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on the hunt for good art

Basics: Where to look for art?

May 8th, 2010 · 5 Comments

We have a tendency in the blogosphere to get so caught up in uncovering the latest and greatest that we sometimes fail to adequately address the fundamentals. In the spirit of avoiding this pitfall, I’m going back to the basics in this post, specifically addressing the question of where to look for art.

There is both good and bad news when it comes to looking for art. The bad news is that there is no catch-all marketplace, no amazon.com or itunes. (You can argue this is actually a good thing, too.) Instead the art market is extremely fragmented and most art purveyors, both online and brick-and-mortar, have little visibility beyond their immediate community. Plus, because not everyone is interested in art, you can’t simply ask your neighbors where they bought their art (unless you have really cool, artsy neighbors!). Therefore, finding good resources on art can be difficult and time-consuming. The good news is that there is no lack of amazing resources on art for you to tap into. The hurdle is simply knowing where to look.

I’ve compiled my best resources for researching and buying art by category:

1. Online marketplaces

Etsy alone has 10,000’s of listings under ‘Art.’ Online marketplaces offer tons of options and bookmarking, browsing friends’ favorites and other tools can help make the sorting process manageable.

Etsy, Big Cartel, papernstitch, Poppytalk Handmade, Renegade Handmade, Supermarket, 1000 markets.

2. Online galleries

Some of these are dedicated online galleries, meaning they don’t have a dedicated physical space, and others are brick and mortar galleries that also sell their art through their websites.

the beholder, Circuit Gallery, The Enormous Tiny Art Show, Giant Robot, Junc Gallery, LeBasse Projects, Magic Pony, Sebastian Foster, The Shiny Squirrel, Soma Gallery, Thinkspace, Walker Contemporary.

3. Art blogs

art milk, Art Splash, BOOOOOOOM, brown paper bag, dear ada, dept of one, design for mankind, Fecal Face, Jealous Curator, My Love For You, Share Some Candy.

4. Online print shops

Art Muse, Charmingwall, Keep Calm Gallery, Little Paper Planes, NucleusPrint Society, Tiny Showcase, The Working Proof, 20 x 200.

5. Local galleries & bookstores

These are some of my favorites in my home turf, New York City.

Bookstores: Kinokuniya Bookstore, powerHouse Books, Zakka Corp.

Galleries: Cinders Gallery, The Hogar Collection, Jonathan LeVine, Joshua Liner.

6. Art fairs

Although art fairs can be overwhelming with the sheer amount of art on view, attending one is a fantastic way to see what’s out there and hone in on what you like.

Affordable Art Fair NYC, Next Art Fair, Pulse Contemporary Art Fair, Scope Art Show.

7. Decorating blogs

Apartment Therapy, decor8, Design Sponge, desire to inspire, Lonny, sfgirlbybay.

8. Arty magazines

Blanket, Juxtapoz, N.E.E.T., PaperMag, Readymade.

9: Artist communities

flickr, Society 6, Spraygraphic.

Picks of the Week: From West Coast Handmade Market, buyolympia.com

March 21st, 2010 · 2 Comments

I want to share a great online market I recently discovered called buyolympia.com. The Portland, OR-based handmade market started in 1999 to help local PNW artists sell their wares online. This week’s picks are all from buyolympia.com, which sells cards, prints, books, t-shirts, home and personal accessories and the occasional original piece of art. Enjoy!

New Stuff from Wall Graphic Innovator, BLIK

March 1st, 2010 · No Comments

Wall decals can be a fantastic substitute for hanging art or paint. For starters, they’re cheap and quick to install, and can be removed in a flash if you get sick of the design or end up moving. What’s also great about wall decals is how fun and colorful they are. They can make even a dead-white wall come to life.

It’d been a while since I had checked out BLIK, the Venice, CA design company that has led the pack in removable wall graphics and was blown away by all the awesome new merch. BLIK has partnered with art accessories shop, Third Drawer Down, and the ever-popular t-shirt company, Threadless. Their newly expanded offerings include work by many great artists and designers including Art Hound fav’s Saelee Oh, Camilla Engman and Amy Ruppel.

Below are some of my favorites from BLIK.

Who says it’s only art if it hangs on a wall?

October 19th, 2009 · No Comments

laptop skin_juliapott

There is a movement in the art world of artists spurning the idea of art-as-sacred-object and redefining art by way of unexpected application. Many of these artists are turning everyday objects, as mundane as magnets and tea towels, into art that is innovative, authentic and practical.

As the public also questions the elitist notion of art-as-institution, it will discover the rich market of low-brow art* that these talented but disenfranchised artists have taken to.

So, in the spirit of promoting art in all it’s glorious forms, I’m highlighting artists whose work can be downloaded as desktop wallpaper/skins (mostly for free). Why not make our computers are little more expressive? Plus, when art is free, it’s practically a crime to say no.

Wallpapers and skins:

Kitsune Noir

Zookimono.

Tiel at tsktsk

* Art with strong street or folk influences. Art in alternative media (e.g. art as magnets, tea towels, handmade cards, notebooks, desktop wallpaper, ceramics, and so on…)