Trolling 1st Dibs

Fridays are great days to spend some time catch up on the flotsam and jetsam. There is no better place than that than 1stDibs. I especially like the more esoteric things you can find, today I was in the Outsider and Self Taught Artist section, there are some cool things here. I am totally in love with the Ruler Bouquet!

 A Bouquet of Folding Rulers
U.S.
21st Century
An original assemblage of vintage folding rulers. Can be adjusted as needed.

Price
$900

Harry Underwood

USA
21st century
American
2011
Tennessee
Oil and graphite on plywood.

Price
$4,500

The Reverend Howard Finster | "Coke Bottle, March 1, 1995"

U.S.A.
1995
Howard Finster is perhaps the most famous self-taught artist of all time. Born in Alabama, he attended school for 6 years. Howard married Pauline Freeman in 1935 and had 5 children. He was a jack-of-all-trades: house painter, bicycle and lawnmower repairman-anything to support his family. Howard was a Baptist Minister for about 40 years until, in 1965, he realized no one in his congregation was listening to him. At this time he was directed by the Lord to transform his swampland in Pennville, Georgia into Paradise Garden. In 1976 an angel appeared upon the paint on his finger and said“paint sacred art”.
Howard never stopped. He was inspired to get out the Lord’s message. Finster was a master promoter. After his first dealer, Jeff Camp, failed to sell his painting, he found Phyllis Kind who brought his work to prominence. Finster and his family produced some 50,000 works many of which were signed, dated and numbered.

Price
$3,000

J.W. Brungart | Working Mechanical Carousel with Animals and Men

U.S.A.
c. 1950's
Variable Speed Control | Working Mechanical Carousel with Animals and Men

Price
$5,000

A wall will never be complete if it is left blank and stark. Not only will you hear yourself speak twice with the echoing emptiness but you’ll leave your home and yourself feeling like it’s been institutionalized. Of course you could go for the usual painting or picture frame but then you may as well be going with the same décor as every other house you have been in. instead you could try to find fun ways to put a spin on these everyday items and create something different. In this particular example I have chosen a number of shadow puppets that have been mounted in neat little frames and placed in rows on the wall. The combination of all the frames take up a large amount of space on the wall, and the repetition give them undeniable interest from onlookers.

The entire collection not only becomes a wonderful conversation piece, but it’s also becomes a piece of art. Find whimsy and inspiration in everyday items. Here, a grouping of framed shadow puppets add interest to the large wall as well as create a sense of whimsy in the space. The eye is drawn to the collection and not only is it art, it is a conversation piece as well.

Artist in Focus: James Nares

I have been very interested in adding to my budding art collection and so attended the artLA show at Barker Hanger this weekend and although I was generally very disappointed overall, there were some gems to be had. Amazingly one of my favorite pieces was positioned just as you walked in, tucked to the side that one could very easily miss it. Thankfully the traffic of people stopped me just in time!

James Nares has a very singular style which I think one would either love or hate. Born in England in the early 50s, he has lived in New York since he was 21. His work can be seen at The Museum of Modern Art in NYC and the Whitney Museum of American Art to name just two of many and he has shown all over the world. I wont bore you with his bio, as you can read it as well as see his work online.



The singular stroke, the vibrant use of color and the sense of calligraphy---it is so simple. Perfect. I love modern art for the very simple reason that it tells everyone a different story, reflecting back at them their own story in a way. Amazingly, when I returned to the office this morning I discovered that I had pulled out a page from Elle Decor about a year ago which featured a piece of his work. I am hoping to some day purchase a piece. In the meantime, I might try to escape the office for NYC to see his most recent show at the Paul Kasmin Gallery where he has a number of new and very different looking pieces.

I am in Love

Aren't these images beautiful? They are by Mark Shaw, the photographer made famous by his images of the Kennedy's. He also did a lot of fashion work, and some of those images are now available at the Andrew Wilder Gallery in Los Angeles. I think think they have such a great presence, they feel almost like some of the old Cindy Sherman portraits that were at MOMA a few years ago.

The price point I think is pretty good too, so check them out.

From A to

I have always liked using collections as displays. One of my favorites is the Alphabet. Firstly, you know the minute you look at it that it is complete, somehow that gives me a sense of calm, and secondly, it is always familiar, but as is the example here, not always childlike. I bought this collection on a trip to London, I had in mind a children's playroom, but when I got back, had it framed and hung, I realized that it had a somewhat dark side. Each of the letters shows a fairly macabre scene. For instance, here on the letter Y is a poor Rabbit loosing his life to a Hawk.

I actually like it more now that I know it has a dark side..... any thoughts?

