Creating good art requires skill and imagination. People devote their entire lives to it and still fail to produce a single quality work. But there is a silver lining in every cloud — sometimes artists create such bad works, they're actually kinda good. In their own way.
Just take a look at the Facebook group called Terrible Art in Charity Shops (TAICS).
Its 240K members are constantly sharing pics of the stuff they find while scavenging through thrift stores, and it's clear that one man's trash is another's living room decor. From funny superhero portraits to trippy landscapes, continue scrolling and check out what I mean!
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Not Terrible But It Made Me Laugh; Portswood, Southampton UK
A year ago, Bored Panda published a piece on Terrible Art in Charity Shops, only that time, it was a little bit more specific. Back then we focused on people "role-playing" or recreating the artworks that captured their attention. Now, we're focusing more on a broader angle.
One of the group's admins, Al Bigg, describes the group's community as "a very mixed bunch, from complete amateurs like myself who join TAICS knowing very little about art to artists who pray never to see their own art included in a post, and some people who have studied art on a high level."
"I joined because I love charity shops and thought it would be a laugh," Bigg told Bored Panda. And I think that's part of its charm; people can easily find their place within the group, no matter their artistic skill or expertise.
A Steal For Only £10. In Sue Ryder Hillsborough, Sheffield
Take My Money
Bought From Scope Cornwall For £1. Titled Fashions For The Ocean Bed. 1930's Print Of Diving Suits From 1500 To Variants Of The 1800's. Cool Or Not?
According to the admin, the admins and mods aim to keep this place an easy-going, humorous group with just a light touch of oversight to help it to evolve by itself.
"We love to have a laugh," Bigg said. "We want members to feel part of the community and if we all learn something about art, that's great too!"
As you can see from the pictures, you couldn't define the genre of thrift store paintings. There's a little bit of everything. "The most popular paintings [within the group] are often the ones we would least expect," Bigg said. "However, naivety and nudity always do well as well as the bizarre ones that no one can really explain."
Psychedelic Cat Save The Children, Salisbury, South Australia
This Is Also Pretty Ruff. I Didn't Splash Out On It... Although It Costs Only A Hound Coin... Etc Red Cross Charity Shop In Burnham On Crouch, Essex
Finally Found Something Worthy I Hope... In St Vincent’s Bunbury West Australia For $6… Lovely Pic Of... Red Blood Cells??
Interestingly, a University of Bamberg research team led by psychologist Claudia Muth conducted a small study and found that "the higher the subjectively perceived degree of ambiguity within an artwork, the more participants liked it, and the more interesting and affecting it was for them."
"Artworks," the researchers state, "are not riddles to be solved via analytic steps." Perhaps Muth and her colleagues should look into Terrible Art in Charity Shops as well?
Came Across This In Weldmar Hospice Are In Lyme Regis - £3.50
Cats never forget, that's why they drink. Or was that elephants?
I Saw This A Few Weeks Ago And Forgot To Post. The Cow Picture In The Foreground Was What Caught My Eye For But Actually The Girl Bathing/Baptising The Puppy Is Far Worse I Think. Acorn. Jersey
I Bought It, Anyway
Ultimately, the curators of Terrible Art in Charity Shops are its members. "We have to remind [this] every day," Bigg said, pointing to a paragraph in the group's 'About' section which explains that "Admin does not define 'terrible' as this is such a subjective area. As such, posts will not be removed for being good, even if they are prints by a famous artist!"
"Art is subjective, what you find inspirational and wonderful, I could find silly little stickmen in a boring, out of the perspective industrial landscape!" Bigg explained. So, one could say that Terrible Art in Charity Shops is actually a very inclusive group too.
I May Have Had The Same Expression As The Dog Upon Spotting This Gem. Goodwill, 6th Ave Tacoma Wa
There Is Something About It That Makes Me Keep Looking. Goodwill Sunnyvale, $9.19
Terrible art ??????? It's a reproduction of a René Magritte painting called "Intermission". Just one of the greatest name of the Surrealist movement...
