I'm an artist of sorts as a side gig, and I do know what I like. I'm a visual person. I get a lot of energy from what I see, so art is important to me. And I appreciate when someone is inspired by art--even if the piece doesn't inspire me.

From my perspective, budget and art don't mix, because they refer to an artist's marketability and the public's perception of their work. As a young adult, I struggled with exposing what I liked on my walls. I just didn't have the confidence then to embrace what I liked.

I think Feather's hit an important point. I am also a very visual person-- I think, process information and remember things visually (mental images, diagrams, etc). Art gives me energy too-- and sparks thought. I imagine if you are not visual, it may be harder to know what you like.. or have the confidence to know what you like.

I have a wide array of "art".. some original and handmade and some prints, event posters and some mass market décor pieces .. I have actually been considering a mass market (pier 1) print that just keeps drawing me back. Is it art? I'd call it "art" .. but it does spark me and it keeps drawing me back so I guess I will buy it at some point.

I know what I like. My problem is I'm never sure exactly how to frame it or hang it.

DH on the other hand has an innate ability to pick just the right spot so we make a good team. A few years before he retired his group moved into a brand new office building and he spent an afternoon hanging art and certificates in all the rooms. Had that been my job - they'd still be leaning against the wall.

Good point about being "visual." I agree with that assessment, and realize that I too lean very strongly in that direction when it comes to many things. I'll have to read up on what it means to BE "visual" and perhaps learn a bit more about why this is, how it develops, or even if there is any rhyme or reason to it -- or if it simply IS, like countless other traits of an individual.

I've never had a big budget for art, but I haven't let that stop me. My most expensive (and probably at this point, valuable) piece was in the neighborhood of a couple grand, give or take. I bought it years ago, and no longer have that kind of disposal income to spend on art. I have, however, found so many pieces that I absolutely love for very little money. The painting I most recently purchased set me back less than $100. Of course, it will likely need framing, which brings a WHOLE other number into the equation, but that can come in due time. We have a friend who is an avid collector of western and southwest art, and it is nothing for him to spend thousands (even hundreds of thousands) on art. He loves it. No, he LIVES it, being heavily involved in the art/gallery/museum world. It's fascinating and I'm perhaps a wee bit envious of the ability to buy pretty much whatever one wants, but I also know I probably wouldn't trade my own "lesser" art for his pricier things. I chose what I chose because I loved it, because it spoke to me and meant something to me. That's not to say a $100k painting wouldn't speak to me as well, but I'm more than happy to admire such a thing from a distance.

My point is that art absolutely doesn't have to be expensive to be GOOD in our lives. I love that so many here "get it".

Ohhh, can’t wait to see your new piece! You and I definitely share similar tastes in art and I relate to your feelings about it completely.

This is timely, as I’m currently doing my own art series on Instagram (just for fun). I’ve been posting some of my treasures .... treasures in the sense of how loved they are, not monetary. My page is public, so it’s been fun doing hashtags and getting to see who stops by (they usually have similar art on their pages). I have quite a few pieces that were passed down in my family and my husband’s family ... even a couple of paintings that relatives of his late wife did. I remember when he was packing to move here (NY to Tx), he asked me if I wanted this and that painting that had been in the house she grew up in — YES! They didn’t have children, so I feel like I’m the keeper of her treasures, too. :)

My newest piece is a giclee my husband surprised me with at Christmas. There’s a story behind it:

In ‘98, my late husband, our daughter, and I stayed in Boston for one of his long work trips. On weekends, we explored, and loved the Plymouth area/surrounding towns (Cape Cod became my favorite place, but that’s another story). In Plymouth one day, we found a quaint boutique, and I fell in love with a Paulus Potter print, The Spotted Horse. It was originally painted in 1653. We bought it, brought it home, had it custom framed at a local shop. My beauty:

.

My beauty giving Not Our Cat the side-eye after NOC used a tall chair (moved for Christmas tree) to get on top of the china cabinet ... where he of course got stuck and had to be rescued.

.

One evening, I was relating the Plymouth trip to Mr Jinx, and sharing what it means to me now, such a wonderful memory of my late husband. And how we’d planned to collect more Potter horse art, but never did.

Well ..... last year, my sweet man secretly ordered Paulus Potter’s The Piebald for me. I was so thrilled when it came! I got teary. :)

I don’t have it framed yet, but here’s my other beauty .....

.

So yes, art is very personal and meaningful to me. I don’t think I have a single piece in my house that doesn’t have a story.

Side note to Jinx: You were at my house a few years ago, briefly on a Saturday, I believe. Is that correct? I am so ridiculously embarrassed to realize it's taken me THIS flippin' long to put two and two together and realize who you are. Clearly, I'm a moron.