Art can change the way you see the world

I was lucky enough, this holiday season to rent a house in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Aside from being really cold, it was an absolutely beautiful place to spend a week. One of the things that made it so interesting was the huge selection of art galleries. I had heard of the art scene here, but had always expected to see lots of Indian inspired pieces, and bad "coyote art". Nothing could be further from the truth! There was a terrific selection of work, both traditional and modern, so it really was a great place to check out a lot of things in a short period of time.

I ended up buying the above piece by an artist Aristides Ruiz from the Klaudia Marr Gallery. It is part of a series he did of portraits done in ball point pen. I think it's stunning and its a great addition to the pieces I already have at home. But the piece made me think more broadly about what makes good art, and the art viewing experience. For me, I want pieces that make me look at the world in a different way. The fact that this is done in such a modest medium (ball point pen), but is so finely executed, and the subject so humble, it is really inspiring.

So I hope that when you are looking for art, look for things that leave you thinking of the world in a different sort of way, that is successful art, well at least in my mind.

Resource Day: Lost Art Salon

For those of us, who love to go to flea markets etc, one of the greatest rushes can be had from coming across a great piece of vintage art, whether a painting, drawing of sculpture. The sort of thing done by a not so well known, but still quite talented artist, that can be had for a few hundred dollars, but can stand next to any fine art pieces already in your collection. Well, a friend recently told me of a store in San Francisco, that is a treasure trove of just that kind of art, they are called, Lost Art Salon. Now in the interest of full disclosure, I have never actually been to their store, however, they have such a great web site, I don't feel as though I need to rush.

The pieces that they have are the sort of thing that I would regard as Vintage, and vary from downright cheap to well priced quality pieces. They have paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture, all presented in an easy to use and well documented way. It is like stumbling upon the best of E Bay, all in one place. I have spent many quiet evenings at home, just flipping from one piece to another, so check out the site, but be warned you will keep coming back.

Big Image on a Small Budget

It is a neverending source of frustration that budget never quite matches the idea. Take for instance the project shown above, it was a second home we were working on for a family, so they didn't want to spend a lot of money, but still wanted the house to look great. Well, we had a dilemna when we got to the stairs, because we had this huge wall, but no money to speak of to cover it. So I bought this old poster and took it down toi my local printer and had him blow it up and print it on canvas. Just to break up the scale even more, I had him "tile" it so that it became 9 seperate images that I then just stretched onto frames and Voila! instant art.

There are a lot of options open to people who want to think creatively about art on their walls without blowing the bank:

• Try using different empty frames that you canb find at any swap meet or junk store, try painting them all the same color, so that they are unified.
• Almost any group of things looks good on a wall, in a Powder Room I did recently, the homeowner, bought a collection of old hand held vanity mirrors on E Bay, as a set they looked terrific.
• What about a collection of travel plates, maybe something fun, like places that start with the letter P, or places that you want to visit but haven't yet,,,, let your mind go free.
• I have also done sets of old postcards, done in single frames or grouped together can also be inexpensive.
• But while you are looking on E Bay, what about an old store sign?

Try to find something that will make you smile each time you see it.

Wherefore ART Thou?

The First Lady of Interior Design, Ms Elise de Wolfe, insists that "a person of sincerity of purpose" would never hang fake "works of art" on their walls and although I disagree with her severity, I do believe that she has a point. But I have gotten ahead of myself. Firstly, may I introduce myself? My name is Ashleigh and I have had the great privilege to work for Mark for the last year. I was greatly complimented by his suggestion that I "Guest Blog" for him while he is on vacation, so Thank You Mark for the opportunity! I wanted to take this wonderful chance to blog about a topic which is quite close to my heart---The Accessibility of Art to Everybody.

Several years ago, I was at the office of Charles Tyrwhitt when my eye was caught by a beautiful and unique work of art. I asked my friend if he knew anything about it and he told me that he was friends with the artist. Long story short, I purchased several pieces from her and have been in love with them since. At that time in my life I was a bit short on cash, so I bartered with her and we both walked away happy. Since then I have added to my collection--Vintage Vogue Magazine Covers purchased in Portobello Market, a burgeoning collection of Butterflies from all over the world and even a line drawing my Boyfriend drew last year. Many times I have been questioned as to how I could possibly afford to collect such an interesting array of art and I am always astounded by the questioner's disbelief that most of what I have was under $300.

It has been many years since I left college but when I visit the homes of many of my friends, they still have those old posters, albeit in new frames, on the walls. Their excuse for these shabby representations of taste and style has always been the same. Art in Expensive. NOT SO!


