CasaSugar

Gifted: Art For Newlyweds

CasaSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:30:09 -0700

Welcome to my new feature, Gifted, where I suggest home- and garden-related gifts that are chic, economical, and lovely. For my first post, I was inspired by my need to buy a present for some friends who just tied the knot. If you, too, need to purchase a present for some newlywed friends, consider buying them a piece of art. This is the kind of gift that you should probably consider only if you know their taste; if not, it might be best to stick to the registry. However, if you know them fairly well, you can probably pick out a piece of art that the couple will adore. I'm a fan of the site 20x200, which offers affordable, high-quality prints from emerging artists at low prices. This piece, from artist Linzie Hunter, seems like a cute, unsentimental, yet sincere way of telling the newlyweds "Congratulations on finding each other!" With some matting and a simple black frame, this is a gift that will look lovely on any wall in your friends' new shared home.

Prints start at $20, but hurry - there are only 40 left. You can get yours here.

Love It or Hate It? Identity5 Graphic Print

CasaSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:44 -0700

Need a little graphic glamour in your home? Then try this Identity5 - The Perfect Pink Print ($360-$720) on for size. This bold design is printed on heavy canvas with museum-quality archival inks and arrives ready to hang.

Artist of the Day: Melissa Moss

CasaSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:30:38 -0700

Los Angeles-based painter Melissa Moss makes artwork that seems fit for a children's fairy tale. From her graceful, curtseying trees to her odd little nubbin creatures resting beneath the splayed gills of gigantic mushrooms, these paintings beg for a fanciful storyline. And her use of color? Visually arresting, to say the least. As Melissa writes in her artist's statement,"I use color as my primary artistic element. I’ve studied the meanings and associations of colors and their subtle shades and tones and use this knowledge to convey the mood of each painting."

Melissa's work can be seen in galleries in Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Chicago, among other cities. If, like me, you find Melissa's work enchanting and would like to get a print for yourself, you can pick one up at 2Modern, Indie Fixx, or Little Paper Airplanes.

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Less or More Game: Graphic Pattern Acrylic Table

CasaSugar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:30:13 -0700

After coming across a game by Amanda-La, I was inspired to create "Less or More." Look at each of the graphic-patterned acrylic tables below and guess which one is more expensive.

Take the quiz

Sale Alert: Room and Board Summer Clearance Sale

CasaSugar — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:30:21 -0700

Room & Board is cleaning shop to make room for Fall and passing on the savings to you all. At the Summer clearance event, furniture and accessories from throw pillows to sectionals have been reduced 30 to 50 percent. I'm loving this Matchstick Pillow ($69.99, reduced from $109), which I had my eye on when I toured Room & Board back in March. It's 100 percent linen and is hand-printed in Pennsylvania. Cute, graphic, and a bit folksy, right? Here are a few more sale goodies.

How-To: Decorate on the Cheap With Pretty Plates

CasaSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:00:09 -0700

If your budget is a little tight right now for wall art including painting, prints, or simply getting that favorite photo properly framed and matted, relax: there's another inexpensive option for dressing your walls with style and flair. Beautiful, graphic plates can look just as stunning as an expensive painting when they're displayed well. Check out some of my favorite plate displays, as well as tips on getting the look.
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Nice and New: Trina Turk Outdoor Fabrics for Schumacher

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:00:53 -0700

Back in October, I let you know about Trina Turk's foray into interiors with a collection of home furnishings and an outdoor upholstery fabric line. Well, her collection of California-inspired indoor/outdoor printed fabrics is here. The line features signature patterns from her apparel collections as well as many inspired by the SoCal architecture, landscape, and lifestyle. Her bright, breezy colorways are ideal for outdoor Summer décor, including watery blues, citrus shades, and earth tones. My favorite is the Fronds Print, which has a leafy, decidedly graphic look. Her Trellis Print is a must have for those of you with a thing for Hollywood Regency style. And the Sunglass Print has a vintage, Jackie O. look that just makes me laugh. Check out the other prints and colorways when you read more.

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Artist of the Day: Daniela Cunha Lay

CasaSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:00:05 -0700

It's not unusual to find a 26-year-old who cites Andy Warhol as an inspiration or who thinks she can emulate Jackson Pollock. But, it's a rare thing to meet a young woman whose mixed media, Warhol-inspired pop art speaks of revolution in Spain, war crimes in Iraq, and human perishability, whose Pollock-inspired paintings give you chills. I recently caught up with the young São Paulo-born, Brazil-and-California-raised artist Daniela Cunha Lay at the opening of her exhibit at one of my favorite design stores in San Francisco, Flipp. With little background on her work, I asked what medium she used. "Mixed media, of course," she said, speaking a mile a minute, "Nothing that I do is simple." After a tour around the exhibit, it was apparent that she couldn't have related herself or her work more succinctly.

To create "Divine," a mixed media collage of sorts, she took a 1928 photograph of her quite glamorous grandmother on the day of her wedding, and photocopied it on several different machines to achieve varying tonalities. Then, she "cop[ied] the copy of the copy, so as to crumble down the image, driving it as far away from its original print as possible," further establishing the obvious passage of time, and tore some to suggest that, "we and everything around us is inevitably perishable."

