Original Art Host Gifts: 2026 Holiday Gift Guide
This guide features 15 small works priced from $60 to $525, all available at Galaray House, a contemporary art gallery in Boston’s SoWa Arts District. It’s for anyone who needs a host or hostess gift that isn’t a bottle of wine or a candle: fourteen original paintings and one archival print, with food and flower themes, from a cup of coffee and a jar of jam to oysters, an ice cream truck, and florals. Fourteen of the fifteen cost $500 or less. If you’re shopping for Thanksgiving, a holiday dinner, or a Christmas party, start here.
The originals run from $295 to $525, and the one print, a seagull on a dock by Caryl Hull Leavitt, is $60 and is labeled as a print in its listing. For more at other prices, browse our archival prints, or original art $500 and under or $1,000 and under.
Small Original Art for Hosts: Food, Flowers, and Everyday Pleasures
How to Choose a Host Gift
- For the coffee drinker: Peter Bain’s Morning Coffee is an oil of a teal cup and saucer on a rustic table, and Robin Swennes’s Fresh Brewed is a 14 x 14 inch acrylic of a latte surrounded by coffee beans, with the words “Fresh Brewed” lettered across it.
- For the cook and the foodie: Bain’s Morning Jam shows a jar of jam with a red-checked lid, a knife, and fruit. Ann Gorbett’s Copley Square Market is a produce stall painted with a palette knife. Anne Harney’s Crown Prince Oysters and Bluepoints suit a host who loves seafood. Mitchell Schorr’s Da Race Ice Cream Truck and Christina Chang’s Take the Risk, a fortune cookie on a blue ground, are playful choices for a kitchen.
- For the gardener and the flower lover: Ellen Rolli’s Vessel with Rose of Sharon and Flower Trio in Clay Vessel, and Elizabeth Lemont’s Floral 4, a bouquet of blue blooms on lavender.
- For the host who likes landscapes: Rose Walsh-Cooke’s Chiesa Farm, a small oil of a farm behind a white fence, and Hilary Hanson Bruel’s Sun Up, an encaustic with thread and pastel.
- For the shore lover: McKenzie West’s Stacked Shells and Leavitt’s Seagull print.
Match the gift to the host. For a casual dinner or a colleague’s party, the $60 print is an easy choice. For a close friend or a family member who hosts every year, an original at $295 to $525 is a gift they’ll keep on the wall. Twelve of these works are 12 inches or smaller on the longest side, so they’re easy to carry to a party, and they fit a shelf, a kitchen wall, or a gallery wall.
An archival print is a reproduction, made in multiples. Leavitt’s Seagull is 11 x 14 inches and fits a standard frame. Every other work here is a one-of-a-kind original. If you’d like help choosing, tell us about the host and we’ll suggest a few.
More Art at Galaray House
These 15 works are a starting point, and available works change as pieces sell. If you see something you like, contact us soon. For more, see our archival prints, original art $500 and under or $1,000 and under, or browse all available artwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good host or hostess gift?
Something small and lasting that the host will enjoy after the party. A small painting of food, flowers, or a favorite place lasts longer than flowers or wine, and it’s easy to carry. This guide features 15 works from $60 to $525.
How much should I spend on a host gift?
There’s no fixed rule. For a casual dinner, a $60 print is a good fit. For a close friend or a family member who hosts every year, the originals in this guide run from $295 to $525.
Are the works in this guide original art?
Fourteen are one-of-a-kind original works. Seagull by Caryl Hull Leavitt is an archival print, and each work’s medium is listed with it.
I need a gift for Thanksgiving or a party this week. Can I pick it up?
Yes. Visit the gallery at 450 Harrison Avenue, Suites 37-39, in Boston’s SoWa Arts District, or call us and we’ll help you choose. We’re open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, 12 to 4 pm, or by appointment.
When do I need to order for Christmas?
Order by December 15 if you want the artwork shipped, or plan to pick it up at our Boston gallery by December 23. Contact us for shipping options and costs.
Find a Host Gift at Galaray House
Interested in a piece from this guide? Contact Galaray House and we’ll help with the details. Don’t see the right piece? Ask us about other available works, or browse all available artwork.
Visit us at 450 Harrison Avenue, Suites 37-39, in Boston’s SoWa Arts District, call 781-862-0684, or send an inquiry online. Order by December 15 for shipping, or pick up by December 23.