Collect original art

All I did this weekend was watch two full seasons of Girls, eat my body weight in Tostitos, and polish off a bottle of wine. By myself.

Let’s just say that my creative juices needed a little jump start. Whenever I need inspiration, I like to pull out my art supplies and start drawing or painting. Its one of the only activities where I can lose myself for hours. I’m not a naturally creative artist – I work best with structure, on assignment, with a subject: A wooden figure, a model hand, a ceramic apple, or art that I hunt down on Etsy and try to recreate. Is that wrong? Maybe. But Etsy is such an endless source of incredible artwork by talented artists that I could only hope to emulate.

I have an entire file of images from some of my favorite Etsy artists saved to my desktop and decided to come clean about it. And maybe buy a few. One of my resolutions this year was to start collecting original pieces of art. My apartment is filled with prints of the classics from pretty much every art movement from the Impressionists onwards (many lovingly stolen from my high school studio art class), but hugely lacking in originals that I’ve discovered on my own.

 

Which really, is how you get to develop and understand your taste. So if I had to fill my apartment with originals sourced by my own two eyes, these piece would be my personal collection. Instead, I have sketchbooks full of their sub-par likenesses.

Top mixed media print is gailmillerart; bottom photograph is ellemoss:

 Below is an abstract painting by itsybitsyspill (this one is my favorite, I want it in an ornate gold frame hanging in my hallway):

Below, a painting by inapaleplace:

Below, abstract nude by lanasfineart:

Below, a watercolor by mylittlebirdprints:

Below, a painting by raisabreslava:

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-46889504-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_setDomainName’, ‘thestyleheist.blogspot.com’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

The perfect clutch

 

I spotted Julianna in a sea of Syracuse fans in Chinatown a few weeks ago. She was a brave soul, wearing a green trench and color wheel opposites in a sea of orange tee shirts (and drunken victory cheers)!

She’s inspiring me to try colorblocking – she took the ultimate risk with Christmas colors and made it work! Pulling off red + green is not an easy feat, but her outfit works because she kept everything else neutral. I really loved her simple two-tone leather clutch, and that she found it at the Gap! It’s currently on sale for $30 – I just ordered this one and plan to wear it with an orange jacket, jeans, and a simple white tee.

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-46889504-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_setDomainName’, ‘thestyleheist.blogspot.com’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

Floral clutch + peplum dress

 Meet Lisa Matthews – I stopped her in Dupont Circle because I loved her floral clutch, bright nails, cool peplum dress, and sassy jewels. Her peplum dress was the perfect backdrop for her wild nails and accessories – the simple black and white would have worked great on its own but I love that she added color and personality!

 



She was on her way back from brunch and nice enough to pose for a picture. She was also nice enough to inform me that I have been in the dark about DC’s favorite Sunday breakfast (appetizer, entree, dessert + unlimited Champagne for $25 at M Street Bar and Grill).

 

Below, we are swapping scary stories about gel manicures. Lisa and her friend Ebony are telling me to switch to Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure for the results of gel without the nail-ruining aftermath or the wallet emptying price. More to come on that.

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-46889504-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_setDomainName’, ‘thestyleheist.blogspot.com’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

Darryl Carter is awesome

 

Lately, I’ve been really inspired by the work of Darryl Carter, a DC-based interior designer (and curator of a really cool home goods shop in Shaw) – and my latest interview subject. He’s a former lawyer who turned a decorating habit into a hugely successful business. So, naturally, I want to learn how he did that and copy all of his ideas.

As for his design aesthetic, I love how he takes traditional elements, deconstructs them, and puts them in unusual palces (e.g., armoire in bathroom). He mixes texture, old and new, dark and light. I love that he makes bold statements but keeps everything clean and calm by sticking strictly to a neutral color palette. The result is timeless and beautiful. If I owned a house, I’d want it to look just like this. OK, I probably wouldn’t have the willpower to leave the walls white but it works so well here I just might be convinced.

 

 

 

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-46889504-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_setDomainName’, ‘thestyleheist.blogspot.com’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

Meet my mannequin

Or, my better dressed roommate depending on how you look at it. She has been wearing a leopard blazer every day for months because I haven’t been inspired to wear it, and thought dressing the mannequin up in it might inspire a little jealousy in me. It works, like my little sister borrowing a castoff dress and looking better in it than I ever did. Which naturally makes you want it back and treat it right. Same formula for White Elephant gifts, boyfriends, etc.

 

This mannequin has been a jane of all trades for me for the past few years: She’s storage for my necklaces and bags and wears my same dress size. She’s helped me sell clothes on eBay and watched me fail at DIY tailoring. She’s a great conversation piece, usually creating conversations that end with me urging the commentator to buy a mannequin so that they too can spend hours on Friday nights alone with it, dressing up in outfits and sharing a bottle of wine. She’s also spent a lot of time facedown in the back of my trunk, has a dented right boob, and has been wound and unwound from that wooden stand so many times that she can barely stand up. I bought her on Amazon because she was the cheapest, and I didn’t want to have buyers regret about a 5’6″but now that she’s proved her worth it’s time for an upgrade.

 

She’s going to die a Craigslist death soon and I need a new, sturdy, stuffed canvas dressform to replace her. Like this one.

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-46889504-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_setDomainName’, ‘thestyleheist.blogspot.com’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

My favorite hot young artist

How amazing is this great white shark? It’s acrylic on a 10′ by 7′ canvas, painted by 11 year old Ethan Chaupiz. The painting is impressive not just for the cool colors and being enormous, but that Ethan nailed the composition, light, depth, and texture not to mention some abstract principles that I had a hard time grasping in my college-level studio art class. 

What a cool guy! I want to buy all of his paintings. I would hang it off-center over my couch, lean it against the narrow wall in my hallway, or buy it in a few in the smallest size and hang them all together.  You can buy Ethan’s work at artbykidsforkids.com.

 Ethan is a shark specialist, but he ventured in sea otters and robots with the same success as his sharks:

 



var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-46889504-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_setDomainName’, ‘thestyleheist.blogspot.com’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

Cheap thrills

If Rainbow Bright were a grungy hipster, I feel like this is what she would wear. Bright colors have always been challenging for me. They dredge up feelings of emotional distress, really. Hot pink brings back memories of bad choices I made at Limited Too in my tween years. Neon green reminds me of tennis lessons I took until I realized that I lacked the hand-eye coordination, athletic ability, and attention span required to master even the basics (I could not keep the quarter on my racket).

Needless to say, I have always admired colorblocking on others but too timid to try it. This outfit was my attempt to jump out of my comfort zone and put to use some things that had been collecting dust in my closet because I didn’t know how to wear them: A pair of pink patent leather heels from Bebe that I’d worn twice, an oversize neon clutch that my sister bought for me, a Proenza Schouler for Target sweatshirt that I bought for the sole reason that it was $10 on clearance, and some extremely distressed jeans that I picked up for $40 from Romwe, the Asian e-retail equivalent of Forever 21 that has become my go-to for risk-free trend purchases. Thanks to my friend Andrew for the inspiration and the pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-46889504-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_setDomainName’, ‘thestyleheist.blogspot.com’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();