The hardest part of decorating for me is when a client asks me to find them Art! To me Art is a very personal choice and I struggle to use something that might be found in a Staged house or that can be bought at our local decor retail shops. Not that I think there is anything wrong with any of that. There are some great prints out there! I myself even have a few with a story behind it of course! It’s just a personal thing!
I recently redecorated my guest bedroom. I had to be careful not to make the room look too feminine or too serene, since most of our visitors are men or couples. With lots of luggage! Either a cousin, who works at IBM and travels extensively, will stay over for a few days, friends from South Africa or Namibia or out of town business colleagues will stay a night or two while in Austin for business. In my quest to update and refresh the room on a fairly limited budget, I bought 2 beautiful abstracts at a very well-know nretailstore who sells gorgeous art and decor! I was determined to make them work! To my own disappointment I just couldn’tt get excited when I hung the two pieces on the wall. To me, it looked like someone else’s house, there was no story to it. And I wanted to burst out in tears! Why, oh why, oh why can I not just accept it???? Plan B! A few months ago I bought two original abstracts – canvas wrapped – at a Designer Store that was closing down. The actual paint was damaged, (they were stuck together! Genius, right! :-/ ) so I was able to get them at a discounted price. I even had a hard time putting those up on my walls! But the room needed to be finished! The colors are not a perfect match for the duvet, but I decided, bugger that! I am just going to fix them as best I could and hang them. Everything doesn’t have to be a perfect match, right? ( Says the Color Gal:-) )
I also hung a small collage of what I call my memory art. I painted one myself, I bought the other one in South Africa from a local artist, Portchie whose signature style is to paint BLUE TREES! Here is how they describe him: “Portchie is an unusual, if not unique phenomenon in South African art”. Love that!
And the smaller one I bought from a water paint artist in Prague. And for obvious reasons, I was much happier. It might not be Houzz-worthy, but it made me happy <3
So where do I buy my Art?
We love travelling and would usually buy art instead of a fridge magnet.Justin and I watched the artist paint this rainy street scene while visiting Prague, so it will be a special memory forever!
I also like visiting a local Art Markets or Art Fairs, such as the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar here in Austin or the Pecan StreetFestival and support our local artists. Below is one of my Kathy Womackprints I bought at the Armadillo Bazaar and I just LOVE the vibrant colors and happy image! I never pass by a small town Art Gallery and yes, I will most definitely see if I can find something special in our local Designer stores. It also helps to have a brother who is an excellent painter! Pity he is not close by
So here is my question to you
Where do you like to source Art from, what’s your favorite online store for Print and Paintings and what Type of Art “speaks” to you? I really have to figure out HOW to buy art for my clients. I need all the help I can get! Please share your tips and advice in the Comment Section. Thanks you!
