Art Attack

When it comes to decorating my home, I'm a huge proponent of using family photos and original artwork.  As an artist myself, this is somewhat easy for me as I had a portfolio of works from over the years to choose from.  For those of you who are less artistically inclined, I have compiled a couple of my recommendations for sites to try. 

Of course there is etsy, but you have to have an idea of what you're looking for otherwise you can get stuck in that site forever.  There are a number of different artistic methods that have caught my attention as of late and one of them, which can be found on etsy, is papercut designs.  They are incredibly detailed pictures that are cut out of a single piece of paper.  The artist who created the papercut to the left creates designs around kitschy quotes and the another fantastic one I found creates papercut maps of large cities like Rome and London.

Another art form I have recently discovered involves the addition of a waxy film to a mixed media work.  One of my favorites artists who use this approach is Rachel Austin.  Her original map paintings are absolutely gorgeous, although a tad pricey.  However, I personally think that art is a fantastic way to splurge on something that has longevity.

Amy Ruppel also works in wax mediums to creates beautiful nature inspired abstract works of hazy paints over wood.

In the event you can't afford/don't want to pay for the original works, many of these artists also offer prints of their originals at a fraction of the price.  Though I personally prefer to invest in the real thing, the prints are an excellent option for those of you who love the look but don't want to shell out the money.

A fantastic mixed media artist I have discovered is Gillian Bates.  She uses freehand machine embroidery along with a mix of reclaimed and new fabrics to create landscapes on canvas and the detail work is truly amazing.

A final source for unique works of art, sometimes of a limited edition original variety, but more commonly for limited edition prints is Tiny Showcase.  They collaborate with independent artists to showcase editions of their work with a portion of the proceeds going towards a charity of the artist's choice.