THE motto of three Oxford residents is ‘art for all’, and they have launched an online venture to help struggling artists.

By clicking on Artistasy.com, art lovers can buy original paintings and limited edition prints direct from painters.

Co-founder and chief financial officer, William Torre, 26, who lives in George Street, said: “We want to make the intimidating world of art accessible to all, rather than restrict it to a small elite.

“That’s where the inspiration for our motto ‘art for all’ comes from.”

Risk analyst Mr Torre, who moved to Oxford as a postgraduate finance student three years ago, has teamed up with two business partners, coastal engineer Daniele Longo, 37 and travel photographer Carl Muies, 29.

They came up with Artistasy after spotting a “frustrating” paradox.

Mr Torre explained: “On one hand, emerging artists struggle to pay their bills and often have to abandon their passion.

“On the other hand, there are many art lovers with a tight budget forced to decorate their homes with posters bought from Ikea.

“We realised that if we found a way of connecting the two, it would be a win-win situation.”

The trio used joint savings of £2,000 to build the site, which includes a zoom facility and space for artists to talk about themselves and their work.

It already includes 80 pieces of art from 30 artists and has a strong following on social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Prices start from £40 for a limited edition print and from £210 and into the thousands for paintings.

Mr Longo, who lives near Folly Bridge, said: “We have some talented artists from all over the world, including as far away as the Philippines and India.

“But as we are from Oxford, we would like the local community to make the most of our platform and our aim is to promote art and artists in the city.”

He added: “We all love art, so this venture is perfect because we can work on something we don’t see as duty but as a passion.

“We go to exhibitions often at weekends and are particularly keen to find new artists in art schools and academies but emerging artists can be any age.”

Buying the work of unknown artists could prove a sound financial move, Mr Torre said.

He added: “We are not pretending everyone can have a Monet but there are so many unknown artists whose work is amazing.

“Some art experts say emerging artists are the best investment.

“But it’s more that when you buy an original painting, it comes with the character and story behind it.”