Inside a Canadian Art Gallery: 149 Original Paintings by the Numbers
UpdatedVanArtHub is an online gallery that sells original signed paintings to collectors in Canada and the USA. We wanted to answer a simple question about our own shop: what does the art actually look like when you add it all up? So we counted. This report describes the 149 original paintings we have for sale right now, in July 2026. These are numbers from our live collection, not sales figures for the whole art market. If you have ever wondered what a small contemporary gallery really carries, this is an honest look inside ours.
One number surprised even us. Of the 149 paintings, 135 were made in 2025. That is about 91 percent. Almost everything we sell was painted in the last year or so. This is not old stock sitting in a back room. Most of our artists are alive and working now, and they send us new pieces as they finish them. If you buy from us, you are almost always buying very recent contemporary work.
Tate defines contemporary art as "art of the present day and of the relatively recent past, of an innovatory or avant-garde nature" (Tate, "Contemporary art" glossary, 2026). By that meaning, our collection is contemporary in the strictest sense. The paint is barely dry.
What people are actually painting: subjects
The biggest group by far is portraits. About half of everything we carry shows a person or a face. Landscapes, nature scenes, and abstract work make up smaller slices. When you look at our full collection of original artworks, the human face is the theme you see most.
| Subject | Share of collection |
|---|---|
| Portraits | about 51% |
| Landscape | about 13% |
| Nature | about 11% |
| Figurative and human figure | about 10% combined |
| Abstract | about 7% |
Why so many portraits? In our experience, emerging contemporary painters return to the human face again and again. It is one of the hardest things to paint well, so it is where many artists want to prove what they can do. A face also connects with a buyer in a way a shape or a hillside sometimes does not. People hang a portrait and feel something. That pull shows up clearly in what our artists choose to make and in what sells. If portraits are your taste, our portrait paintings collection is where most of that work lives.
The styles we carry
About half of our paintings are described as fine art in the classic sense: careful, representational work made with traditional skill. Another 17 percent fall under contemporary fine art, roughly 10 percent are modern in style, and about 8 percent are surrealism. So the shape of our shelf leans toward realistic, skill-forward painting, with a smaller pocket of dreamlike and modern pieces for buyers who want something less literal.
Oil, acrylic, and a surprising amount of colored pencil
Oil is the most common medium in our gallery, which matches what most people expect from a painting collection. Acrylic comes second. The number that catches visitors off guard is colored pencil at nearly a quarter of everything we carry. Colored pencil is a slow, patient medium, and the detail some of our artists reach with it is remarkable.
| Medium | Share of collection |
|---|---|
| Oil | 46% |
| Acrylic | 27% |
| Colored pencil | 24% |
| Ink and mixed media | about 3% |
If you already know you want the depth and slow-drying richness of oil, our oil paintings collection gathers those pieces in one place. Buyers who prefer bright, fast-drying color often gravitate to acrylic instead. Both are archival and both last for generations when cared for properly.
Tall paintings, and what that means for your wall
Orientation tells a small but useful story. Of the works where we recorded orientation, 82 are vertical and only 7 are horizontal. Vertical, portrait-shaped canvases dominate our collection. Part of that follows from the subject mix: a standing figure or a single face sits naturally in a tall frame. The practical lesson for buyers is this. A tall painting wants a tall stretch of wall, like the space beside a doorway, above a console table, or in a narrow hallway. Measure that vertical space before you fall in love with a piece.
What it costs
The median price across the 149 paintings is 700 dollars Canadian. Most pieces fall between 400 and 1,000 dollars. That puts a real, signed, one-of-a-kind painting within reach of a normal budget, not just serious collectors. Original art has a reputation for being expensive, and at the top of the market it certainly is. At our end of it, an original signed painting costs about what many people spend on a framed print. If you want to see the newest arrivals first, the latest artworks collection updates as pieces come in.
Key takeaways
- About 91 percent of our current collection was painted in 2025. This is fresh contemporary work, not old inventory.
- Portraits are the largest subject group at roughly half of everything we carry.
- Oil leads our mediums at 46 percent, with colored pencil a surprising third at 24 percent.
- Vertical, tall-format paintings far outnumber horizontal ones, so plan for a tall stretch of wall.
- The median price is 700 dollars Canadian, with most pieces between 400 and 1,000 dollars.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of art does VanArtHub sell?
We sell original, signed, one-of-a-kind paintings, mostly recent contemporary work from living artists. Our collection leans toward portraits and figurative subjects, with landscapes, nature, and abstract pieces as well. Every painting is a single physical object that nobody else owns a copy of.
Are these paintings originals or prints?
Every piece is an original. We do not sell prints, posters, or reproductions. Each painting is the actual work the artist made by hand, and it ships with a Certificate of Authenticity that names the artist and the piece.
How recent are the works?
Very recent. About 91 percent of our current collection was painted in 2025. Most of our artists are working now and send us new pieces as they finish them, so the collection stays fresh rather than filling with old unsold stock.
What is the most common style you carry?
Classic fine art is the largest group, at about half the collection. This is careful, realistic, skill-forward painting. Contemporary fine art, modern, and surrealism make up the rest, so there is room for buyers who want something less literal.
Do you have abstract and landscape too?
Yes. Portraits are the biggest group, but not the only one. Landscapes are about 13 percent of the collection and abstract work about 7 percent. You can browse the abstract paintings collection if that is your taste, or the landscape collection for scenery.
How much do they cost?
The median price is 700 dollars Canadian, and most pieces fall between 400 and 1,000 dollars. Some are lower and some are higher. For an original signed painting, this is an accessible range, close to what many people pay for a good framed print.
What is the most common medium?
Oil, at 46 percent of the collection. Acrylic is second at 27 percent, and colored pencil is a strong third at 24 percent. The rest is ink and mixed media. All of these are archival and last for generations with normal care.
Why are so many of the paintings portraits?
The human face is one of the hardest subjects to paint well, so many emerging contemporary artists return to it to show their skill. A portrait also connects with a buyer on sight in a way that abstract shapes sometimes do not. Both reasons show up in what our artists make and in what sells.
Why are most of the paintings tall and vertical?
Of the works where we recorded orientation, 82 are vertical and 7 are horizontal. A lot of that follows from the subject mix, because a single figure or face sits naturally in a tall frame. Before you buy, measure a tall stretch of wall where the piece could hang.
Do the numbers in this report describe the whole art market?
No. Every figure here describes our own live collection of 149 paintings in July 2026. These are the works VanArtHub currently offers, not sales data for the wider art market. We counted our own catalog and reported exactly what we found.
Do you ship to Canada and the USA?
Yes. We ship original paintings to collectors across Canada and the USA, with free standard shipping to both. Each piece is packed carefully and arrives with its Certificate of Authenticity.
Will the numbers change over time?
Yes. As artists send new work and pieces sell, the shape of the collection shifts. This report is a snapshot of July 2026. We plan to recount and update it as the gallery grows.
Sources
- Tate, "Contemporary art" art term glossary, 2026
- VanArtHub internal collection catalog, 149 original paintings, counted July 2026.
Data checked July 2026. If something looks out of date, tell us and we will update it.
About VanArtHub
VanArtHub sells original, signed paintings, each with a Certificate of Authenticity, shipping to collectors in Canada and the USA. Every piece is a real one-of-a-kind work from a living artist, most of it painted in the last year. If this look inside our numbers made you curious, come see the paintings themselves in our full collection of original artworks.
