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A Northampton mother has shared the “surreal” feeling that her abstract art business has been open for two years and her creations are in homes all over the world.
30-year-old Lucia Tonna first launched ‘The Modern Art Mama’ in January 2023, after she posted a piece of art she made herself on social media and people requested she begin selling them.
Having previously operated using a waiting list, Lucia was “inundated” and the number of orders placed increased by six times the amount within three months of launching.
“I knew what artwork I wanted for my living room but it was going to cost me around £1,000 to buy it,” Lucia previously told the Chronicle & Echo. “How is this justifiable for anyone?”
After the demand from people online to open up for commissions, Lucia made it her aim to offer aesthetic artwork without the extortionate price tag.
Not only does the 30-year-old offer bespoke canvas wall art, but she creates her own collections to release at different times throughout the year.
The most popular are the bespoke canvases with lettering on, in which customers can choose whatever they want written on the artwork.
When asked how it feels that her business has been operating for more than two years, Lucia said: “It’s strange, I still have to tell myself I run a business. It’s doing just as well as it was before, which is surreal.”
The mother anticipated that she would remain a small Northampton business, but her creations are on the walls of homes across the globe.
“I swapped the waiting list for a lead time of up to two months,” said Lucia. “I’m so busy and it feels weird that people are willing to wait for my work.
“I have seen around 70 other businesses doing what I do since I set up and yet so many people would prefer to wait for my art.”
Though one of her goals for the year is to set up her own website, Lucia is excited but concerned about the traffic it will generate – as she is already busy with her Instagram orders alone. She continues to run the business alongside another job.
When asked what she believes customers like most about her art, the founder said: “They can choose what they want to put on the canvas and it’s minimalist. They can choose the canvas colour, landscape or portrait, the placement of the letters and what they say.”
Creating collections to release throughout each year also gives Lucia the chance to experiment, and these pieces always go down well among her customer base.
Talking about her favourite thing about being a business owner, Lucia said: “It’s something I have grown and built myself. I never imagined I would be able to do what I’ve done. It’s rewarding.”
Looking to 2025, Lucia is excited to work with a couple of galleries after being approached to display her work.
“I’m going above and beyond,” she concluded. “I have the drive to keep pushing the business to the next level.”
