Getting it Together

Going through a stack of magazines from the past few months, it became clear that there's no shortage of inspiration for collecting, framing and arranging art. In terms of acquiring it, February through late spring is typically a great time to find more accessibly priced works on paper at student shows and charity auctions.

Of course, due to the economic downturn, many boutiques and vintage shops that sell original art are currently offering special sales. Providence has pulled out of storage quite a few small landscapes, abstracts and figure studies culled from estate sales. All framed and unframed works are discounted twenty percent (at the brick and mortar store). Original photography from Mark Starnes is also available in the $75 to $380 price range.

In addition to his striking shots of nature and animals seen in the Southeast, I think I also spotted a very cool image of Billy Reid's Charleston shop (or maybe it was Ralph Lauren?). Another regional designer and photographer, Perry Walter, has beautiful work available at Pieces, and dynamic duo Michelle Adams and Patrick Cline (the two met at domino) just launched Lonny. The creative team offers photography and styling services as well as select prints in the $250 range.


Regency-era needlework is usually quite costly, but I wanted to share this interesting piece below. Priced under $800 and available at Hollyhock, the English chinoiserie needlework is framed with a highly decorative hand-painted mat. Often busy mats are not recommended by framers because they can distract from the art; here is an exception to the rule.



Credits:
First photo is by Annie Schlecter; the second is Michael Bastian's house photographed by Melanie Acevedo. Both are from domino, September 2008. Third image is a Miles Redd design photographed by Simon Upton for Elle Decor, January/February 2009.

The fourth photograph is by Mark Starnes, and Patrick Cline shot images five and six.

A little more inspiration: Windsor Smith's stairwell as seen in domino, August 2007. She began with one very large central piece, adding smaller photographs to the mix, and she opted to unify her grouping with all white frames.

This view of Billy Reid's Nashville shop was not taken by Mark Starnes (it belongs to Reid) but the use of the gold frame on the dark wood is so eye-catching. Thought I'd highlight it.