This Is Very Odd, A Possum Riding A Rocking Horse??? What’s Been Stranger Is That I Kind Of Like It, But Not Enough To Buy
Dun Annunna Nunna Nunna... Wimborne
Newcastle Cat And Dog Shelter In Heaton Is This A Cultural Reference? I'm Very Ancient Now So Have No Comprehension Of What This Is
So cool, Stranger Things art. I would buy it and by the signature it like like an original. V.cool
$4.94 Garland Ave Thrift Dallas. It Can Be Yours. And It’s Big, Which Makes It Worse
I rather like it. It has a very "catholic saint" vibe to it, and is unique
What Are These Owls Mad About? Unpriced, Chehalis, Wa. Thrift Store. I Left It There
Does Anyone Have Idea Who Painted This And Who The Subject Might Be. I'm Not Even Sure If It's Male Or Female? Cancer Research Bristol
This Came Home With Me A While Ago From An Op Shop In Coffs Harbour, Nsw Australia. Quite An Odd Perspective And Those Nuns Look Like They Will Creep Forward Every Time You Look Away. Feels A Bit Like A Dream Interpretation I Reckon
Did Not Buy...
I Am Mildly Disturbed By The Way That Strategically-Placed Fish Is Staring Menacingly Into My Soul And Rather Concerned That The Woman Is Actually Dead And Not Just Enjoying An Afternoon Sitting On The Bottom Of The Ocean With Clown Fish Playing In Her Hair
$12.75 at Community Thrift in Rivera Beach, Florida.
£3.45 For This Beauty, Won't Believe It's Painted/ Drawn But Is!!! I Left It Humbily For The People Who Believe In Hares And Rabbits Laying Eggs At Easter, Or Other Weirdo's... Llandeilo Charity Shop UK Wales
For me it's terrifying, looks like a hairy tarantula guarding sime weird demon eggs or small serpents.
So Excited For My First Post That I Almost Forgot To Take The Name Of The Actual Charity Shop! Petrifying Puss - Found In Lighthouse - Buxton, Derbyshire
The Load Of Bull Can Be Yours For £3.50 In Mind Leytonstone
Oxfam Totnes £15
Bethany, Leith Walk, Edinburgh. A Bit Strange If Not Downright Terrible. (Would *you* Put This On Your Wall?) Dunno Why My Photo's Black-And-White
I Spotted This Beauty In Savers At Modbury And I Couldn't Stop Thinking About It. My Partner Secretly Purchased It, And Gave It To Me As A Present A Few Weeks Later. It Now Sits Proudly In Our Lounge Room. Think It Was $6
Lifelong Thrift, Seattle
This is deep. That artist was trying to tell us something. I don't have any idea what though.
Summer Vibes At Wawollie Kringloop In Utrecht (Nl) - 2.5 Euro
Who Doesn't Want This 4ft Monstrosity Hanging On Their Wall? Couldn't See A Price, Havant
I See A Woman With Bad Hair And A Migraine Headache So Terrible That She's Lost Her Nips And They've Migrated To The Drawers. £15.95 At The Hospice Shop, Guernsey
Bought Today In Oxfam High Street Orpington. As I Suspected My Wife Thinks It Terrible. I Couldn't Resist
Is This A Large Cat Sitting On A Smaller Cat??? $3.99 At Value Village, Everett, Wa. Did Not Buy Because It Was Too Large, Among Other Reasons
Pigs In Blank... This Little Pigg... Three Little Pi... Oh I’m Really Struggling To Come Up With A Pig Based Pun, Can You Help? Acorn, Jersey. No Price
I Couldn't Leave This Behind. Salvation Army. Brooklyn, NY
It Has A Certain ‘Je Ne Sais Cat’ Goodwill Tucson 5
Just Stunning (Rspca Northampton)
This Screams “Trauma” To Me
Community Thrift Store San Francisco, Price Unknown!
Unclear If This Is Meant To Be Sinister Or Inspiring. 99p At The Oxfam Superstore In Oxford, UK. Did Not Come Home With Me
What The Hell Is Going On Here? St John Tauranga, Nz
This is called "koekhappen" in Dutch. (some say it is a tradition here.. quite an oldfashioned one)
Horse Hair Hat?
Salvation Army, Dalry Rd, Edinburgh
I Have No Words, Op Shop Hervey Bay 30 Bux
That Time Victorian Superman Stole A Statue!! Isobel Hospice, Hemel Hempstead
Emmaüs, Laval, Always A Happy Hunting Ground. Unpriced
I Really Love This But It Might Be Terrible
It’s not terrible as far a skill goes - except for the lack of lighting and shadow. But that face is excellently done. Makes me think this wasn’t finished for some reason. It seems like it was in a layer stage…
The Artist Rejects The Fallacy Of Our Belief That Interconnection Can Be Found Through The Dichotomy Of Beauty And Commerce While At The Same Time Giving Us Hope Through Naïveté And Minimalism
Furthermore, the painterly quality of line is fresh and unencumbered by pretense, allowing the viewer to dwell in a space that’s open to interpretation. Upon viewing, one is bound to note the influence of Japanese Literati Painting. A complex and challenging work that is truly a gestalt.
