Are these paintings really originals, not copies of other artworks?

Yes. An original is a one-off composition painted from the artist's own reference, sketch or imagination — not a copy of an existing artwork. You receive progress photos as it is painted, and the finished canvas is not reproduced or resold.

Can I commission an original in a specific style or palette?

Yes. Send reference images, a colour palette, room photos or fabric swatches. We match you with the resident artist whose hand suits the brief, and you approve a sketch or colour study before the final painting begins.

Do I own the copyright to the painting I commission?

You own the physical painting outright. Full commercial copyright is transferred on request and noted on the certificate of authenticity — tell us at the brief stage if you intend to reproduce the image.

How long does an original commission take?

Typically two to five weeks depending on size, surface and how many layers the artist builds. Progress photos are sent at key stages so you can request adjustments while the paint is still wet.

Do you ship original paintings framed?

Yes — shipped rolled in a tube, stretched on wooden bars, or framed to your specification. Crated and insured shipping is available for large or high-value canvases, with tracked courier worldwide.

Original Art & Artists — Hand-Painted Original Oil Paintings from Dafen, Shenzhen

The other side of Dafen

A village of copies — and the painters behind them

Dafen built its name reproducing the world's masterpieces. That reputation is deserved, and it also hides the more interesting half of the story: the same streets are full of painters who compose their own work, and who spent years getting fast enough at somebody else's brushwork to afford their own.

Why it matters to you

Craft trained on the masters

An artist who has painted Vermeer's light fifty times understands glazing in a way that no short course teaches. That is the skill set you are commissioning when you buy a Dafen original — technical depth, at studio rather than gallery prices.

Why it matters to you

No gallery markup

You are dealing with the studio floor, not a representative. There is no commission split, no framing upsell chain and no brand premium — the price covers canvas, pigment, the artist's time and shipping, and not much else.

Why it matters to you

Direct line to the painter

Questions go to the person holding the brush. Revisions happen while the paint is still wet instead of after a shipment, and you can ask for a specific hand — loose and impasto, or tight and classical — rather than a house style.

What we paint

Six directions our artists work in

These are the working categories of the studio floor. If your brief sits between two of them, say so — matching you to the right hand is most of the job.

Textured abstract oil painting in warm palette

Impasto · knife work

Textured abstraction

Built in layers with a palette knife. Reads as colour and surface from across a room, and as gesture up close. Most requested for hotel lobbies and open-plan living spaces.

Landscape · contemporary

Contemporary landscape

Village scenes, coastline, mountains and city light — painted from the artist's own reference material rather than copied from a photograph you supply.

Signature series

The Old Locomotive Series

Our studio principal's own body of work on steam and early rail — industrial nostalgia painted in heavy oil. The series has been exhibited at the Shenzhen Art Fair, and works from it have travelled to exhibitions in several countries.

Original figurative and portrait oil painting study

Figure · portrait study

Figurative & portrait studies

Life-room painting in the classical tradition: the figure, the hand, the fall of cloth. Available as studies, or as finished portraits painted from a sitting or from photographs.

Still life oil painting with artist palette

Oil with an ink sensibility

Ink-influenced oil

Chinese compositional sense — negative space, brush economy, a restricted palette — carried out in oil rather than ink on paper. Quiet work that suits residential and hospitality interiors.

Artist painting a still life in warm light in a Dafen studio

Traditional

Still life & floral

Fruit, glass, peonies, brass — the studio standbys. Painted wet-into-wet in a single session or built slowly over weeks, depending on the surface you want.

Resident artists

The hands on the studio floor

We work with a rotating group of painters based in and around Dafen. Rather than list names you cannot verify, here is how we describe them — and how we match you to one.

Two decades in oil

The landscape specialist

Trained in the village since the early 2000s, works almost exclusively in skies and water. Loose, fast, and unusually good at weather. Best brief for large horizontal canvases above seating.

Knife and impasto

The abstractionist

Builds surface with a palette knife over underpainting, sometimes three or four sessions deep. Works from a colour brief rather than an image. Best brief for lobbies and open spaces.

Studio principal

The series painter

Our studio principal, whose Old Locomotive series has been shown at the Shenzhen Art Fair and exhibited abroad. Works in series rather than singles — if you like one canvas, there are usually siblings.

