whimsical, fancy fall animals. They feel familiar, but they're peculiar:
Human-like expressions and eyes that seem to look back at you
Surreal elements that sometimes lean toward abstraction
Figures that skew cartoonish, with a few realistic features mixed in
When you hang one of these prints, you do the same thing I did while painting it. You find new images and new stories in it over time.
Easy to Frame, Easy to Collect
You don't need a custom framing budget to enjoy a print. Mine are printed on paper in standard sizes, including 9 x 12, 12 x 9, 11 x 14, 14 x 11, and 12 x 12. The 12 x 12 size fits album frames, which makes framing simple and affordable.
Prices run from $20 to $30, and every print is an open edition. Start with one piece and add more as your collection grows. You can browse the full shop here.
Why Buying From an Independent Artist Matters
Mass-produced "quirky" decor is everywhere, and a lot of it was never made by an independent artist. In the age of AI imagery, it's harder than ever to know where a piece came from.
When you buy directly from the artist, you support the person who made it, and that's the most impactful way to support art. Your purchase helps an artist keep making more art.
How to Choose a Print You'll Love
Skip the “rules” and go with your first reaction. If a piece catches your eye and you're still curious about it a minute later, that's the one.
Not sure where to start? Try one of these:
Everyday is a Parade (12 x 12, $30)
Bluebird Nocturne (9 x 12, $22)
Little Good Wolf (9 x 12, $22)
Or see everything at nicoletteleigharts.com and find the one that stares back at you.
