Affordable Art – Part IV – Art I Buy
Pencil Holders
By Paula McCullough
Pencil Holders
One of my goals when I decluttered my house earlier this year was to only keep things that I loved. I believe things definitely have an energy and keeping things about that drain that energy is not something I want to do anymore.
I am working on this down to the smallest detail. I used to keep my pencils in old coffee mugs that I never really liked but someone gave them to me. They were functional but ugly. Definitely not things I wanted to keep around but my pencils needed to go somewhere.
So along came Paula McCullough thinking she also should make some smaller affordable art and she made pencil holders from an old piece of gutter (details here). I immediately fell in love with them and bought two. I smile every time I see them sitting on my desk.
Yesterday I decided I wanted more so I bought the remaining 9 in the limited edition to use in my house and maybe give as gifts (if I can bare to part with them).
My original plan was to blog about them so others could share in their beauty and buy one also – er – oops. Guess you will have to purchase one of her amazing clocks instead since these are sold out. Check them out at Paula’s Etsy Store. Some day I’ll own some of these also because the white plastic cheap things from Target aren’t the energy I want in my house.
Pint Sized Mugs
By Cynthia Guajardo
Mugs
So I just mentioned the ugly coffee mugs. They had to get out of the kitchen also. I don’t drink coffee but I do drink peppermint tea and it tastes much better out of my brand new mugs by Cynthia. I stopped by her potters guild sale a few weeks back and bought these and a few other items that are currently packed away until the builders are out.
I keep one at the office and one at home and when my house is complete Cynthia and I are going to work out a trade so I can get more in exchange for one of my small textile paintings. Yay!
Cynthia also has an etsy store and I hear she will soon be stocking it with new work. Cynthia’s Etsy Store.
More Affordable Art
Art doesn’t have to be large to make a home beautiful. I think small details like these pieces of functional art can have a big impact on the energy of a home.
I also buy small art that has no purpose than to make my house beautiful, such as the ACEO I bought from Tina Mammoser a while back. It’s currently sitting in front of my modems on my desk top and adds touch of color to my world. She also sells her work online: Tina’s Etsy Store.
I’ve got a small but growing collection of this small art (most of it in storage awaiting the house to be completed) and am looking forward to adding to it. Buying art is always my favorite purchase.
Black Friday
Here in the US it’s Black Friday, the day everyone heads to the stores to start their christmas shopping. If you are like me and don’t feel like fighting the crowds you buy art as gifts online instead. Check out these artists that came together to provide you with a variety of art to choose from:
Small Art Showcase
Fine Art Department
And, of course, you are always welcome to purchase some of my artwork – see my page of small art for sale.
Posted by Lisa in: art business
Tagged: affordable art, Art for Sale, buying art, Etsy, shopping
hey lisa, thanks for writing about these. I love that you went crazy and bought more. what a wonderful surprise! I agree with what you say about the energy of things we surround ourselves with. I’m flattered and honored that you consider these holders, as well as my clocks worthy of being in your new space.
I agree with you completely too about buying art online. While I’m not yet in a position to be buying things, over the last few months I’ve come to know other artists better and look forward to the day I can buy works from them (and you!). There are so many fantastic people out there and by dint of their blogs I’ve gotten to know who they are which in turn makes me understand and love their art. I would have never met them or seen their work otherwise. the internet it AMAZING when you think about how it connects us artists. I never knew artists were so wonderful!!!
thanks again lisa!!
Thanks for mentioning my little paintings, and I’m equally excited about receiving my Lisa Call originals! :D (just paid the customs duty online so should have them in hand soon!)
I too collect small work by lots of different artists. A few I’ve “met” online and admired, a few local emerging artists I’ve known a while, plus I get a little impulsive once in a while when something just strikes my fancy. I have a growing new collection (I had to sell most of my previous collection some years ago) and look forward to when I have my own place for them to settle into.
Actually, I’m really glad you’ve mentioned some ceramicists. I just love ceramics so love seeing clay-people promoted. :)
The coffee mugs struck a chord. I have a beautiful hand-painted one from Portugal that a dear college roommate gave me. Unfortunately, it developed a leaky crack, but it and the memory of that roommate were too beautiful to discard. It became my pen holder and 30 years later it still sits on my desk and gives me pleasure.
Some of the mugs in my kitchen cupboard, however, do not anymore. In the last few years I’ve bought some that had special meaning to me, and started designating specific mugs for specific days of the week. Tuesday and Thursday are undesignated so I choose from a hodgepodge of mugs I’ve been packing around with me for as long as 20 years. Only recently did I admit to myself that a few of the humorous ones given to me at a different time of my life no longer amuse me; in fact, they darn right irritate me! So I plan to replace them soon with handcrafted ones like you show above as finances permit. And those other ones will go to Goodwill! Negative vibes we do not need…
Hi Lisa,
After reading this post I was reminded of two mugs given to me by my friend Gayle. She gave me a bunch of “rejects” from her pottery pile that I intend to use in mosaic work…someday. I could not, however, think of busting up the mugs. They can’t be used for beverages but certainly they must have another use. Your post caused the light bulb to go off.
Pencil mugs! Yesterday I emptied the boring square plastic pencil holders and replaced them with Gayle’s mugs. That corner of my desk definitely looks cheerier. Thanks for the light bulb moment.
-Amy