Lay's work speaks for itself, so hear more and check out some images of her work when you read more.

Standing on a 2-meter ladder, she painted "Rust," a splatter painting of a deformed, human-like figure amidst a crimson background, by throwing acrylic paint across a stretched canvas on the floor. I simultaneously felt violently haunted and calm viewing this piece, proving that her efforts to evoke "solitude, stillness, and inner piece in the midst of a violently chaotic world," succeeded.

Be sure to explore Daniela Cunha Lay's website to see more of her portfolio of paintings, photographs, conceptual videos, and graphic art, as well as several artist statements. And, if you live in the Bay Area, stop by the reception for her exhibit at the Diego Riviera Gallery tonight from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

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Nice and New: Blanca Gomez at Velocity

CasaSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:00:26 -0800

Prints by Madrid-based graphic designer and illustrator Blanca Gomez are now available at Velocity Art and Design, and I'm totally adoring them. Gomez's designs feature classically styled messieurs and mesdames accompanied by colorful balloons, raindrops, and other cheerful, child-like imagery. There's a near-stick-figure simplicity to her figures that evokes 1960s art; it's utterly charming. I'm loving this Monsieur print - the seafoam clouds, the shapely raindrops, the fedora: I can almost hear him singing, "Alouette, gentille alouette, alouette, je te plumerai." To see more prints, read more.

How-To: Collect Art, Part Two

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:00:03 -0800

If you've read the first part of my lesson on collecting art and learned all you can, you can move on to beginning your collection. The cardinal rule of collecting art is: Only buy what you love. Your collection should reflect your tastes and sentiments. It should be you. Don't allow your purchases to adhere to trends or the palate of another. At the same time, you can't just buy anything you fancy because you'll go broke and wind up with a hodgepodge of works that don't make sense together.

When you begin your collection, focus on some type of theme, like South American artwork, moody landscapes, vintage portraits, graphic patterns, etc. This will give your collection some cohesion, like coordinating colors in a living room would. Beyond that, the more you focus your collection, the more you'll learn about art, and it'll be a great conversation starter!
If you see something you can't get your mind off, snatch it up fast before someone else does!
Invest. Splurging on one captivating piece of art that you love, and that is valued in the art world, will make much more of a statement than buying up 20 smaller prints or lesser works bit by bit. It'll be worth it in the end.

You have a lot more to learn so read more.

Limit your use of the Internet. Googling galleries is helpful and can help you find pieces and artists you may not have known about, but seeing the real thing in person should be the deciding factor in whether you buy.
Buy something nostalgic. Whether it's an antique lithograph from a far-off city you once visited, a painting by a local artist, or a portrait that reminds you of an old friend, artwork that stirs up nostalgia is almost a foolproof buy.
If you find an artist you adore, don't feel like you can only own one of her pieces. Picking up multiple works from one artist will also add cohesion to your collection, and if you love something, why fight it? It's also good karma to support people who make you happy.
Make a point to follow the careers of artists you've purchased from and to meet them if you have an opportunity.
Don't buy artwork to match your decorating. If it happens to, go for it. Otherwise, don't be afraid to repaint to make your favorite work integrate better into your home. You can't go wrong with Benjamin Moore's Decorator's White.
Follow news in the art world, but don't make choices based on it. If a style or piece of art is going out of vogue, and you love it even though others don't, just buy it. Snatch it up and put it on your wall. Remember, this is a personal collection, not a business. Reselling artwork isn't easy anyway, especially in this economy, unless you've got a Van Gogh or a Damien Hirst.
Make your purchase worthwhile by taking care of your artwork by having it framed and displayed prominently! But don't leave it all for show; keep something hidden just for yourself.

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Origami 6'7"x9'10" Rug in Charcoal/Marigold - $1,999.00	Tulane 77" Sofa in Desmond Surf CG - $799.00
NYC Pentatray with Map - $199.00	Tuscany 20 Square Pillow in Kelp - $89.00
Spectrum 2'6"x9' Rug in Mist - $299.00	Cotton Basket-weave Full/Queen Blanket in White - $59.00
Henley 2'6"x9' Rug in Olive - $179.00	Portland 73" Full Sleeper Slipcover in Dorien Natural - $379.00
Regan 18 Square Cube in Digit Moss - $149.00	Lenox Ottoman in Dita Salt - $299.00

Blanca Gomez Love This Way Print - $24.00	Blanca Gomez Monsieur IV - $30.00
Blanca Gomez Monsieur III Print - $30.00	Blanca Gomez Monsiuer Under The Rain Print - $30.00
Blanca Gomez Rainy Day Print - $22.00	Blanca Gomez Smoke Print - $30.00
Blanca Gomez De Viaje Print - $28.00	Blanca Gomez Thinking Print - $28.00
Blanca Gomez Mademoiselle Under The Rain Print - $30.00	Blanca Gomez Present Print - $30.00
Blanca Gomez Sailor Print - $24.00	Blanca Gomez Family Print - $28.00
Blanca Gomez Monsieur II Print - $30.00	Blanca Gomez The Writer Gocco Print - $24.00
Blanca Gomez Fete Print - $30.00	Blanca Gomez Lui Print - $28.00