$3 at Saint Paul Goodwill. Left unpurchased.
“Discovery” £1.99 Age UK Chelmsford
One For The Nursery? Distraught Child Presumably Traumatised By A Giant Mouse. Yours For £1.99 At Backwell St. Peter’s Hospice Shop
Not Sure What This Is Supposed To Be! Mer Something. Shelton, Washington Thrift, No Price
Fabulous Portrait Of The Well Know Sean Bowie Bean... I Think. Westown Hospice. New Plymouth New Zealand. Literally Priceless
Spotted In A Savers Store In Adelaide (South Australia)
Collage Paper Owl Pasted On Blue Paint Mess On Canvas Board... Very Shiny At Salvation Army In Somerville Ma
I Spent A While At The St Vinnies Tacoma, Wa Us Yesterday, And Much Of It Was Trying To Figure This Out? Is It Language? Writing? A Tattoo? If It’s A Tattoo Is That Chest Hair? Truly Crappy And Framed In The Colors Of Skin
Poor Mermaid. Not Only Has She Lost Her Face - She's Also Got A Really Nasty-Looking Pimple On Her Shoulder. Shabitat, Brighton, UK
Forger the pimple, her spine is sticking out of her body. Talk about suffering fir your art. Someone get a surgeon...
Ew. Why? Age UK, Leamington Spa. No Price
I Was Invited On Here Specifically To Post This, I Personally Think It Is Stunning, Though This Is Not The General Consensus. British Heart Foundation South London, £10
A Trio Of Cowboys $20 A Pop Salvo’s Noarlunga
Salvos Gladesville Sydney $10. Ignore Light Reflection - So Awful I Wish I'd Bought It Now
Restore, Tahunanui, Nz Bargain!!!
This Caught My Eye In Newport Today
Is BP short for Bigot Panda? Stop censoring nipples. Nobody has turned into a sexual predator because they saw an exposed nipple.
Gonad The Dog. Sue Ryder, Chesham
What's With The Burning Shed While The Guy Fiddles Around And The Eye On The Tree, Henry Cole Would Be Saddened By The Burning Shed. Says On Back "The Fiddling Hippie", $2.99 At Chehalis, Wa. Thrift Store. And Yes I Bought It Home
No Idea What It Is But There Is A Woman Figure On The Right. For Only £2.99 From Oxfam, Tamworth It Can Be Yours
It's a (reproduction) of a painting by Klimt called "The tree of life". Just one of the most recognizable painter out there...
Roommate Works In A Thrift Shop, And Someone Brought In An Unfinished Logan Painting
I’d Hang This Betwixt Two Dream Catchers. Acorn Jersey, No Price
Found This Lovely Lady At Value Village
A Long Time Follower And Finally This Morning In My Local Headway Charity Shop In Derby I See What I Have Called "Angry Kitties"
Two For The Price Of One! Henry Viii And Marilyn Monroe
Screaming Child In Shelter Glasgow. Not Sure Of Price
I've been using that pic as a profile pic!! ROFL crying-60d...66b942.jpg 
One Squid? Not Sprat Bad, I Suppose... I Cod Have Bought It, But Refishted... Etc Seen Outside Red Cross Charity Shop In Burnham On Crouch, Essex
Vincent's In Bailieborough, No Price Marked, Priceless I'd Say
Great To Hang At The Foot Of Your Kid's Bed. "Sleeeep Tight! No. Really. Hurry Up, And Sleep Tight!" Not Priced (Priceless?). Goodwill, Brendan, Texas
At first I thought I was looking at two big undies perched on a branch.
This May Resonate With Both Fishermen And Their Wives. A Princely $1.99 From Value Village Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
I get this. Clearly the fish is symbolic and she is dissatisfied with it. Deep.
Mary And Her Possessed Offspring. Vincentius Boxtel
Clearly Tom Jones! Severn Hospice, Machynlleth. Priceless
Maybe It's An Apple? Karm In Lenoir City, Tn
Yours For The Bargain Price Of Only £140! East London Gentrification
The portrait is pretty good. It is instantly recognizable, but why anyone would WANT Hugh Hefner is a different story
Happy Ponies! Sheldon, Wa. Treasures, Unpriced
Oh The Good Life! £2! Roy Castle Donation Station, West Kirby
Oh I LOVE Felicity Kendall! I loved the series. I wish I could still watch it. This warms my heart. I recognized her immediately. Not a great portrait, but a good one. I love it.
