Aura Fine Art

When an independent gallery owner joins forces with a big publishing house, Aura Fine Art is the result. This fast-growing art house is quickly taking over the Midlands, offering art lovers the opportunity to furnish their homes with some unique and interesting pieces they won’t find anywhere else. We spoke to Beth Parnham, founder of Aura, about her love for art and how she helps others find their dream pieces.

From Insta-Art to Aura Expansion

Aura began as a COVID baby, offering an Instagram platform and a website for people to select the masterpieces they wanted to adorn their homes. When everybody was stuck indoors, they were investing in their spaces, making the art world an exciting place to be.

Beth has been in the art industry for over ten years, working with Whitewall Galleries, part of the UK’s biggest publisher. She then went to work for an independent art gallery where she was in charge of curating and finding new artists. With lockdown came the decision to set up on her own.

As the world began opening up again, Beth realised she needed a physical space for Aura to be in. “I couldn’t really do it on my own. My good friend Jonathan [Kearns], who owns Buckingham Fine Art, asked me to open some galleries in the Midlands together. So, we opened Aura in May last year.”

And the business has snowballed from there. “Nottingham opened in May, Stratford Upon Avon opened in October, and Solihull opened this February.

“There are going to be more galleries opening. I’d like to go further North with the galleries. I think we’re going to continue to build on what we have and give people these lovely experiences that we’re giving them.”

Finding Inspiration in the Unique

“What’s lovely, and what keeps us unique, is that I still have my Aura Exclusive Artists which I had before I came on board with Buckingham. I’m still an independent gallery, just with the backing of a publishing house. It means we get more limited editions and the framings all looked after.”

Beth has a well-trained eye when it comes to commissioning new artists. “I’m always looking out for something different, something that no one else has done. Or something that other people might be doing, for example, there’s lots of artists that paint wildlife, but it’s looking for somebody that does it with a different edge.

“I’m quite passionate about finding artists from overseas and bringing them to the UK. There’s one artist, Amy Shekhter. She’s based in Florida, she’s a very American-centric artist. I found her on Instagram, and we launched her through the UK market. People love her!”

Bringing Art to Your Home

“I think art is fundamental to interior design. Trends come and go. I will always tell clients to choose a painting that you fall in love with. It doesn’t matter what it is. But then you build the room around it. Choose the painting first and then accent with your cushions and your curtains because you might tire of an orange cushion, but you’re never going to tire of an orange cushion that matches the painting that you’ve fallen in love with.”

Aura Fine Art makes this easier with their home consultation service, where they bring a selection of paintings into your room so you can see them in situ before making a decision. Beth and her colleagues are out almost every day, helping their customers in this way.

“I love beautiful things. No one can explain it to you until you have a painting in your home, no one can explain quite the difference it will make to your life. Having a painting that you completely love and connect with, on your wall, wherever that might be in your home, makes you happy every day. The opportunity to work in an environment where you’re helping people to find that thing that they love and cherish for many years to come, that’s just an amazing thing. I can never imagine working in any other industry.”