But I LOVE your art! The horses are FABULOUS. (And that IS your cat, by the way. Just sayin'. ;-))

I don’t mean to spam the thread, forgive me for sharing another story:

My grandmother was given these two drawings from a family friend (very high-society family) and she passed them on to me.

A couple of years ago, I decided to research them further. Turns out, the artist, HC Zachry, is alive and well and I think living in the Abilene area. I e-mailed his studio and he immediately and graciously responded:

“Hello J***
Those were done in the early 1970s of guys who worked on the Pitchfork Ranch near Guthrie, Texas.
They still worked in the Spring with a chuck wagon, cowboys slept in tents,etc.
I would go up for a couple of days each year.
The drawings were sold by Texas Art Gallery in Dallas or by a gallery in Ruidoso.
Hope this gives you a little more information.
HC"

Wow! I e-mailed him pictures and he responded how glad he was that I was enjoying them. He’s an immensely talented artist, and a kind gentleman as well.

I love them:

Ida! Yes! I’m sorry, I thought I told you it was me before! My fault. 😄

I can’t remember what happened to my account, I think I couldn’t sign in.

And thank you! I love your art, too. And am still enjoying “our” treasured rug. ❤️

Ok, ok, I guess you’re right ... he’s our cat. 😂

LOL! I'm just glad to have my suspicions confirmed! I mean, I pretty much KNEW that was you, but at times I just couldn't quite be sure ... now I know. I'm just glad that you're here participating, as I had missed you! So glad you're still enjoying the rug, and we are very much enjoying the sweet birdbath! (And anyone else reading this is going, "HUH?!?" ;-))

How wonderful to have connected with Mr. Zachry, and that he was able to give you a bit of info on the lovely pieces he created! I'll bet you remember the story of those men each time you look at them on your wall. It seems so fortuitous when the planets align and we make contact with someone who can shed some light on something we own and have wondered about. This is making me realize that I have a couple of framed photos with the name and location of the artist on the backs, and I just might try playing detective to see if I can locate them and send THEM a little note as well. I'd think any artist would be thrilled to know that their works were on display and well loved.

The most recent piece I bought is by Korean-born artist Myung "Mario" Jung. He is displayed in several galleries, and I like his bright, colorful paintings. He has a horse painting that I absolutely love that you can see at this link (alas, I can't afford it):

https://www.raitmanart.com/collections/mario-jung

Here's mine, and it's pretty big - 36" x 24" - and I'm hoping now that it will actually fit in the space I intend to use it. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it causes me to practically FEEL what it's like to be at Taos Pueblo again. I also liked the rather O'Keeffeian (yes, that's now a word ;-)) quality, and there's something about it that makes me think a bit of WPA art.

I want it to go over this desk (although it may end up filling the wall, so we shall see):

Anyway - it was $76 and change, so how could I not!

I just love Not Our Cat! He's a special little guy indeed!

Oh my goodness, love that! Yes yes yes, reach out to your artists (or their estates) if possible ... it really does feel good to be connected further and on such a personal level to our beloved pieces. :)

Thank you, I missed you, too! ❤️

A favorite pastime of my husband and me, is going to art festivals, and buying local art. Most often, we buy prints. Even with a Florida condo, besides our home up north, we are rapidly running out of space. I couldn't part with most of the pictures, so I will have to find another obsession, I suppose!

Wait, Jinx, were you Missy before or something like that?

Yes, I was MizG. :)

Oh, and PLEASE DO share examples of your own art in this thread. Absolutely! I love to see what others love to see! :-)

Yes! Hello again MizG!

Hello! ❤️

Ha! Clearly I’m too involved in our pretend friendships because I totally remember the rug rendezvous! And I didn’t realize who you were until now, Jinx, so thanks for this clarification!

DH and I both love art and have spent far too much money on it. I have no nekkid walls left but we still love to poke around in galleries and occasionally find ourselves rearranging the house to squeeze in one more painting... we bought three paintings in Santa Fe last fall and I don’t think we can go back unless we buy a bigger house!

(The rug rendezvous ... heeheehee!)

Oh, Santa Fe is THE place for browsing (and buying, if at all possible)! What did you get there, Sue? Have you shared photos of those pieces and I just missed them?

I recently rehung pieces in our tiny powder room to create a gallery wall of sorts (thanks to ilikefriday's thread where she was in the process of creating one -- I was super inspired!), and I absolutely love it. So that was one good way of incorporating more works into one space, and although I wouldn't do that in every room, it seemed to work well in a tiny and otherwise sparsely-decorated room. I was wondering the other evening if I should extend the artwork around the room completely, as that would give me a few more spaces to fill (thus opening up opportunity to collect more!), but I worry that might be total overkill. It's tempting though!

