PRIVACY POLICY

Effective date: 26/02/26
Last updated: 26/02/26

1. Who We Are

This website is operated by:

Sophie Welch Art
Email: Sophie@sophiewelchart.com
Website: www.sophiewelchart.com

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, I am the Data Controller of your personal data.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact me at the details above.

2. What Personal Data I Collect

I may collect and process the following types of personal data:

a) Information You Provide Directly

  • Name

  • Email address

  • Telephone number (if provided)

  • Postal address (for purchases or commissioned artwork)

  • Details about commission requests

  • Any information you include in contact forms or email correspondence

b) Newsletter Subscription

If you subscribe to my newsletter, I collect:

  • Your name (if provided)

  • Your email address

c) Purchase Information

When you make a purchase from us on this website, we use Squarespace Payments as our payment solution. Squarespace Payments is a fully integrated, native payment solution provided to us by our online store service provider Squarespace. Squarespace Payments makes use of the following third party service providers which will also receive your personal information and process it in accordance with their privacy policies:

Stripe - payment processing services. You can read Stripe’s privacy policy at https://stripe.com/privacy.

Sift - fraud monitoring and detection services. You can read Sift’s privacy policy at https://sift.com/service-privacy.

Other third party payment providers may include PayPal, Apple Pay, Klarna etc depending on how you make your purchase.

As you go through checkout, this site may auto-complete your shipping and billing address by sharing what you type with the Google Places API and returning suggestions to you to improve your checkout experience.

d) Technical Data

Your browser may automatically provide:

  • IP address

  • Browser type and version

  • Pages visited

  • Time and date of visit

This data may be collected via cookies or analytics tools (if used).

3. How I Use Your Personal Data

Under UK GDPR, I must have a lawful basis for processing your data.

I use your personal data for the following purposes:

Responding to enquiries or commission requests - Legitimate interest

Processing and fulfilling artwork purchases - Performance of a contract

Sending newsletters (where subscribed) - Consent

Maintaining website security and functionality - Legitimate interest

Complying with legal obligations (e.g. tax records) - Legal obligation

You may withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time by clicking “unsubscribe” in emails or contacting me directly.

4. How Long I Keep Your Data

I retain personal data only as long as necessary:

  • Commission and purchase records: Up to 6 years (for tax/legal purposes)

  • Enquiry emails: Typically up to 12 months unless ongoing

  • Newsletter data: Until you unsubscribe

  • Analytics data: According to cookie/analytics retention settings

5. Sharing Your Information

I do not sell or rent your personal data.

Your data may be shared with:

  • Payment processors (e.g Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay etc)

  • My website hosting provider (Squarespace)

  • Professional advisers (e.g. accountant, if required for legal compliance)

Some providers may process data outside the UK. Where this occurs, I ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR.

6. Cookies

This website uses cookies and similar technologies, which are small files or pieces of text that download to a device when a visitor accesses a website or app. For information about viewing the cookies dropped on your device, visit The cookies Squarespace uses.

You can manage cookie preferences via your browser settings.

A cookie banner will request your consent for non-essential cookies when you enter my site.

7. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the right to:

  • Access the personal data I hold about you

  • Request correction of inaccurate data

  • Request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”)

  • Restrict or object to processing

  • Withdraw consent at any time (for marketing)

  • Request transfer of your data (data portability)

  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

You can contact me to exercise any of these rights.

If you are unhappy with how I handle your data, you may contact:

Information Commissioner's Office:
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk

8. Data Security

I take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including:

  • Secure website hosting

  • SSL encryption

  • Secure payment processing through third-party providers

  • Restricted access to personal information

9. Third-Party Links

My website may contain links to external websites e.g. my social media accounts. By clicking on these links, you acknowledge that I am not responsible for their privacy practices. Please review their privacy policies separately.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.