Reproductions Or Reinterpretations? Bought Yesterday For 9 Euros Each From Troc.com In Perpignan, France. I Love Them
What Is He Doing With That Bag Pipe? Hamilton Ontario, Mission Thrift, 14.99$
At The Ark Thrift Store. Mendocino, Ca
Found At Savers In Phoenix, Az. No Price, So I Didn’t Get It
Saw This Amazing Work Of Art In A Charity Shop In Camborne, Cornwall Recently! Uplifting Stuff Yay!!!!!
Not Terrible, But The Dog's Rump Being So Prominent Is Distracting To Me. $14.99 Value Village, Hamilton, On
Not his best angle, but I see where they were going with this. If the angle had been higher it would have been great.
Barnet, London. £5.00
My Friend Kristine Found This One A Few Weeks Ago And Gifted It To Me, Because My Friends Understand. Always. Goodwill, Tucson
Save The Children, Dalry Rd, Edinburgh. Apparently Painted On Black Velvet
Posted By A Friend Of Mine Visiting Sf. Only $450!
Been A While Since I’ve Posted. Price Unknown. Goodwill, Harford County, Maryland
£45 Nias Charity Shop, Wimbledon London
I Can’t Imagine Someone Donating This Lovely Portrait, Ha Ha. Could You Imagine Growing Up With That In Your Home, How Embarrassing
No Idea... It Stayed There... £5 Salvation Army Northampton
I Don’t Know What I Dislike The Most The Colours, The Composition, The Mixture Of Styles Or Her Stupid Face
I think this is a great piece that could be considered regional folk art. I think it has wonderful charm, of course taken after Manet’s “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère.” It’s adorable, camp and very well done.
I Spotted This Beauty In Savers At Modbury And I Couldn't Stop Thinking About It. My Partner Secretly Purchased It, And Gave It To Me As A Present A Few Weeks Later. It Now Sits Proudly In Our Lounge Room. Think It Was $6
Some of these are prints from famous artists, but for the others, please understand that people like to have a try. It's a long learning process to get better, but I bet most of the people posting these couldn't get anywhere near the quality of most of these. Don't mock people for making an effort at something they like doing.
True, but one was suspiciously similar to a video I saw on youtube.
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I actually really liked a lot of these. And even the ones that didn't have the best ideas/concepts, the actual art was executed very well. I couldn't do any of these, and most of the people posting probably couldn't either, so please be kind.
So art is now ‘the worst’ if someone doesn’t like it? It’s art, it’s subjective, it’s not bad.
There are no mistakes in art which is why I love doing it!
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After a while I couldn’t keep looking. Lost of these were good though!
I think British charity shops are definitely better for this kind of thing than Australian and U.S. ones. Some of the British stuff shows that behind all those twitchy lace curtains in Tunbridge Wells there is some batshit certifiably crazy business going on. With or without psychotic flamingos.
Art is subjective, so saying that these are examples of "terrible art" is unreasonable.
A lot of these are actually very good. The red blood cells shot is by far my favorite.
Dude, they tried their best. You don't have to like it, but you don't have to ridicule it either.
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Don't EVER tell someone that they shouldn't explore their creativity.
Load More Replies... Some of these are prints from famous artists, but for the others, please understand that people like to have a try. It's a long learning process to get better, but I bet most of the people posting these couldn't get anywhere near the quality of most of these. Don't mock people for making an effort at something they like doing.
True, but one was suspiciously similar to a video I saw on youtube.
Load More Replies... I actually really liked a lot of these. And even the ones that didn't have the best ideas/concepts, the actual art was executed very well. I couldn't do any of these, and most of the people posting probably couldn't either, so please be kind.
So art is now ‘the worst’ if someone doesn’t like it? It’s art, it’s subjective, it’s not bad.
There are no mistakes in art which is why I love doing it!
Load More Replies... After a while I couldn’t keep looking. Lost of these were good though!
I think British charity shops are definitely better for this kind of thing than Australian and U.S. ones. Some of the British stuff shows that behind all those twitchy lace curtains in Tunbridge Wells there is some batshit certifiably crazy business going on. With or without psychotic flamingos.
Art is subjective, so saying that these are examples of "terrible art" is unreasonable.
A lot of these are actually very good. The red blood cells shot is by far my favorite.
Dude, they tried their best. You don't have to like it, but you don't have to ridicule it either.
Load More Replies... Don't EVER tell someone that they shouldn't explore their creativity.
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