ABOUT
THE CALLING
Expressive art. Atmospheric. Ethereal home decor. Illustrations and timeless fine art celebrating slow travel, slow food and slow life.
THE JOURNEY
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - Augustine of Hippo
Between 2014 and 2015, the founder, Patricia Jacques, spent two years traveling slowly and solo from Bolivia to Guatemala, Japan to Malaysia and Italy to Turkey.
Because of her multi-disciplinary, applied design and art background, she soaked up the design intelligence and cultural aesthetics of some of the most beautiful places in the world.
She discovered incredibly elegant watercolor paintings in the modern, crowded streets of Hanoi, Vietnam and vibrant home decor at its most ancient palaces.
Even went on a “treasure hunt,” to snag elusive tickets, to gawk at the delightful dioramas of Ghibli Museum, in Mitaka, Japan of famed Studio Ghibli.
She even took a number of cultural immersion trips to study batik art in Malaysia or to chase the milky way near Arequipa, Peru.
With her background in architecture, garden design and interior design styles, she came back to her adopted country, the United States, with tons of ideas for unique wall art, home decor gifts, and gifts for travel lovers.
They were contained in:
- three sketchbooks full of illustrations,
- two visual journals,
- an enormous library of reference travel photos
- and an extensive travelogue archive full of quirky notes, deep introspective dives and detailed observations.
The concept for United Wanderlust was born.
From mythology to omeyaki, United Wanderlust is the field adventurer's, non-conformist thinker's, spiritual nomad's, and armchair explorer’s gateway to discovering timeless and uplifting dreamscapes, quirky graphic illustrations and ethereal watercolors brimming with magical realism.
THE ART
It often takes a solid 10 to 30+ hours to create one single original art piece, let alone an entire collection. The incredible atmospheric effects of watercolor and watercolor-based media also often come with some steep challenges.
Watercolor can sometimes be...demanding.
Mess up once depending on how transparent the color layers are - and you might have to start the entire painting over - especially if the final visual art created is realistic art, instead of abstract art.
In addition, the prints themselves undergo a separate round of production. This assures that they enhance your rooms with the right kind of drama or, balance them with visual serenity.
In the post production phase, each image is scanned at high resolution and gets cleaned up, edited, enhanced or re-imagined to complement the material it’s printed on.
We use a made-to-order model.
Each design is printed on demand - just for that specific customer.
When a customer places an order, the print production process starts at that exact time. It can be slow-going sometimes as an order may include items we source from a variety of vendors to create the best final piece we can.
Allow two weeks to create the print plus up to 15 days or so for domestic shipping from receiving your email tracking number.
International shipping could take up to eight weeks, outside of Canada and Mexico.
Order your art prints well in advance of an occasion - two to three weeks at minimum- to reduce the potential for a delayed delivery.
Our entire collection of art and art gifts is firmly planted in the slow travel experience and philosophy.
By its very nature, it spans the gamut of experiences, deep travelers often accumulate, along their own journeys:
Out of this world, jaw-dropping mountainscapes difficult to capture in photos alone
- Realms of rich color, textures and tones hidden in UNESCO world heritage sites
- Unforgettable unfamiliar raw, fermented, cooked, or roasted foods recommended from the locals
- Colorful, kaleidoscopic textile patterns dancing in the wind at the local markets
- And so many other delicious experiences…
United Wanderlust is a women-owned art shop with a full-time maker.
We will continue to celebrate, through delightfully unusual paintings, the stories and experiences of die-hard, travelers who move slowly through the wondrous worlds they explore.
As Helen Keller once said, “life is either a DARING adventure or NOTHING at all.”