I love art and have always loved it. I know exactly what I am looking for and have no problem passing up pieces that don't fit my specifications. It has taken years for me to be able to figure out what I like and focus solely on that. OTOH I will also purchase a piece that I plan to recreate into something else. I have a piece right now that I purchased from Goodwill. I am going to paint over it but until then it is hanging in my bedroom. It is not a piece that I like but it has a purpose and someday I will love it.

I don't have bundles of money to spend on art. I have always enjoyed creating pieces but I really got into it when I moved into my first place. I wanted to decorate my walls with big, bold pieces on a tiny budget. That process helped me to discover that I am not bad at it. Besides creating it myself, I am just as happy to have a piece from Goodwill or one that is mass-produced, as long as I connect with the work. But the creating part gives me a different level of satisfaction. It frees my mind.

Do you care more about other aspects of your decor?

Nope. I think that art is the single most important part of my decor. It dictates everything else. I love to look at real estate. I also love contemporary homes with lots of windows. If I won the lottery I would be in heaven with one of these homes but I often cross them off my list because they don't have enough wall space to hang art, not unless I am willing to hang it on the windows.

For me, I could take a house that is not ideal and create one of my dreams with art. I could never take a fabulous home and make it one of my dreams without art.

I love how you expressed all of that, Friday! You are one here that instantly comes to my mind whenever I think "ART", as what I've seen of your own collection is absolutely incredible, particularly your own creations which are fabulous works! It is very clear from what you've shared of your home that you do know exactly what you like, and you seem to have a real confidence in living with what you love. It's VERY inspirational. Very.

It's funny to me to stop and think about how my tastes have changed over the years, too. In the late 80s, my house was full-on Victoriana. Well, the house itself was a suburban tract home, but inside there were frills and flourishes and fussy features galore. I loved works such as this (in fact I had this piece, framed and hanging in my dining room - by a mauve ribbon, no less):

Looking back at it, I remember the "me" I was then, and hardly even recognize her.

Mostly due to various life/travel experiences, my tastes began to morph into something completely different by the early to mid-90s. Now, as most know, I collect Native American art, and one of my favorite painters is a young Potawotami artist who created the piece in this photo (not mine, but I do have several of his paintings), and I think if I could collect everything that Matt has ever painted, I would.

Artisan's Renaissance · More Info

Confidence in living with what you love.

It takes some time to figure out what you love and a thick skin to not care what other people think about your selections. Some people never figure it out and some simply don't care. It reminds me of a post a couple of years ago from a woman named Melissa????? She posted a question about kitchen cabinets with glass doors. She got a ton of responses about the quantity of stuff in her home. Then she started giving details about some of the items. Do you remember that post? Her dh made her kitchen table. He also made the cabinets. She had some huge statue by her front door that came from some far away place. Every single item had a story. She did not give one hoot that the masses thought her home was a mess. She only wanted to know about glass doors. She oozed confidence. I loved that post. She only filled her home with items she loved. I hope that I am just like that.

Oh, Sue. Those are fabulous! So wonderfully evocative and full of life! I can absolutely see why you chose them. Of course I love the goats and woven runner too! Who is the artist that did the first piece pictured?

The second one looks like the high road to Taos! Gorgeous!

Like Ida, I don't relate when folks on the other side ask what they should do with their big blank walls. I'm always like, "Ummm....art? (Was that a trick question?)"

Because I do not have that problem. Nor do I have a good balance of art and blank space. I'm approaching maximal art (and minimal blank wall). I bough three new pieces in December and then my daughter brought me back something from China. I had to take down other pieces to hang them, and now the other pieces need to go...somewhere.

I don't plan art purchases; it's all opportunistic as something catches my eye. I have lots of inexpensive pieces from the studio near my work. My most expensive pieces were under $1000. I seem to have an affinity for fish (5 pieces), stylistic female portraits and figures (7 pieces), and birds (especially ducks; 3 pieces), wood-block prints (no idea how many; lots), and bright colors.

LOL....I have two pieces that I have grown to love over the years, even though they both spent time stashed behind unused bedroom doors.....One was a gift from MIL, purchased at a local, small-town charity art auction. The other was a gift to MIL from FIL’s business partner, along with the admonishment that if his family comes looking for it, she did not know where it was. when he died, they DID call my BIL, and he told them he didn’t know.

