What kind of art do you have in your home? Are you a big proponent of art or do you kind of wing it like we do?
We have a few paintings in our home we’ve acquired over the years, one by Mike Loveland husband of my dear friend Alma, another that was shipped over from Poland painted by Viktor’s dead uncle, and then there’s this one.
I can’t capture it with a camera. It’s my favorite piece of art. Ever.
We bought it when we were really poor newly-ish wed for around $150, which felt like a Princely sum. $150 can buy a lot of groceries. But we had a friend who was in school as an artist and was selling paintings to live, and I fell in love with this painting.
I’m sure it has everything to do with the fact that it’s a setting sun over an ocean, as I’m a sucker for both. But the painting itself is really beautiful. The brush strokes are a bit Monet like, and the paint is 1/4 inch thick off the canvas. I absolutely adore it.
What do you have in your home?
Allison
Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!
That is a beautiful painting. We (sadly and a little embarrassingly) have a few of our favorite pieces framed, but they are just prints. We can't really afford a Rothko or a Carriere, but we still enjoy seeing them daily. Until we can buy "real" paintings, we stick with photographs of places and people. Some taken by us and some by real artists.
I have an uncle who used to own a framing shop in an artists community. When I was 10 and received art as a present I hated it. Now? On top of that, my mom is a painter. Oddly enough, I still don't feel like I have enough art in my house.
Gorgeous! I have a few water colors that I have pick up from starving artist around the world, but mostly photos of my children are my art!
Gorgeous! I have a few water colors that I have pick up from starving artist around the world, but mostly photos of my children are my art!
I have a few original paintings from family/friends. And I have a big quilt that I made for my wall (4 feet by 8 feet) which I consider art. I bought some "peasant art" in China years ago but I still need to frame it. :)
I've seen that painting before and absolutely love it! I don't have a lot of "paintings" on my walls except for one and it's my favorite – partly because it was painted by my brother, and mostly because of the subject matter.
http://www.makeitworkmom.com/?p=670
We have artwork that the kids have done matted and framed. It decorates many rooms in our house. The living room has some of my photography on the walls, not because it's super wonderful, but because it works with the colors in the living room, and I can afford it. Then, when I get sick of it, it's easily changed, no guilt.
I'm lucky enough to have a FIL that is a fine artist professionally, so we have lots of amazing paintings. My favorite is a Gone With the Wind painting of Scarlett running from Tara with the Tarleton twins on the porch. It was a wedding gift and was even more appropriate when we had our daughter whom we named Scarlett. (Big GWTW fan here.) He also did a pencil drawing of my daughter for Christmas. All are priceless in my eyes. We are spoiled.
I totally believe in the power of original art. I HATE Thomas Kinkade. BLEGH.
I've got all original art with the exception of a few limited edition prints from friends and local artists.
If I could buy any original art regardless of price and have it hung in my house, I'd have an original Matthew Ritchie watercolor and a couple of Josiah McKelheny's mirrored objects.
Wow! That is a really beautiful painting. Who painted it? Does he have a website?
We have several pieces of original artwork a few were acquired from friends during my husbands years in art school and the other are from my brother in law, a painter. I love having unique pieces of art in my home. They aren't everyone's style, more than once we have gotten the response, "oh, that is… interesting" but we like it :)
We have a gallery wall of artwork that our kids have done and a few from my husband and I when we were young. They are all framed and matted and lit. You see the wall when you walk in the front door.
My husband and I are big believers in owning original art. But, for us, we buy pieces because they speak to us, not because of the name in the corner.
We bought our first piece in NOLA- it was a commissioned piece. He painted the old apartment building we lived in for nearly the entire time we lived in NOLA (we stole the genius idea from friends). We've also purchased a couple of pieces from a local Dallas artist. We were also lucky to purchase a piece this summer from Melissa Peck. She is a local Utah artist. We are anxious to buy something else from her.
But, of all our pieces, my favorite piece was painted by a girlfriend's 11 year old daughter. It's a Sophie Wise original.
My grandmother, who sadly passed away when I was a baby, decided that she would paint after the kids left home. She was so prolific- she even painted multiples so as not to upset a kid. There is at least one oil painting in every room. We move a lot so we try to pick up original art or photography from where we have been, so it is very random, just like us. Before we leave New Zealand I will commission my friend and artist Lisa Hancock to paint the Marlborough Sounds and the original Clifford Bay vineyard for us.
I love original art but can't afford it. So, I have covered the walls in my apartment with prints mostly purchased from sites like Etsy, Little Paper Planes, 20×200, etc. My weakness is letterpress, which, like original art, has texture and interest (but not the pricetag).
Pretty much every wall, nook and cranny of our house is covered with some kind of art. Including larger than life peeing panda bears in lingerie. True.