My New Aubrey Levinthal Painting {A 30th Birthday Gift}

Hello again, friends! You know how this next sentence goes: I apologize for my absence then make some silly promises to post more regularly...blah, blah, blah. Honestly, I guess I've felt a little tapped out while I wait for more home projects to commence.

In the last few days, I've finally had a few developments to share. Before anything else, I wanted to share my new original painting from Aubrey Levinthal, a talented artist and lovely person to boot.

Vintage Fruit & Veggie Artwork

This past summer--with its extended hot and humid weather--felt like the perfect time to pay some attention to our temperate finished basement. Today, I'll show you how I'm starting to make the space feel cozy, inviting and bright with the addition of vintage fruit and veggie artwork I've been hoarding for years!

Pedestal Entry Table with Dentil Trim

Our foyer has been an after-thought since we moved in because we primarily enter using our kitchen door. But recently, with our "window to nowhere" finally closed, I've gotten the itch to create a more welcoming space to greet guests, especially after finding just the right piece to jump start the entry decorating process.

Shopping for Art at Student Sales/Exhibitions

Have any of you seen the documentary Herb and Dorothy, readers? This film tells the fascinating story of a couple (Herb and Dorothy Vogel) with modest means as a postal worker and a librarian who amass a world-class collection of modern art. My take-away from that documentary was this: anyone, with any salary, can become an art collector if the passion and interest is there.

Today, I thought it would be fun to talk about one strategy for purchasing unique and still-affordable art: by shopping at art school student exhibitions and sales.

When Vintage Illustrations and Watercolors Meet...

I'm by no means an artist; but when I saw the opportunity to enhance illustrations from a secondhand book with a wash of watercolors, I dusted off my artistic skills and put them to work creating another piece of art for the living room.

The Book of the Peony

It's easy to be inspired by the naturally-sculptural shape of flowers; for me, my favorite flower is the peony and one of the aspects I love most about this variety is the full shape of the bloom that practically defies gravity. Each stem is like a tiny piece of art from the garden.

Published in 1917, Alice Howard Harding's book The Book of the Peony captures the organic beauty of my favorite flower in a series color and black-and-white photographs that deserve to be framed like art and once you see these images, I think you'll agree.

Framed Feather Art

In the same vein as other forms of specimen artwork (like butterflies, insects and leaves), feathers are an example of the beauty of the natural world and a reminder that design can be found all around. I took advantage of this inspiration from nature to add artwork to our living room walls.

Giving the Gift of Art (Florals & Landscapes)

We're now in the midst of holiday shopping season, aren't we? It's easy to pick up a gift card or another non-specific item, but when you want to give someone on your shopping list a really special gift, I suggest going with a piece of art. Of course, buying art for someone in your life requires some knowledge of their style and preferences...but that's why floral pieces with a floral or landscape subject work for most people. 

Vintage Floral Painting...Now, New and Improved!

This week has gotten away from me but before it does, I wanted to share a picture of the newly spiffed-up vintage floral painting that I bought while I was in New Jersey a few weeks ago. The frame was pretty nicked, so I applied a generous coat of liquid gold leaf as an accent. The original matting was haggard and yellowed and the pretty acrylic painting deserved something better, so I sprung for a new white mat.

Old art like this, unearthed from an antique shop, makes me a little wistful. It makes me daydream about the person who painted it or the person who admired it long before it was my turn to do so. I bet he or she loved it as much as I will.

Brand New Art Options from Wayne Pate

Last week I checked my inbox and discovered an exciting email announcement from artist Wayne Pate: his website is now flush with new prints and original pieces from Bella Foster, Olimpia Zagnoli and Pate himself. You may recognize the name Wayne Pate because I have talked about him several times on the blog and have few pieces from his website hanging in my home.

Wayne Pate's print "Urns" has a special spot in my living room, paired with a Miro print.

My living room walls are adorned with yet another waynepate.com-sourced piece: Bella Foster's "Still Life with Flowers," which was a wedding gift from a cousin of mine. 

Want to check out the new artwork? 

