Collected while travelling all across England's South Coast they are miniature, nostalgic snapshots of people’s lives.

As a subscriber to the artist and to mark the occasion of World Drawing Day, I am delighted to offer you a preview of new originals, as well as a 10% subscriber's discount. Use the promo code HISTORY10.

• 2022
• Ballpoint pen on a collection of antique postcards
• 110.5 x 70.5 cm (unframed size)
• Sold framed
• £2,500

• 2022
• Ballpoint pen drawing on a collection of antique postcards
• 55 x 35 cm (unframed size)
• Sold framed
• £1,100

An average thrift shop can often become a treasure trove and Mark Powell joins a long tradition of artists who find endless inspiration in flea markets.

In the 1920s, the Surrealist writer André Breton would stroll regularly through the Saint-Ouen market in Paris. Man Ray created sculptures from what he found in flea markets, including the neck of a double bass combined with the long hair of a horse (the sculpture, titled Emak Bakia, can be found currently on display at the Tate Modern, London).

The history of art abounds with stories of treasures found in the flea: a Picasso sculpture, a large Pollock canvas, photographs by Diane Arbus, a painting by Basquiat, a signed Chagall stencil bought at the Nice Flea Market for 10 euros.

Have you read our latest interview with Mark Powell yet? Read on to find out more about his methods.