Sue, that second painting that you posted, is spectacular!

I LOVE seeing others’ art.

Have to share this, since the Fort Worth Stock Show is going on here ....

My dad, 1949, age 7. My great-grands took him. He says he felt so fancy in his fringed jacket. :D When he was older, he rode in the Stock Show parades.

My fav piece of art, it’s on my breakfast room hutch. :) Love the Art Deco frame my grandmother put his picture in.

Jinx, that is absolutely wonderful! What a rip-roarin' CUTIE your Dad was in his little cowboy outfit! That's a treasure for sure! I have a photo taken of my father when he too was about 7 -- was probably 1945 or '46 -- he's in a straw hat and overalls, having just been fishing. There's something so very "early Andy Griffith" about the photo, and I just love it!

I just succumbed to the temptation of cheap art once more, and bought this one from an eBay seller. $15 plus $9 shipping. See, I'm getting cheaper and cheaper, aren't I? This rendering of three Navajo gazing in Monument Valley is VERY naive and imperfect and almost childlike, but somehow I found it irresistibly sweet.

I'll have to get a frame for it, but it will probably go in the powder room along with the other Navajo art (and where I have the "gallery wall" - although the latest piece may go on the wall that's behind the door, out of sight in this pic):

Again - not everyone's cup of tea, and understandably so. But these things speak to me, and so I cannot resist making a good number of them mine. ;-)

Ida that gallery wall looks fab.

I don't understand why more people don't use toddler art in decorated spaces. They are very creative, love to paint, and can produce a ton of original art in a short period of time. I understand that toddlers can be a handful and sometimes you just pray that they will fall asleep in their tracks. Moms and dads certainly don't need ANOTHER thing to do. But.... toddlers are seriously talented. I am convinced that their abstract pieces are just as good as those seen in galleries. Not only that, larger pieces of art are often out of reach because of the cost. If your child is creating it then it is not nearly as cost prohibitive. Canvas is cheap. So is mdf. I have toddler art all over my home. My kid is no longer a toddler but I kept all the art and it is fabulous. Years ago, I purchased several pieces of canvas and painted each one solid black. Then I glued the art on each canvas. I have a huge stash of it that I rotate around my home. At least 3 pieces are in my living room.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of hosting dinner and two of my guests were 3yo and 5yo sisters. They created a couple of pieces of masterpieces while they visited. It gave me the idea to maybe have the kids in my life create several black and white drawings and then have them matted and framed. I might do this and surround my staircase with a gallery of black and whites.

Anyway, I guess part of the issues with folks doing this is you have to have the vision to be able to look at something for what it could be, not what it is at this moment.

Ida Clare, I'd love visiting your home, you have such interestestingly wonderful tastes in art.

I have a variety here, and am no where near done finding art for my walls, although I have enough up that things aren't barren, either. I love a wide variety of styles, and things don't have to cost an arm and a leg (although I do have a couple of pricier pieces that Dad owned that I also love.)

I enjoy a variety of styles, and try not to have various pieces "fight" with each other, but then again I don't want a wall of "sameness" either.

I don't understand asking for suggestions for art for a spot, either - at least not in specifics. I have one place I want a summer/fire/orange-red composition, but I'm going to have to find that piece which works for ME - no one else is going to be able to find it for me. (They can recommend sites on- or off- line to look at, but that's as far as it goes.)

I also picked out my own rugs, no help wanted except for sizing.

They can also help me center or align artwork on walls - as long as they don't insist that it hangs at my personal navel height! I like most of it at (my) standing eye level since I'm living here.

But back to the topic - I believe that art is an expression of one's interests and loves - and at the same time, inherited pieces from loved ones also carry on that patina, as it were.

My most recent pieces I'll post here soon - unless I take them tomorrow to go get framed. I'm raising chickens, and I commissioned an artist to do pastels of three of them. Two are very small 4 " x 4" works which most likely will end up on the living room wall unit. I don't know where the larger (rooster) piece will go, not yet.

I have sort of ended up knowing what I want when I see it, although I'll focus on some styles to look for over others. The last picture that I've actually bought a and hung is a watercolor I ran into at a country fair. It hangs in the dining room over the sideboard. The frame came with it - and I spent about $120 for the whole thing. It's a watercolor with blues and a winter that's thinking about spring kind of feel.

Oh, love that, Ida!

I love that gallery wall!! And most SW art speaks to me...

I just posted a somewhat lengthy comment here -- and in another thread -- and when I hit submit, they both disappeared into thin air. Stupid site. So I'll try again ...

Thank you, Friday, Artemis and Jinx, for the kind words!

