Six years ago, I knew I wanted to create a baseboard-to-ceiling gallery wall in my dining room. The wall was already a deep, rich jewel tone, so the art I selected was fairly neutral. Now, over half a decade later, most of that same art lives in a very different room in another home on a white wall, and it’s just not exciting me like it used to.
I want to draw attention to my phrasing up top because it was fairly deliberate. “…the art I selected.” Of the 15 pieces that comprised my gallery wall, I owned five of them previously. Things I acquired (the MaryAnn Puls mixed media at the top right, for instance) or made (like that big black and white photo of the pencil shavings my husband photographed or the EHD “compliments” papers) over the years prior, but all the other 10 pieces were picked quickly online and rather unceremoniously just to fit a “vibe.” At the time, it felt okay. Though to be honest, it was a bit soulless. And art should never be soulless.
I realize now that my approach to it was all wrong. In my opinion (now), art is something you buy because it touches you or means something to you, whether it’s $5 or $50,000, bought online, at a gallery or flea market. Curation is one thing, “filling holes” is another.
My bedroom, on the other hand, actually has art I sourced and saved over the better part of a decade (including a scroll that Charles brought me as a gift on our first official date; it was from China when he visited during a semester abroad). And I love it.
Anyhow, I’m exploring the idea of starting to collect art for both my living room and my home in general that feels more “us” now. If it were up to my husband, everything on the walls would be a photograph straight from his camera. Me? I like a variety of media (and am particularly enamored of embroidered art these days). And while I knew for a while that my heart wasn’t content with my walls, it wasn’t until I saw Dan Pelosi’s gallery wall in his “library”, heck just all the art in the home he shares with boyfriend Gus Heagerty, that I realized why: that feels like the personality I’ve come to know of him online. Authentic and unapologetic. My art? Besides the actual photos of our faces, it could be anyone’s walls.
I’m not rushing to refill my frames for the sake of change, because then I’d be in the same position then that I am now. Instead, I’ll take my time. If I find something at an estate sale or thrift store or basically anywhere and I love it (and can afford it), I’ll buy it and find a home for it. Too long I’ve spent filling spaces in my home just to get to the end product (mostly so that I can photograph it), and I’m getting to the other side of that; I’d rather stumble upon or hunt down things I live and then place it somewhere. If that means something has to sit empty for a while, so be it.
Now, while I know many, many people would recommend finding second-hand or vintage art, that wouldn’t be much of a resource guide for anyone here. That’s my caveat for today. Here, I’ve compiled a list below of places online where you might want to start collecting art from—or dig around to find artists you love so you can follow and support them individually. This is in addition to doing things like going to local art walks, digging through local thrift and antique stores, deep diving into Etsy or 1stDibs or any other in-person means to discovering art that excites you.
So, if like me, you are hungry for some meaningful, beautiful, personality-filled art at different price points, read on.
Tappan Collective is a Los Angeles-based gallery with a strong online presence. The founder, Chelsea Neman Nassib, believes everyone should be able to follow an artist’s career and collect pieces they love. Their roster includes up-and-coming artists as well as mid-career artists. While many of their original pieces are in the thousands in terms of price (out of my league), they do sell prints starting at about $100.
Okay, hear me out here. Head West Studio mostly features art that is themed around Western imagery and cowboy culture (is that a thing?). That is not my look. But there is just something about the colors and art styles of some of their pieces that always makes me do a double take, particularly the Melissa Lakey series. The cut paper works by Andrea Cira are also incredibly cool, depending on the space (not every room can carry a large armadillo artwork, after all…or can it??). I may not always live in California, so I can definitely see myself collecting something from here to mark my time out west. Prices start at around $50 for a small 8″x10″ unframed print.
When I think of Los Angeles “cool factor,” I think of House of Spoils. I’ve actually worked with them to borrow art for photoshoots in the past when I worked at a furniture company, and they were really great. If you’re in the Southern California area, you can make an appointment with a team member at their Venice gallery to walk you through their collection of lifesetyle- and adventure-focused fine art photography. Prices start at $165 (with a free membership sign-up) for smaller prints, and everything comes matted and framed.
Upton is both an art and home brand from the artist mind of owner Michael Upton. While they do sell prints on paper, my favorites are the prints on canvas and woven art. It’s a small collection, but I just like the simple yet punchy and graphic nature of the works. A hanging canvas like the one in the image above runs you right around $200.
Saatchi is definitely for the most seasoned art collector, with a budget to match. You can work with them to acquire original paintings, photography, sculpture, and drawings, but if you’re still in the “gotta keep this under a few hundred” group of art enthusiasts, you may want to stick to their prints. What’s cool about their sites is that they include the price of the original along with the print in case it’s something you want to consider acquiring. Usually, a print and the original are fairly far removed on an artist site, and I like how they are married here.
I *feel* like I’ve written about PSTR before, but I simply cannot remember so I apologize if you’re thinking “yes Arlyn, we know already.” Actually, I don’t apologize because we all need reminders sometimes! PSTR is fairly on par with a lot of websites like Society6, for instance, that sell really affordable art prints, but to me, it feels so much more pared down in a good way. They also offer framing and matting for incredible prices (starting at $43 for the frame and $11 for the mat plus free professional mounting for a poster that’s 30×40 cm). The works of the artists they sell are exclusive to the site and super modern, punchy, colorful, and graphic.
For nearly two decades, 20×200 has offered a tight collection of limited-edition, museum-quality prints, photos, and artist-made works. They focus on emerging, established, and “legendary” artists, as they say on their site. Their mission states that they want everyone, no matter their budget, to be able to collect limited-edition art, so they have a super wide range of prices, though each piece comes numbered and hand-signed by the artist with a certificate of authenticity. I really like how they organize their art by room, theme, color, and mood so you feel like you have somewhere easily to dive in and start exploring.
Art Finder, I’ll admit, is pretty overwhelming, but if you have the patience, you’ll likely find something really special. They are all about connecting the collector directly with the artist who sells original works from all across the globe. Kind of like Etsy but just for art.
I love Uprise Art and hope to collect original pieces from here one day. They have a gallery space in New York, but make it very easy to buy online. There’s something so charming to me about the floral paintings of Andrew Alba, and on the flip side, the contemporary shapes and colors of Scott Sueme make me dream of owning something from his current exhibition. They do also have pieces under $350! If you’re looking to start collecting original works and love contemporary art, definitely pop over to see their collections.
Left: Talking Yarns | Right: Dutch Wool Designs
I know I mentioned Etsy earlier on but I did just want to showcase some of the sweet embroidered art I’ve been loving so much as of late. You know that art you look at and think “Psssh, I could do this,”? Well, this isn’t that for me. Sure, maybe if someone gave me an exact template/pattern and I had tremendous patience, but let’s be real…I’m not doing that. Anyway, how sweet is that petite rolling landscape from Dutch Wool Designs? It’s like 4 inches tall, which makes me love it even more. Not all art needs to be hulking and giant to make an impact. Sometimes, putting a tiny little thing somewhere unexpected can speak similar volumes.
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So now I have a late-to-the-party Ask the Audience. What artists do you love? Do you follow? Have you purchased art from directly? I’d love to hear some names and research their work to keep an eye on over the next few years. I fancy myself being able to support their work over time, collecting pieces for our home, so please do help a girl out by giving me a head start on artists to give some love to.
Thanks as always for being here and reading my words.
Until next time…
Opening Image Credits: Design by Arlyn Hernandez | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Arlyn’s Moody Dining Room Reveal Is All About the Insane Power of Paint