I've highlighted some of my favorite pieces below.

("Vase Chinois", $1,000 / "Bloom in Sag Harbor", $600)

 ("Donna No. 3", $100 / "Monstera", $75)

 ("Bookshelf", $115 / "Olive Jug Blue", $65)

("Vase with Flowers", $400 / "Summer in the Afternoon", $400)

Do you have a bare space in your home for any of this lovely artwork? 

Recreating Robert Motherwell

For my birthday, my Aunt Jan was kind enough to send me a set of 3 vintage framed scenic silhouettes because she knew I'd always had a thing for silhouettes. Isn't she thoughtful? Well, in case she's reading, I hope she doesn't mind that I decided to make a temporary change to this trio!

I was absolutely crazy for the combination of black and gold on the frame, but wanted to have a more modern/abstract look to the art inside and felt that a Robert Motherwell-inspired look was perfect.

Robert Motherwell was an American painter and print maker who came into prominence during the middle of the 20th century during the abstract expressionist movement that included Jackson Pollack, Willem de Koonig, and Lee Krasner, among others. Motherwell's work attempted to communicate the "truths" found in the human unconscious. 

1. "Frontier #6," 1958 by Robert Motherwell

2. "Gesture Paper Painting No. 11.," 1975 by Robert Motherwell

3. "Gesture Paper Painting No. 3," 1975 by Robert Motherwell

4. "Lyric Suite," 1965 by Robert Motherwell

For my Robert Motherwell-inspired project, I needed just a few things...

1. Set of 3 vintage silhouette prints
2. 3" x 5" white cardstock
3. a paintbrush
4. black paint

Want to see how I made 3 Robert Motherwell-inspired paintings with my gifted vintage frames?
Here's how.
Step #1:
I started by removing the brown paper backing on each of the three framed prints, which then required me to remove about 78,000 rusty brads from each frame (good thing for that tetanus booster!).

Step #2:

Next, all three frames and the glass were wiped down and I put them aside to begin painting lots and lots of abstract designs on my 3" x 5" white cardstock sheets with black paint. There was no rhyme or reason to the designs; instead, I held the paintbrush loosely and didn't think too much about the end product.

I painted many extra sheets of cardstock so that I'd have many designs to choose from in the end.

Step #3:
After allowing the paint to dry, I picked out 3 of my favorites for a coveted spot in the frames.
I didn't mess around with those rusty brads again, and instead used masking tape to secure the paintings and backings in place. And, while I didn't show it, the silhouettes are directly behind the cardstock paintings, without any damage!

And that's all it took to make these loose interpretations of Robert Motherwell's abstract expressionist style.

Because I didn't ruin the original silhouette scenes, I can always swap the modern paintings out for them.
What do you think of my Motherwell-inspired trio?

High vs. Low: New Framed Artwork 'round the Apartment

Just last night, I picked up my Bella Foster "Still Life with Flowers & Moth" from my new favorite frame shop and I couldn't wait to share it with you all. Isn't it fab?

The print was a very special bridal shower gift from my cousin and, as such, it seemed appropriate to spring for a quality custom framing job rather than a less expensive frame from Michael's or AC Moore.

Here it hangs in our hallway, nestled among our custom Carter Kustara silhouettes.

I don't often choose the "high"/expensive option over the bargain, but here I did and I think Ms. Foster would be pleased. 

Now for the "low":

In the name of memories, I framed some remaining vintage stamps that I bought to use on my wedding invitations (for more on the stamps, see here). They were too special and pretty to be relegated to a box or drawer, wouldn't you agree?
Now they hang in the den and remind me of our wedding everytime I pass by.

The frame and matting were purchased in pre-Irene haste (I needed a project or two to carry me through the storm) from AC Moore and I spent some time spray painting both (yes, even the matting) over the weekend. The stamps were adhered to off-white cardstock using this fabulous no-wrinkle glue. All told, this low-expense framing cost about $11. 

High vs. low, as we all know, is a delicate balance.
I'm definitely pleased with the framing choices I've made.
How do you decide when to splurge and when to save on framing your artwork?