Art Under $100

I had almost forgotten about the series I started way back when-Art Under $100-where I give you sources and ideas to fill your blank walls for under a hundred bucks (hence the title). After we switched up the office and master bedroom the art arrangement I had up just didn't fit with the calm and neutral vibe I knew we needed to sell the house. 

So I set out to use some of my own advice and create new artwork for the space for under $100. This is an easy D.I.Y that you can finish in a few hours (with drying time). I went out and bought two of my stand-by large format Ikea RIBBA frames. At $25, I'm fairly certain it's impossible to find a cheaper super large frame. While it's obviously not museum quality, it's a good fix for those of us not able to pay upwards of $500 to get things professionally framed. Once I had those, I grabbed two sheets of thick watercolour paper from the craft store. I love the raw edges of this paper and it stands up well to paint without warping. I can't remember how much these were but definitely under $30. I bought a paper size just larger then the opening for the pre-cut mat that comes with the frames. At home I used some of the left over wall colour as well as two other complimentary colours- all in a soothing ocean inspired palette. Using the wall colour in the painting is a sure way to tie it into the room. 

I'm going to pause here for a second because the artist in me cringes that I just wrote/did that. I'm not advocating that all your art should be made/bought to solely match a room/couch/rug because that would be boring. Art should be a creative expression and stand alone....BUT...sometimes you just need something to match/sell your house and I'm gonna just call this decor. At least you didn't go buy the frame and the poster at Ikea. [End rant]

I diluted all the paint by about 50% and then used a dry (slightly crusty) brush to dip in the paint and drag along the paper to create visible brush marks.

Once they were dry, I used a double-sided foam mounting tape to secure the paper on top of the matting that came with the frame. 

And VOILA! You now have two original 'decor items' that are framed in a modern way. They look expensive but cost you under $100. Hang up and sit back and enjoy! I'm going to pretend that these framed paintings are what sold my house.

Art Under $100

Happy Friday everyone and happy long weekend to all of us Canadians celebrating Thanksgiving! Instead of a 'Le Weekend' post I've got an 'Art Under $100' because frankly I've been thinking a lot about gallery walls and what makes them special.

Now there is nothing more beautiful than a perfectly symmetrical gallery wall of matching black and white prints but I love things to be a little imperfect. I love the mix and the contrast, so my favourite gallery walls include not only paintings, prints and photographs but also something unexpected like a wire sculpture, a set of antlers, a mask or a carving.

As you can see from the examples above you don't have to go crazy and you don't even have to hang the pieces on the wall. The second photo down showcases objects placed in front of artwork to give the impression of a layered arrangement. So have fun, play around and don't think you just have to hang framed artwork on your wall. If you have a favourite memento, by all means add it in. If you don't happen to have something, I've rounded up a few pieces to help add that something special to your gallery wall.

1. Painting wood relief
2. Spiral paper sculptures
3. Horseshoe
4. Woven wall hanging
5. Wooden bear mask
6. Vintage metal Russian sign
7. Woven African basket
8. Metal eagle
9. Mounted antlers
10. Taxidermy butterflies
11. White juju hat
12. Vintage metal letter
13. White ceramic wall sculptures
14. Cubist wooden sculpture
15. Wire portrait
16. Vintage metal bird sculpture
17. Metal diamond sculpture
18. White pottery medallion
19. Blue handmade plate
20. Pink Rhino bust
21. Driftwood tree slice sculpture

Art Under $100

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16

                                                                                                   

                                  

Whew! Sorry for the long absence there friends. Chad's parents came to visit so I was busy doing things like going to Quebec City and being a tourist in my own town. I'll have a recap of Quebec City after I whittle down the million photos I took-it's just so darn pretty ( I may have also watched the entire first season of Fargo the week before so excuse my quaint expressions). To make up for this, I've provided you with a round-up of possibly my favourite 'Art Under $100' subject, 'Vintage Portrait Painting'. 

I know this isn't for everyone so I've also given you a bit of inspiration in case you're afraid of having creepy eyes following you around. Hot tip - don't buy portraits that have creepy eyes and also maybe don't put portraits that have disapproving stares directly near your bed! 

Three ways to use vintage portraits: 

1) Hang it all on it's own to highlight it in it's stunning glory. Bonus points if you can tie in the painting colours to the room. Number 4 or 14 would look amazing against chartreuse or pink.

Via

2) Hang it within a gallery arrangement to contrast abstract/photographic/landscape work. Number 6 or 12 would be a great foil to other mixed media. Bonus points for keeping the entire arrangement in a few key colours.

Via

3) Hang it all - go crazy and create the ultimate statement gallery wall using a single theme. Bonus points if you go and buy everything I listed before I do.

Via

Art Under $100

This past weekend, we went to Toronto to help a friend look for art. He had finished decorating his new condo and the artwork was the last piece of the puzzle. We stopped into a few amazing galleries and started to get a sense of what type of art he was actually drawn to. Chad had a good laugh about one gallery director who stated that the work we were viewing, "insists upon itself." This then became a bit of a running joke as everything from Chad's hamburger to dirty socks "insisted upon themselves". Despite this, it was great to be back in my old stomping grounds, touring galleries minus the free gallery opening wine. 

While we can't all afford art that "insists upon itself", we can all have pieces that speak to us in some way. There are so many great online resources for prints, photography and original work now that there is no excuse to have blank walls. I'm going to start a new feature 'Art under $100', each time bringing you a new theme- let's start this out with one of my favourites- classic black and white art. 

1. 'Ringside' by Jason Birch. I love the tension in this photograph, it's both playful and absurd. Jason mentions that the foreground figures "come from a 1918 book on practical self-defense. The illustrations in the book all feature gentlemen in suits demonstrating self-defense tactics."
2. '144 Empty Parking Lots' by Jenny Odell. When photographed from an aerial view these parking lots take on strange abstract shapes. Each print is selection of images cut out from a Google Satellite View.
3. 'Untitled No.12, 2008' from the series Quiet Summer by Caitlin Duennebier. This photo instantly  reminded me a modern version of Andrew Wyeth's 'Christina's World'.
4. 'Musee de la Chasse' by Laure Joliet. I actually own this poster and it hangs in our office, constantly reminding me that I should have made the trip to see this fantastical place while I was actually in Paris.
5.  'Flowers Poster' by Debbie Carlos. This is another large scale poster that can fill a wall and has a beautiful grainy texture. You don't even need to pay for framing- hang it with colourful tape or clips.
6. 'Sandworm 2 Print' by Jamie Derringer. This is just a striking graphic pattern and would be a great standout in a gallery wall. 
7. 'Particular Space II' by Mary Mackey. Simple, graphic and elegant. Everyone thinks it's easy to create an abstract painting until they actually try it. Another great little piece that compliments every style or stands alone. 
8. 'Line Drawing 10131224' original drawing by Jamie Derringer. The same artist as no.6 but I can't help but love me some stripes.
9. Typographical Quote Print by Faye Moorhouse. You knew there would be something about cats in here, right? I mean I'm now a crazy cat lady with three cats. I like the idea of having this beautiful calligraphy in a gallery wall to add interest. 
10. 'Three Vintage Map Posters' from GeoArtShed. Hanging these as a triptych is an excellent deal if you need to fill a wall space with something other than Ikea.