My Heart for Art: Bookshelf Art
Jennifer Mejia
via Amber Interiors
via Amber Interiors
My love of art is not limited to just walls. Art can go anywhere. Resting on tables. On shelves. Even on kitchen countertops. It can beautify any space. In fact, I think art becomes even more wonderful when displayed in the most unexpected places.
When we purchased our old dilapidated home, we did so because it had good bones. Lots of beautiful wainscoting, windows with intricate wood mullions, original pocket doors into the formal living room, and built-in bookshelves that we could decorate to really add life to the family room. Those bookshelves are now filled with favorite coffee table books, accessories, and a few of my favorite pieces of art.
But I have to admit that I have somewhat of a mental block when it comes to actually paying for art that is so accessible to everyone who enters my home. Something about that accessibility invites people to touch it, primarily my kids. So for me personally, it needs to be framed or be reasonably priced in case the wrong person develops a temporary obsession at the wrong time.
Here are a few of my favorite artists, and they happen to make art that is perfect for display on or off walls!
Lindsey Meyer has beautiful acrylic on paper pieces that are framed in lucite with a brass base. This one is available at Well & Wonder Artist Collective. It's the last one remaining, but check back frequently, as Well & Wonder's artists are always sending in new work.
Lindsey Meyer, Peppermint, 4x6
Jenn Thatcher is also a favorite artist I discovered through Well & Wonder, but these two pieces happen to be available on her site directly. The first is original art on paper framed in acrylic. The second is a print of a Texas Longhorn. And I have a special place in my heart for "Longy the Longhorn," as when Houston was devastated by the hurricane, Jenn donated all of the proceeds from the sale of these prints over the course of a few days to charities helping those in need.
Jenn Thatcher, Longy the Longhorn, 4x6
Emily Jeffords is probably my most collected artist. I think I now own six of her pieces! Five of them are original art, but the last piece I purchased was a print on canvas, and boy was I impressed! The quality of her prints is so magnificent that you have to look very closely to see that it's not an original painting. Most are on canvas or heavy watercolor paper. Emily's prints are perfect because of their beauty, first and foremost. But their price point can't be beat, and Emily also provides a framing option and chooses the most wonderful frames (sometimes vintage) to showcase her work. Here is one of my favorites from her Paint Palette Collection. She also paints the most stunning landscapes if you like the inspiration shelves pictured at top of this post.
That's Emily's (original) work on the second shelf in our home. That's also her original cyanotype botanical hanging on the wall!
And finally, an artist I'm so happy I recently discovered, Whitney Stoddard. She was featured in my Black and White Art blog post, and for good reason--her art looks magnificent no matter where you place it in your home. Take a look at these vignettes and how her art, whether in acrylic or in a traditional frame, adds an unexpected but very welcome twist to each space. Her smaller pieces are perfect to add interest to any bookshelf or even a bar cart! Whitney's art can be found on her site and Well & Wonder...are you seeing a theme here with Well & Wonder?
via Whitney Stoddard
via Whitney Stoddard
via Whitney Stoddard
Art really can liven up any space. I used to hem and haw and think, "Where in the world will I put it?" when I saw a smaller piece of art. No longer. In fact, these are some of my favorite pieces because they can be moved around so easily to make an old space feel new again.