Artemis, I can't wait to see your chicken art, as it sounds absolutely wonderful!

Friday, you are so right about "toddler art"! It's fantastic -- creative and unique -- and I too have to wonder why people don't use it more in their homes. Aside from the sweet little things that are often displayed for a time on the fridge, that is. Do you suppose that most folks just feel that ART must be either created by someone who is known to be an honest-to-goodness "artist", or else mass produced? If that is how most think, it's a real shame that kid art is undervalued and underused!

This is one of my favorite works of art, made by my nephew when he was in kindergarten. It's just construction paper, paste, and paint, but isn't it adorable? Well, I think so. To me, it's FOLK ART, and is every bit as "good" as other works I've seen in that genre. When I saw he'd created this, I begged him to let me have it for my art collection, and he reluctantly agreed. Once he saw it framed and displayed, he was proud. It currently resides in our library bookcase, and it makes me happy each time I see it.

Ida, it is indeed a work of art. I love it. I think it is fabulous that you are able to display it as part of your collection and were thoughtful enough to frame it just as you would other pieces of art.

I think people don't use toddler art because parents of kids that age might not have the time or energy to pause and look at the magnificence of their work. I think a lot of parents see scribble and likely trash all but a couple of pieces that are destined for the refrigerator door and ultimately the dumpster.

When my kid was 5, I got a piece of mdf and painted it white. Then I gave him three colors of paint and 10 min. I told him to make a painting of the family. He did and it turned out looking more like scribble than family. He called it "Hair". That is the beauty of art at this age. I think it is fabulous.

In this photo, there are two pieces of toddler art. "Hair" is the large piece on the left, behind the sofa. On the fireplace wall, in the same corner, there are three pieces of art. The bottom piece is toddler art glued to black canvas.

My Houzz · More Info

Houzz just ate a post, probably for having too many pictures.

Here's on by an 8-year-old (done at an art-themed birthday party) that hangs in my living room.

Here are some of my birds.

The new one (hand-colored wood block print)

@cawaps That is just as stunning as pieces I have seen in galleries!

My ladies.

@cawaps

I am completely drawn to those women. The sculpture is amazing!

My fish

Friday and cawaps -- WOW! "Hair" and the birthday-party-created piece are so very wonderful! I'm really glad you've framed and displayed these beauties -- they both do rival anything available in galleries, and how special they are, being created by little ones! I am truly impressed!

Cawaps, your birds are incredibly gorgeous! I love how each piece is so unique. I just love them all!

And my new giraffe.

I’ve posted my art many times so I won’t bore you. I have just received my new mixed media nude and like it a lot. Although I really like nudes some are just too graphic. This is a small original and so I think will not be offensive.

You all have amazing art! I love it all!

Here's the photo of my dad I mentioned.

And here's a cheap little watercolor that makes me smile, but I don't have it displayed. I need to find a place. That donkey butt!

Oh, your dad! How cute is he! 🥰

Great donkey butt, too. 😆

Love looking at everyone's art! We love western art and here are a couple of my favorite western pictures done in "chalk". The artist met some cowboys that were connected with Lonesome Dove movie to my recollection. I have found her on FB and told her that I have her wonderful pieces. I need to put non glare glass on these, so hard to take a photo without the glare.

I'm not inclined to put art on the wall just to decorate. I prefer to live with objects that have meaning to me.

When I was in college, I saw drawings by a local artist and fell in love. A year later when I got a job in my field, I tracked down the artist. She she still had 3 40" x 60" pieces from the exhibit. This is Witch Tree VIII. The materials are paper, lead, tobacco juice and vermillion, which are traditional gifts to the tree. The image is what Hazel saw lying one her back and looking up through Manidoo-giizhikens (aka Witch Tree, Little Cedar Spirit Tree). I'm fortunate to know a framer who is excellent in framing to enhance the art. It hangs in my dining room.

Here's a link to a local TV new story on the tree. Finding MN - WCCO about the tree.

Love all the art! Here’s my only western piece and the only one worth anything, the artist, Bill Atkins, was childhood friends with my husband’s aunt, and all the kids in DH’s family have one of his originals.

Here are a of my favs, thrift shop finds, all.

I am totally having an art overload problem. I think ideally I would have some on-site storage where I could rotate stuff, and a system like maybe art/picture hanging rails and shelves for 3D pieces. My old landlady had a huge basement and was able to do that, she could "redecorate" every couple of months from shopping her basement. It wasn't overloaded, just tweaks, very fun. My current home is storage challenged, so not possible here. A great thing for folks who get the urge to redecorate often, but easier on the wallet and planet that throwing things out all the time.