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.