Hi Artsies! I’m taking a tiny break for a few days, while we visit with some dear friends from Florida. Please welcome fellow art lover and blogger, Kaitlyn Patience, who blogs and creates gorgeous stationery over at isavirtue!
Hello, my name is Kaitlyn! I am the author of art and snail mail blog “isavirtue.” I will be guest posting today on Artsy Forager.Last summer, Lesley wrote an excellent two-part blog post entitled “Yes, Virginia, You CAN Afford To Buy Artwork!” Aside from being the best title in the history of all blog posts, these two guides are an excellent resource to both online and offline art purchases. If you are looking for even more resources, I provide a similar post on my blog, listing a variety of art sale websites. Lesley’s belief that art collecting is not just for the wealthy and the learned connoisseurs is one that we both share. I believe art is, and should be, available to everyone.That being said, there is certainly an intimidation factor involved. This fear of art may stem from its perceived value, or a lack of knowledge. The first concern is an easy one to strike down. Art is affordable. You can take my word for it, or you can peruse the aforementioned guides. No matter what your budget is, you will be able to find art that you love.The second issue, a lack of knowledge about art is one shared by many. To be honest, I don’t believe you have to have any knowledge at all. If you like it, and can afford it, then buy it! That being said, if you want to know more, I’m happy to share with you a mini tutorial on the types of art available for home décor (Sorry, you generally can’t buy installation art, performance art or public art!).The following information is a simplified version of what is offered in my online e-course, “make art a part (of your life).” I encourage you to read more about the course here (LINK: http://blog.isavirtue.net/p/e-course-registration.html) – it’s great fun and you can enjoy it at your own pace!
“There’s a ninety-nine percent chance you already have some version of art in your home, whether it be a cool print you found, a little DIY, your children’s artwork, or one of those hip new canvas transfers. I’m hoping you feel so inspired by reading this that you are anxious to rush out get some more art to decorate your home! But what type of art will you buy? Is it important to you that it be “original”? What’s the cheapest way to go about this? What is the difference between a regular print and a limited edition? How do you know you aren’t over-paying?”
Goodness me, you have so many questions! First, let’s look at the different types of art available.
Original, Jessica Bell ( via Buy Some Damn Art )
Limited Editions | A limited edition work of art is the next notch down on the value scale. This is because while there are multiples of the art, the number is restricted. A limited run of art prints for example, may include anywhere from two hundred to one thousand pieces. However, any more than two hundred and the term “limited edition” is being stretched.
Limited Edition print, Jennifer Sanchez ( via 20×200 )
Canvas Transfers | A photograph, poster or print that is taken and laid on canvas through chemical or heat transfer. The canvas is then tightly wrapped around a wooden frame to look like a gallery style painting. It’s brilliant because it lets people purchase art for their home at really reasonable prices.
Canvas Transfer, Flapper Doodle ( via Society 6 )
Regular Prints | Any paper print made from a drawing, original painting, photograph etc. There is no inherent value, except to you because you love it!
Regular print, Emma Leonard ( via Etsy )
Posters | Printed on papers of varying thickness, posters can be memorabilia, advertisements or simple decorative images. People love to collect posters because they are the least expensive form of art and can be hung framed or unframed.
Poster, Stephane de Bourgies ( via AllPosters.com )
Import | While not always imported, the term is used to reference three dimensional art which includes foreign objects, replicas or mass produced goods. They often include wall art and freestanding sculptures.
Import, Stag Head ( via Indaba )
I hope you have enjoyed this little lesson and that it will help you in your search for beautiful art!
You may have noticed that I’ve been a bit out of touch for the last few days.. or maybe you haven’t.. 😉 Hubby and I moved rentals and getting the internet connection to work with our Mac has been a bit of a challenge. And then there’s the unpacking and getting settled part AND we have very dear friends coming to visit tomorrow! Needless to say, things are busier than normal in my crazy little life. So please forgive me if the blog posts are not as chatty as usual!
