Red Telephone Booth – Classic London Art

I think I can safely call this red telephone booth art print a classic now. It’s been over ten years since I took the photo it’s based upon. And it wasn’t long after that I sat at home editing the photos from that May trip to London and magic happened. I’d love to say that I planned it this way but this was at the beginning of my journey as an artist. I’m sure there was more than a level of chance as I sat there experimenting. These days there are much easier ways of doing selective color art. Maybe there were better ways then, for that matter! I did say I was new to digital art then. But I still remember sitting at my computer for hours painstakingly hand-masking just the color of that bright red telephone booth. When I finished it, I was quite happy with the results. So much so that this is one of the first works of my own art that hung in my home. And it still has a place of honor on my own walls a decade later.

London Calling – Red Telephone Booth Art

At the time, it very much surprised me how quickly this red telephone booth art print caught on. To date it’s still the single art print that I’ve sold the most copies of. It’s taken a decade of experience as an artist to come up with other works that are even approaching its popularity. I will tell you that’s a humbling experience for an artist. I have full sympathy for people singers and musicians who have success followed by the sounds of crickets chirping. There’s ever that fear of being a one hit wonder!

Even if I was only remembered for one piece of art, I think this one would make me happy. It just has a pop to it that catches people’s eyes. I’ve had multiple people tell me that they aren’t really anglophiles, but they like this London print for reasons they can’t quite put their fingers on. There’s certainly a lot to like about it. The light at that moment was just right – it leads down the sidewalk past the red telephone box into the distance. There’s a strong sense of contrast in the black and white and, of course, the brilliant pop of red. Unless you’re familiar with London, there’s probably nothing that screams London to you. No major landmarks, but it definitely speaks to the charm of London and England as well.

I think I knew this particular London print was a success when a British pub owner here in America contacted me to find out how to order a print for his business. I was quite proud to imagine all the folks in a pub seeing my work.  At that point, I had probably only sold a handful of prints, but that was the beginning of the story. Little did I know that many more would decorate their homes with them or give them as gifts to friends who love all things British.

Does this red telephone booth print make you smile? Are you considering a pop of red for your own walls or maybe an anglophile gift? If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask them below or send me a message. I’m always happy to talk about my work, answer questions you may have or just compare notes on our favorite places and things.

You can see this London Calling print in my shop here if you’d like to see what sizes, etc. are available for this particular print.

I also invite you to check out more of my British flavored art here where you’ll find more than a few red telephone booths in addition to this classic.