In conversation with OwnArt

In conversation with Sarah Ryan, founder and director of NewBloodArt

NewBloodArt is a niche / boutique online art gallery, selling unique, original art by carefully selected emerging artists.
We sat down with its founder and director, Sarah Ryan, to find out more about her background and work as a gallerist and the challenges she has encountered in selling art online.

Can you tell us a bit more about your background and what prompted you to establish New Blood Art?

I am an artist by background – I went to art college and then on to Homerton College, Cambridge, to complete a PGCE in Art education where I qualified to be a teacher and then I taught in various secondary schools for a while – in inner city London, overseas and my last teaching position was teaching art to dance students at The Royal Ballet School. During my teaching career (1998–2005) I maintained an interest and a presence at degree shows.

Circling back further – when I was at art college I was aware of how difficult it was for art students to sell their work. I spent a lot of my time in the life drawing studio and would spend hours alongside other students producing charcoal drawings alongside a strong group of fellow art students who were also producing original work – yet most of us were needing to take on part-time work in one place or another to subsidise our studies.

I lived in a student house at the time with other students who weren’t studying art – and they were always interested to see the artwork I brought back from college. I sold one or two works to other students who wanted original art. This got me thinking. Galleries were dealing with higher priced works by more established artists, things like the Affordable Art Fair didn’t yet exist, yet people seemed to want to buy original art at accessible prices and artists wanted to sell it. It made sense to connect the two. That was the seed of the idea.

So after two years teaching in Botswana for the British Council, and various conversations with friends, tutors and artists asking them what they thought of the idea, I decided to give it a go. I went to see a web developer in Islington and it started from there in 2004. By 2005 I had given up my A level Art teaching at the Ballet School and was working full time on NewBloodArt.

Why did you decide to focus on emerging artists?

This was part of the original idea – for buyers, for artists and for the scope of the internet, where past a certain price point it can be harder to sell higher priced works.

Over time the investment dimension developed. I have discovered artists at degree shows who have gone on to do well and their prices have increased. As a result, the platform gained a reputation from an alternative investment point of view. When you discover an artist at a degree show, their prices are at an early stage, and buyers are engaging with work at the beginning of an artist’s career.

Artist Orlanda Broom works with NewBloodArt

Why do you think more and more people are buying art online?

I think it’s the same reason people are buying everything online. The internet has opened up the opportunity to buy original art to a wider audience, and initiatives such as the Affordable Art Fair have helped shift the culture by presenting more accessible work to more people.

In other parts of Europe it has long been common practice for the general public to buy original art. That culture is becoming more embedded in the UK.

How did you find out about Own Art and what made you decide to join our network?

I saw Own Art in various galleries and recognised it as a strong initiative. For buyers who prefer to spread payments rather than pay in one amount, it makes purchasing original art more manageable and can support first-time buyers. The interest-free structure is significant, and it contributes to the wider support of artists and the arts in the UK.

For buyers choosing higher priced works, the ability to spread the cost – for example, £1000 over ten months – allows them to live with and enjoy the work from the outset. With emerging artists, prices can increase over time, so buyers may also see financial appreciation alongside the personal value of the work.

Artist Lindsay Mapes works with NewBloodArt

What are your plans for the future of New Blood Art?

The online market has expanded significantly, with many online galleries now operating in the same space. The focus is to return to the core values of New Blood Art: degree show tours, long-term relationships with artists, tutors and clients, and a continued commitment to discovering talented emerging artists at the beginning of their careers.

The platform has evolved over time, including the development of a Foundation structure, but the underlying approach remains consistent – careful selection, close dialogue with artists, and a direct, considered relationship with collectors. Maintaining oversight of the process, from discovery through to placement of work, remains central. The intention is to keep the programme focused and curated, with clarity about its scope and identity.

You can find out more about the criteria employed by NewBloodArt to select emerging artists here.