Today’s artist, Laurel Sparks, uses interlacing lines and shapes to create her mixed media abstracts. Each piece becomes a web-like beacon, inviting us in to explore the world that she has crafted.
God’s Eye, acrylic, marble dust, paper mache, glitter, pom-poms on canvas, 36×39Constellation, acrylic, marble dust, paper mache, glitter, pom-poms on canvas, 36×39
Her use of unexpected materials like rhinestones, pom-poms and “googly-eyes”, keep the work feeling fresh and feminine. Yet her use of graphic pattern and colors produce bold compositions.
Conflagration, acrylic, marble dust, paper mache, glitter, beads, rhinestones on canvas, 36×33Forum, acrylic, marble dust, paper mache, glitter, beads on canvas, 39×36
To see more of Laurel Sparks’ work, please visit her website.
Featured image is Gris Gris, acrylic, gouache, marble dust, colored pencil, black glitter, googly eyes on canvas, 27×31. All images are via the artist’s website.
I like to think that a big part of an artist’s purpose is to present the world with a new way of seeing something familiar. Assumptions that were once made and scenes taken for granted are turned on their ear by the artist’s unique vision. In Eugene, Oregon artist Charlene Liu’s most recent body of work, the artist takes an often prosaic subject and gives it fresh, new life.
Her use of handmade paper brings the organic nature of her creations to the forefront. She then takes her playfulness with material a step further, using pigmented pulp to create her delicate floral palette.
Swoops and Cyclone, watercolor, handmade paper, pigmented pulp, 40.5×50.5
Like a cottage garden, the elements of each work are layered and wild, where floral still lifes were once a staid domain, they are now delicately set free.
Mad Bloom, mixed media on paper, 30×30
To see more of Charlene Liu’s work, please visit the website of her representing gallery, Taylor de Cordoba, another of my favorite gallery resources for amazing work!
Featured image is Mad Bloom, mixed media on paper, 30×30. All images are via the Taylor de Cordoba website.
I’ve made no secret here of how enamored I am by trees. There is just something so inherently beautiful within the elements of a tree, it isn’t any wonder than artists whose work utilizes wood possess such natural grace and elegance. Here are a few of my favorites!
Nestler series by Grant Ward, maple burl, spun aluminum & padauk, 19×8Cleave series by Joe Segal, 9×18Cities and Signs by Evan Blackwell, wood, 26x22x2A Lightness in Being, Exercises in Zen #2 by Christian Burchard, madrone burl, 12x12x26
I have such admiration for people who live moment to moment, seizing each day as if it were their last. The artwork of Houston artist Michelle Y. Williams is the artistic equivalent of the ultimate in uninhibited spontaneity.
Plan I, mixed media on canvas, 56×58
Perhaps it is the perceived improvisation of abstracts like Williams’ that attracts me so deeply. They call to the place in my spirit that longs to be the kind of person who doesn’t need to plan carefully, one who can just pick up and go at a moment’s notice.
12-143, mixed media, 12×12
Pops of fluid color flow across the canvas among veiled foggy tones and textures, like vivid mirage-like pools.
Plan K, mixed media on canvas, 52×52
In the midst of the tonal textures, we find surprises of color and light. It’s almost as if we’re wandering lost through the fog, catching glimpses of life in the mist.
Plan h, mixed media on canvas, 56×58Plan i, mixed media on canvas, 56×58
Please visit Michelle Y. Williams’ website to see more of her work. If you happen to be near Tulsa, OK, be sure to check out her current exhibition at Exhibit by Abersons, a beautifully curated gallery!
Featured image is Plan G, mixed media on canvas, 77×39. All images are via the artist’s website.
I love it when fans of an artist’s work remind me to feature them! So of course, I had a V-8ish slap-myself-on-the-forehead moment when the Managing Editor at Escape Into Life saw me post on Twitter about Christina Baker’s work and reminded me how awesome it would be to feature her over there.
