The way to buy original art online

I’ve already made a confession once in this blog. It was January and I admitted I was addicted to chocolate. Now I have another confession: I love chairs. I can’t get them out of my head. I especially like certain famous chairs, for example, Eames chairs,

Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair

Bertoia chairs,

Bertoia Side Chairs

and Saarinen chairs. If I could live in a house filled with original artwork and iconic chairs, I’d be satisfied.

Saarinen Chairs

More than any other piece of furniture, the chair has been designed and redesigned by the world’s most creative minds. Architects, artists and designers all want to sink their teeth into a chair project and tackle the essence of chair-ness. Who knew that, when the ancient Egyptians invented the chair, the idea of this utilitarian object would be taken to such an inventive level?

(I don’t have this book, but I should have it. I must have it!)

Let’s take a moment to indulge in chairs and celebrate what the spirit of artistic pursuit has done for the sedentary over the years. Here are a few of my favorite chairs,

Panton C1 Chair

Frank Gehry Wiggle Side Chair vitra.com

vintage steno chair twentygauge.com

a few chairs that have caught my attention recently,

Drops Chair - camillahounsellhalvorsen.com

Bloom Coco Plexistyle

Fernando-and-Humberto-Campana-Sushi-III-Chair bonluxat.com

and a few paintings of chairs.

Van Gogh's Chair

Raimonds Staprans

David Pettibone "Yellow Chair" zatista.com

What is your favorite chair?

The thought of living in a small space sounds both enticing and daunting to me, but so goes life in NYC. In Brooklyn, Zach Motl makes the most of a small space. His 178 sq. ft. apartment is masterfully designed. Three great things about it: areas are clearly defined, it’s organized, and it showcases Zach’s great sense of style. If not for this attention to aesthetics, a space this small could easily feel more like a closet than a place to call home.

A recent New York Times article about Motl’s apartment says, “One-room living works well if you clearly define areas” and one of the ways Zach does this is with artwork. A large framed map anchors the couch,

and the walls of his wet bar display a collection of framed art and art objects.

Here the artwork draws attention to each area and functions as punctuation, allowing the eye to pause and notice that this is where a specific activity takes place.

“He knows how to hit the sweet spot that turns a bunch of objects, like stacks of magazines, into a collection,” the New York Times wrote, “and how to array those objects so they look sculptural.”

Zach’s “artfully arranged stuff” epitomizes this space, where everything from lighting to chalkboard-doors to Wellingtons become art.

Zach’s sophisticated apartment proves that living gracefully in a small space can happen with an artful eye. Get organized, punctuate areas with art, and with your own distinct flair you will surely create a very cozy sense of home.

Photos: Robert Wright for The New York Times

I have a very fun design client who is often looking for artwork that’s a little unusual, a tad edgy, and a bit unexpected.

Yehan Wang "Density-058"

Her typical request is, “I want it to look like it’s from the window of Anthropologie!” or “I want it to make me say, ‘huh?’”

Yehan Wang "Density-056"

That’s not the kind of artwork you see everyday. But work by this zatista.com featured artist, Yehan Wang, fits the bill.

Yehan Wang "Density-063"

Check it out. I really, really like it. Does it make you say, “huh?”

Yehan Wang "Density-057"

His sizes are terrific and he lives in Vancouver, BC, which brings me to my next point:

How about Shani Davis, Lindsey Vonn, and Shaun White? Talk about inspiring. Go Team USA!

cherikopp.com "God Bless (Patriotism Without Rigidity)" made with 100% repurposed materials: plastic caps and lids

I have some friends who need to be coaxed into visiting art galleries. Does anyone else feel that way?

zatista.com Xiuyuan Guo "Path"

In the midst of December-Multitasking-Madness I met two friends for coffee and a quick bite at Chelsea Market in Manhattan. Secretly, I wanted to stop into two galleries while in the neighborhood, but I didn’t mention this to my friends in advance because I knew they’d groan. But, once bellies were full of brownies, I innocently asked them to join me while I walked a few blocks to PaceWildenstein to see the David Hockney: Recent Works exhibit. At first my friends said they didn’t want to go, spouting their usual reasons that going into galleries to see exhibits by ‘important artists’ was intimidating and left them feeling like they should have something meaningful to say about the art afterwards. So I promised them that we didn’t have to discuss the artwork, I just wanted their company. A week later I tried this with another friend after lunch uptown. I wanted to see a Gerhard Richter exhibit at Marian Goodman Gallery so I suggested she join me.

zatista.com Mary Lee Bradley "410 Untitled"

In the weeks since then, my friends and I have all agreed we enjoyed those impromptu, no-pressure gallery pit stops.

zatista.com Edward Zelinsky "Pink Landscape"

And to my great pleasure, my friends offered that what they responded to most about the artwork those days was the color.

zatista.com Elizabeth Graeber "Bird"

Indeed, we were all inspired by the profusion of color!

zatista.com Kristina Zallinger "Blue Danube"

What a beautifully simple and completely natural standpoint from which to appreciate original artwork. It’s enough to whet your appetite when it comes to art.

zatista.com Bobbi Heath "Melons"

It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.

Some of my favorite travel photography was created decades ago when the world still seemed a mystery and far away places were truly exotic. But today, air travel, television, and the internet have made even the most foreign scenery somewhat familiar to us.

From Vietnam to Vancouver, while on vacation I take as many snapshots as the next person.

gettyimages.com Brian Lawrence "Statue of Liberty"

But once I’m home loading pictures into iPhoto, I’m often surprised to see that my most interesting images are of the least expected subject matter.

zatista.com Jennifer Childs "Little Italy Remaining"

I like to apply this theory to collecting travel photography as well, in order to curate a compelling group of unique photographic images. You’ll notice in the pair of New York images above – as well as in the pairings of Italy, Greece and beach images below – an obvious image is juxtaposed with something less expected and therefore a bit more enticing.

gettyimages.com Arctic-Images "Leaning tower of Pisa, Tuscany, Italy"

zatista.com "Discussion" by Daniel Grant

For me, the challenge to collecting travel photography is to evoke a sense of a place without falling for the obvious images of that place.

gettyimages.com "Parthenon Facade, Acropolis, Athens, Greece" by Harald Sund

zatista.com "Dock Workers Athens" by Simon MacArthur

Case in point: At the beach house where we stayed during a recent holiday in Florida, I came face to face with a terribly boring group of artworks. These images added next to nothing of interest to the home simply because the subject matter was too similar to what we saw outside during the day. If a person sits poolside every night watching the sunset, why hang a photo of that same sunset in the living room? The redundancy didn’t do much for me.

gettyimages.com "Razorbill" by Guy Edwardes

zatista.com "Fins" by Nick Lavecchia

Take your travel photography collecting to the next level- don’t miss an opportunity to let your original art collection add impact to your surroundings. When it comes to travel photography, go a step beyond clichéd subject matter. Images that maximize intrigue and minimize the obvious will bring you years more enjoyment and may even enhance the mystery of all the places you’ve visited, or dream of visiting one day.