There are many wonderful ways to create a beautiful collection but, as Troy from TKO Art (www.tkoart.com) so bluntly said to me, the first place to start is to discover your own taste. Not what Tom Dick and Harry like but what YOU really love. Visit galleries and educate yourself, spend some time looking at art--highbrow or not, and then go out there and find the perfect thing for you. Some great suggestions of where to start, at least here in LA, are the Venice Art Walk (www.venicefamilyclinic.org/index.php?view=art_walk_auction), the Art District in Culver City (www.ccgalleryguide.com) and the Brewery Art Walk (www.breweryartwalk.com) which has an event this October. I am sure that there are similar events and districts everywhere! My mother lives out in "Cowboy Town" Arizona but she is not far from Jerome AZ and so if she can find an artist's colony near her than I dare anybody to claim that there is nothing near them!

Finally, let me say that if you insist on having Monet, Turner or Klimt, PLEASE put them in a lovely frame, with matting, WITHOUT the name of the Museum you picked it up at listed across the bottom and maybe try to find something a bit more unique by that same artist. Just for me...please :)

Happy Hunting! Ashleigh

If One is Good, Ten is Better: Displaying Groups

It is a little hard to tell from the image above, but the collection on display in this Family Room, is a series of Instructions on how to make shadow puppets, using just your hands. So whether you have a burning desire to see an eagle glide across your wall, or a snake slither, this is the place to go to get instructions. All of these pieces came from an old book, which I thought, if framed would make a terrific, irreverent collection.

I really like to find things like this, groups of things that you might not otherwise use by themselves, but when put together as a series look tremendous. So as the title says, if one is good, ten is better, it doesn't always apply, but here are some thoughts you might find useful.

• Look for things that you find interesting or unique. A friend of mine created a terrific display in her Guest Bathroom using a collection of old Bakelite hand mirrors that she bought on E bay.
• Try to divorce yourself from it's intended use and look at it as a piece of sculpture. I recently bought an old antique lock from an armoire, it is beautifully made, useless as a lock, but as an object, beautiful. I think a collection of these on my bookcase will be very cool.
• Old Books are great resources for collections you can frame, whether you can get your hands on an antique Alphabet book, or any sort of picture book, is a great place to start.
• Old postcards are a great thing to. You can get them on practically any topic you can imagine. One of my best memento's from my first trip to London was a set of postcards I framed that showed images of different Tube stations.
• Finally, it might help to think of collections that relate to the room they are going to be displayed in. Antique garden tools in a solarium, old plates mounted on the wall in the Dining Room, like my friend, hand mirrors in the Guest Bath.

The important thing is, don't take it or yourself too seriously, have a little fun, and you will smile each time you walk into the room.

Art for Childrens Rooms

It is always a problem when doing a baby's or child's room when it comes to art. Everyone always wants it to look good, stay on theme etc, but it's never really a place where you should spend a lot of money. So these rooms often have some of the most creative solutions when it comes to art, and here are some thoughts:

• One of the most popular themes is the alphabet, and there are a few variations that can make it a bit more interesting. Find an old Picture book on the Alphabet, the pictures are usually pretty cool, these look great framed, and give a pretty retro kind of feel.
• Another idea is buy some inexpensive shadow boxes and fill them with things that start with that letter. Toy apples, or ants, would be great for the letter A for instance. It might be a fun project to do with your youngster.
• Silhouettes can be a fun project too. Trace out the shapes of your favorite animals, butterflies, fish, starfish, are all great candidates. Then cut out around the edges and paste onto a colorful background. It's surprising how pretty these can look. I have even done this with skyscrapers for a homesick New Yorker.
• If you want something a bit more abstract, some great wrapping paper, or handmade papers can be just the thing.
• Or if you are a bit more handy, what about framing some of your origami masterpieces?

Whatever you choose, try to keep it pretty simple and fun. A little bit of color and pattern can go a long way.

Art?

Well, I am not sure exactly that I would call it art, it's certainly artful though. I am constantly faced with the design dilemma of what to do to cover big walls, whether they be stairways, double height rooms or whatever, especially when working on a tight budget, so I offer a few solutions that have worked for me, I hope that some will work for you.

• In the image above I bought an inexpensive poster then took it to a printer and had them enlarge it, in 9 pieces on canvas. I then stretched them over frames and hung them as a mosaic, I think the result is kind of cool. This technique could easily be done with any poster, or a cool photo, or even a magazine ad (perhaps even a blog posting :) ).
• Almost anything used out of context can be seen as wall decoration, perhaps old farm equipment (rakes, shovels etc), garage sales are great sources for this.
• A collection of smaller things works well too. I have a friend who collected small oil paintings on E-bay of portraits of women, then hung them all close together, I think it looks stellar and cost next to nothing.
• While shopping swap meets and flea markets, what about a group of children's chairs.
• I have spoken in the past about ethnic textiles and how much I love them, they can be a very economical way to cover a wall, a Kuba cloth or a Sari, or if you are more local minded a great quilt (I am a huge fan of the quilts of Hawaii, they are graphic and feel modern). You can also tea stain too, if you want a more old-world feel.

Good Luck!