Runaway Tears by Christina Baker, acrylic on canvas, 48×48
Whenever we go hiking, my eyes are always drawn to the textures and details surrounding me. I love running my hand over rough & scaly tree bark and soft, green moss. Portland artist Brenda Mallory’s sculptures mimic the abstracted details found in nature, the very ones that enchant and fascinate me each time I step outside.
Explosion in Gold, wax cloth and welded steel, 18x18x10Explosion in Gold ( detail )
Mallory’s work follows nature’s patterns of repetition and rhythm, organic forms grouped together to a soft, undulating whole.
She juxtaposes the natural molds and materials with more industrial elements like bolts and welded steel so that the sculptures become a statement man’s impact on old growth systems and environments.
In case you can’t tell by the blog’s background, I have a favorite color. I love most of the blue family, but am always immediately drawn to the color turquoise. Or, as my niece Kendall calls it “toy-quoise”. So it should come as no surprise that my favorite artwork includes a heavy dose of my beloved hue. Here are some turquoise favorites I’m digging this week:
Gypsy Blue by Erin AshleyThe Search For Green by Jeanne OpgenhaffenEnhanced Sunspots After Galileo I by Rachel BrumerWish You Were Here by Josh ReamesUnobstructed Effort by Sharon Booma
With the advances in communication and technology, our world in many ways seems much smaller than it once was. But it also feels like we’re losing touch even as the lines of communication are more open and free. How many times have you been guilty of texting instead of calling? Substituting online interaction for the real people just outside your door? The work of mixed media artist Clark Goolsby reminds us just how fractured our world has become.
Plastic Messiah, mixed media on linen over panel, 18×24
Culture and news spreads more rapidly than ever, for better or worse, lives can be changed overnight thanks to media exposure. Families text, Twitter and Facebook each other while in the same house, even the same room, instead of having a real conversation. Almost all of our needs can be met online– work, news, reading, shopping, etc. and the more we rely on it, the more insidious it may become.
Unknown Degredations, mixed media on wool over panel, 16×20
Goolsby’s use of line recalls the wires and cables that connect us and make all of this communication possible. But we also see in his use of graphics lettering & images and brightly hued, fractured geometric forms that this bombardment of media, though enticing, takes it toll on our psyche and our relationships.
Untitled III, mixed media on canvas, 12×12
I’m as guilty of the overuse of technology as anyone. I write this blog. I use Facebook & email as my primary means of communication with friends & family who are far away. But nothing beats a day spent outdoors with my husband or having a face to face conversation with a friend.
Untitled Shape I, mixed media on canvas, 54×68Scrape, mixed media on canvas, 30×24
Do you have a strategy to avoid communication overload? Please visit Clark Goolsby’s website to see more of his work. But after you’ve spent some time with his work, turn off your computer and talk to a loved one face to face. 😉
When you were young, did you ever dream of living in make believe places? Like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, The Jetson’s futuristic abode or maybe the Smurfs’ village? The work of Tory Cowles reminds me of the bright, whimsical worlds that inhabit our childhoods.
#495, mixed media, 60×48
Given that Cowles’ background includes working in interior design, woodworking and carpentry, it makes perfect sense that her abstract mixed media work would have an architectural quality.
#562, mixed media, 48×48
She’s creating landscapes full of whimsy and imagination, an abstracted, make-believe toyland where you might feel like you looking right into Candyland.
#642, acrylic on canvas, 72×60
Cowles’ work reminds me of hours spend building houses and worlds out of anything we could find– blocks, spools, pipe cleaners, my grandmother’s colorful Tupperware. Worlds that appeal to the child in all of us, yet are sophisticated enough for adult eyes.
#596, mixed media, 48×60#569, mixed media, 48×48
To see more of Tory Cowles’ work, please visit her website.
Featured image is #495, mixed media, 60×48. All images are via the artist’s website.
