Hi blog readers! I’ve been thinking about art quite a bit lately since I’ve taken up painting again and have a new, very cool art studio. Since original art is such a wonderful thing to have in your home, I thought some tips on decorating around your artwork would be in order! Actually, one of the first and best pieces of advice is, please display original art in your home! It doesn’t have to be a famous artist, just an art piece you LOVE. Where to find affordable, original art for those of us that don’t have a Sotheby’s budget? I can think of three off the top of my head:

• Your town may have something like “Open Art Studios” at set times of the year, where you can visit artists studios and buy local art directly from the artist.
• Try the art department of your local community college or university. Students often are delighted to sell their work and you can get some wonderful work that will be one-of-a-kind.
• Or try an area arts & crafts (Sometimes food, wine, and cultural events are also included) festival. Sometimes you’ll see fine artists showing and selling their work: usually watercolors, photographs, and glass objects.

Why original art? Because it’s original! You will be seen as a savvy tastemaker rather than someone who shops at chain stores! :) No one is fooled by your mass-produced Van Gogh print in your living room. We all know the real painting is in a museum. Ditto for other mass-produced stuff like Thomas Kinkade. (eeeeuuuwwww!!) The only exception to this rule I have is it’s ok to display a poster advertising a museum show that features artwork. Such as the upcoming Jasper Johns show at the de Young in San Francisco.
Ok, now for a few tips on making artwork shine in your home.

• Do not try to match your furniture with your artwork! Buy art because you LOVE it.
• Try a richly colored accent wall behind a collection of black and white photographs, etchings, or paintings. Make sure the frames are unobtrusive and mats are neutral. I’ve seen rich espresso brown used behind a collection of black and white and sepia-toned photos are well as a hot pink wall behind two very large black and white paintings. The art really takes center stage.
• If your 2-dimension art collection is large, or the paintings are large, (or both) keep your furnishings simple and stay away from a lot of patterned fabrics so you won’t have color chaos. Simple furnishings don’t have to mean totally neutral though. Don’t be afraid of a red sofa!
• Use accessories such as a vase, pillows, throws, etc. to “pull” colors from the artwork. This will add sparkle and make your art stand out without distracting the eye away from your art.
• You can also pull a color you love from an art piece and use it as an accent color in your décor, even a painted accent wall. Be careful of painting the wall behind the painting or photographs the accent color, it might be too much. Try out paint colors first to make sure.
  
• There is also a growing trend away from having a ton of little tchotchkes all over the place or all of your artwork out at once. Rotate your collection if you have a bunch of pieces and if you collect small items like glass paperweights, keep them in one place for impact rather than scattering them all over the house. Less is more!

That ought to keep you going this week. I may keep expanding on this and include some photos or even make it into the next newsletter!
Ciao,
reb