Art Hound

A single piece of art, given it’s scale, color, tone and placement can make a dramatic statement in a space, such is in the examples below from Apartment Therapy House Tours. In these spaces, the art, which is large in scale, colorful, bold and centrally-placed is the focal point, the place where your eye naturally gravitates.

Notice, however, that in none of these rooms does the art overwhelm or clash with the space and furnishings. When making a statement with art, you still want to make sure that the art fits in the context of its setting. It should never feel like it’s “screaming” at you.

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Source: Apartment Therapy: Johnny & Stacie (1 & 3)  Erin & Chris (2)  Christen (4 & 6)  Chris & Heather (5)

Here are some tips to creating a focal point with art without overdoing it:

1) Even if the art is large, it should appropriately fit the size of the space and not overwhelm it. It should not feel like it was squeezed into the space.

2) Place the art in a central location where it will get the most eyeballing. Avoid hallways or lesser-used spaces if you want the art to have a big impact.

3) The colors of the art should jibe with but not perfectly match the rest of the room. You can pull colors from the piece of art into the room (accessories are great for this), or opt for a more relaxed look and use complementary colors (e.g. photo #1: the red table and gray chairs work actually help to highlight the yellow painting).

4) The style and tone of the art should relate to the style and tone of the room. (e.g. photo #4: the black and white painting is very graphic and playful but because of other fun details like the colorful art object on the table and the graphic blanket, the tone feels cohesive).

5) The art should be bold and visually stimulating, but you need other visual elements to balance it with; otherwise the space may feel lopsided (e.g. photo #5: the colorful, graphic shower curtain counters the bright art).

SAY you’re not super knowledgeable about art, but you do know you love _______ (enter famous artist here). You may have observed that your love of Picasso or Klimt won’t do you much good in the pursuit of living with art; the truth is you probably aren’t going to fork over millions to park these artists’ paintings in your den. However, with a bit of guidance, you can draw on these preferences as a means to develop your taste on current (and affordable) art.

This series will help you do just that: each week I’ll match a major artist of the 19th or 20th c. (e.g. Henri Matisse, Mark Rothko, Keith Haring) with current independent artists who share the artist’s style, subject, color palette, etc. Although there’s nothing wrong with enjoying print reproductions of famous artists, now you’ll have other enticing options to consider.

Please feel free to leave suggestions for future artists. Thanks!

If you like O’Keeffe’s flowers…

…then you might just like the work of Faith Evans-Sills, Rachel Ann Austin or Yellena James.

If you like O’Keeffe’s abstracts…

…then you might like the work of Julie Evans, Sophia Brueckner or Serena Mitnik-Miller.

And if you like O’Keeffe’s architectural work…

…you might like work by Laura Marie Walker, Ryan Kapp or Kari Maxwell.

Flickr is a fantastic resource whenever you’re looking to find out what other like-minded (or not) people are doing. (Wouldn’t it be great if you could search by location and see what your neighbor’s apartment looks like???) Many creative folks on Flickr offer inspiration by example of their beautiful, art-filled homes. And now there’s Art Hound’s Favs I, a Flickr gallery full of great examples of art in the home (see a few photos below)!

And if anyone would like to add their own photos for inspiration, please include them in the newly-formed Art Collections @ Home.

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Lisa Congdon, a painter on our List, has a stunning home in the Mission District filled with vibrant art and decorated with incredible care. Congdon’s home was profiled on Apartment Therapy and is an AMAZING inspiration for collecting and display art at home.

Congdon’s art collection consists of a few large, statement pieces, like the painting above the couch, and many medium and small pieces. Lisa not only displays her art beautifully but has also developed a unique style of mixing framed art with delicate little tchotchkes and graphic elements such as block letters and numbers.

Inspiration from Lisa Congdon’s art-filled home:

1. Carefully select your statement pieces and feature them prominently (e.g. Lisa’s living room)

2. Don’t be afraid to mix art of different media, size, color and style. Aim for a grouping that adds punch but doesn’t feel messy or chaotic

3. Installing a shelf or ledge is a great way to display artwork, especially if you like to switch out pieces frequently

4. Sets in odd numbers like 3 or 5 look great (e.g. Lisa’s bedroom)

5. Don’t be afraid to experiment and develop your own approach; there is never just one “right” way to display art!

Philippa Hughes is an attorney-cum-Art Evangelist who recently launched Pink Line Project, an online guide to the DC arts scene.

An article from Washington Spaces takes us inside Hughes’ apartment/Pink Line headquarters (see above) which holds her considerable art collection. Hughes’ philosophy on art is refreshing; when asked about the resale value of her art she quips, “But what about living here?” The way Hughes has decorated her apartment and displayed her art clearly demonstrates her love of art and her admirably free-spirited approach. More power to her!

Inspiration from Apartment Therapy.

After a few days of hiatus, I am back online! We just moved into a new apartment and are in the process of unpacking and hanging our art. Given that placing art can be as daunting as buying your first piece, I’ve decided to blog the process and provide some tips along the way.

While I generally agree with the adage of starting with the largest pieces, I don’t view this as a hard and fast rule.  Our biggest piece, pictured above, landed on the angled wall in our living room which gives the painting the prominence it deserves.

The single most important piece of advice is to experiment. It may take you two, three, four tries to get it right… it’s just part of the process.

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Important considerations as you place art in your home:

* Context is key. Is it a statement piece, a serious piece, a personal piece?  The type of art and the mood it suggests are very important factors.  Personal or quirky pieces often end up in our bedroom, while serious and statement pieces often land in the living room and hallways.  A good example is a painting at my parents’ house of dogs sniffing each others’ behinds.  It’s a humorous piece and is appropriately-placed in a bathroom, but anywhere else it would just come of as weird!

* Size matters. How big is the piece and how much wall space is available?

* Stand-alone or grouping. Do you have pieces that work well as a group?  Groupings are not limited to diptychs or triptychs or works by a single artist.  You can group by color, theme, style, size, etc. It’s OK to take some creative liberty on groupings, as long as there is some coherent theme.

Betsy Walton is a Portland, OR based artist whose works are dream-like and full of unusual, visual intricacies.  Her use of bright colors and mix of geometric and organic shapes form the foundation of her unique painting style.

As Betsy states on her website: “Many of my paintings and drawings explore the tension and balance between the mysterious nature of our existence and the objects and environments we find in everyday life. We can experience the sublime in the same room where we fold the laundry, and perhaps at the same time… My style is informed by a range of influences including Byzantine icon paintings, American folk art, geometric abstraction, and the work of many contemporary illustrators and painters.”

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Betsy’s painting, Turquoise Plants (below left) is reminiscent, in my mind, of Matisse (see Algue Blanche, below right) and the Fauve painters.  Her use of bold colors, plant shapes, and striking geometric patterns translates the Fauve vocabulary of the early part of the last century into a thoroughly modern vernacular.

Turquoise Plants

Algue Blanche

I’m particularly fond of her painting, We Can Hide in Here, which was a gift from my husband.

I decided to hang the painting above our dining table which is also the first thing you see when walking into the apartment. I like that it is colorful and playful and makes a lively focal point in that corner of the room.  It also helps define the “dining space” from the “living space” which are essentially the same room.  The three small paintings below and to the right are all by my husband, Cameron.