Life room training

The figurative painter

Classical training, works from the model or from photographs, careful about hands and edges. Best brief for portraits, family groups and commissioned figures.

Artists are matched to your brief after we see it. If you want a specific painter you have seen on our channels, send the reference and we will confirm availability before you commit.

How a commission runs

Four steps from brief to crate

The same process whether you are commissioning one canvas for a living room or a set for a hotel floor.

Send the brief

Reference images, palette, size, room photos, deadline. WhatsApp is fastest. We reply within 24 hours with a price and an honest view of whether we are the right studio for it.

Approve the study

Your artist produces a sketch or a small colour study. Nothing goes to full canvas until you have seen and approved the direction.

Watch it being painted

Progress photos at the underpainting, mid-layer and final stages. Adjustments are made while the paint is wet — that is when changes are actually possible.

Approve, then it ships

Final photos for sign-off, then packing to your specification: rolled, stretched, framed or crated. Tracked courier worldwide, insured on request.

What you receive

Provenance, in writing

An original is worth more with a paper trail. Every commissioned canvas leaves the studio with the following.

Signed canvas

Signed by the artist on the front or the verso, as you prefer, with the year of execution.

Certificate of authenticity

Studio-issued certificate with title, dimensions, medium, year and the artist's working reference. Commercial copyright transfer noted on request.

Process record

The progress photographs we sent you, on request — useful documentation if the work is ever insured, resold or shipped again.

One-off guarantee

We do not reproduce a commissioned original, and we do not resell the composition. If a painting of yours ever appears in our catalogue, it is a mistake and we will correct it.

Questions

What buyers ask about originals

Is an original very different in price from a reproduction?

Yes, and for a clear reason: a reproduction is a painter repeating a composition they know well, while an original includes design time, studies and revisions. Send the brief and we will quote both options side by side if you want to compare.

Can I commission a set that hangs together?

Yes — diptychs, triptychs and larger sets are common for hospitality work. The artist plans the set as one composition rather than painting pieces separately, so the colour and gesture carry across.

What if I do not like the finished painting?

You approve a study first and see progress photos throughout, so the direction is settled long before the last layer. Adjustments requested at the wet stage are included; a complete change of subject after sign-off is a new commission.

Can you match a palette to my interior?

Yes. Send fabric swatches, a paint chip or a photograph of the room in daylight. We colour-match on canvas and send a photo of the mixed palette against your swatch before painting starts.

Do you sell existing originals, or only commissions?

Both. There are finished originals in the studio at any given time — ask for current availability on WhatsApp and we will send photographs of what is on the rack this week.

Can I visit and watch it being painted?

Yes. We are a working studio in Dafen and visitors are welcome by appointment. See the Visit Dafen page, or ask for a live video walk-through on WhatsApp.

The Dafen Authority

A working studio inside the world's largest oil painting village — not a remote trader.

2016 Studio established in Dafen. Member of the Dafen Art Industry Association.

50+ Artists in our working network across the village — painters, not agents.

Exhibited Studio principal's series shown at Shenzhen Art Fair and in exhibitions abroad.

Real studio & warehouse in Dafen — visit us in Shenzhen Hand-painted on canvas, purely Preview photos before shipping

Start a commission

Tell us what you have in mind

Send a brief, a photograph, or just a description. We will tell you honestly whether one of our artists is the right hand for it, and what it costs.

Chat on WhatsApp — Instant Quote Or browse reproductions

Prefer email? dafenarthub@gmail.com · Trade enquiries: trade@dafenarthub.com

Original paintings,
not copies.

A village of copies — and the painters behind them

Craft trained on the masters

No gallery markup

Direct line to the painter

Six directions our artists work in

Textured abstraction

Contemporary landscape

The Old Locomotive Series

Figurative & portrait studies

Ink-influenced oil

Still life & floral

The hands on the studio floor

The landscape specialist

The abstractionist

The series painter

The figurative painter

Four steps from brief to crate

Send the brief

Approve the study

Watch it being painted

Approve, then it ships

Provenance, in writing

Signed canvas

Certificate of authenticity

Process record

One-off guarantee

What buyers ask about originals

Tell us what you have in mind

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