Living With Art

     You can never go wrong when you live with art you love- or as one of my favourite stores so eloquently puts it on a tote bag " Love Where You Live"- thank you to The Cross for putting things in such simple and easily understood terms! I would consider myself a very choosy collector- I don't really go in for mass produced posters or cheep knock offs- I like the real deal or an artist's signed, limited edition print will do nicely as well!

    I do not buy art as an investment or because people will think it is "cool" I buy it because I love it- and I use the word "I" and in "we" my entire family. Because yes I buy art for the kids- they each have a tidy little collection that I like to imagine they will attempt to take with them one day when they set up house. Even before they were born I started their art collection after falling in love with two little bird paintings - I imagined them laying in their crib staring up at the birds in party hats- yes I  now know newborns can only see about 6 inches but I was a newly pregnant woman- give me a break!

    When the kids were babies and before toys became the preferred method of birthday payment I bought them art for their birthdays- Miss Lo received part of Jessica Bell's series Eighteen Pictures of November when she turned one. The Boy received a John Derian skull and cross bones plate for his second birthday- totally fitting for my little pirate in training! As I said art is easy when you buy what you love- both these items spoke to my heart and bring happiness to our walls.

 Curating a Collection:  I find that even when you have really dissimilar objects you can keep them cohesive and show them as a series by keeping your frames and mats really similar. In our dining area we have hung a grouping of artwork from a few of our favourite artists together- we kept the mats ( paper bit that acts as a barrier between the art and the glass) all one shade of white and the frames are either black, white or not at all. There is a heavy theme of the colour red used in many pieces of art work here which helps everything work well together.

from top left: Anna Coghlan, Jessica Bell,Tara Cooper, random card, Stephanie Frame, Sarah Lige,
Suzanne Summersgill & Heather Renney( photo of our kids)

Utilitarian Objects as Art:  Not all art work needs to be bought in a gallery or art sale- many of my favourite pieces have come from vintage stores or antique malls. We have the bold directive EAT hanging over our table and I find each letter beautiful in it's own way. The scruffy paint on the E, the shine on the blue. Every day house hold objects can be turned into a collection and hung together to create a pleasing vignette- a friend of mine has a collection of vintage rolling pins that is beautifully displayed in her kitchen. It really is whatever you find inspiration and beauty in- there is no right or wrong if done from the heart.

vintage letters such as these can be found at Stepback in Kitsilano as well as in abundance on Etsy

the bird that started it all!  Party Birds - Suzanne Summersgill

    I want to encourage everyone this year to think about buying some local art and supporting your local arts community. In Vancouver we are so lucky to have a variety of venues for local artists to sell their work- Emily Carr University of Art and Design has a student run sale every November - this year it is November 4-6- run - don't walk and buy some amazing art at amazing prices! Of course most famously here in Vancouver is the Eastside Culture Crawl which takes place November 16,17 & 18 in artist's studios across East Vancouver. Where ever you are these things are happening so get out there, drink some wine, take in a bit of culture and buy some original art!

May you find a pencil in your hands and a fresh ream of paper at your elbow- Happy Friday Friends!