When it comes to selecting pieces of art that reflect your home’s personality, energy, and sensibility, there are a myriad of options to consider. If you are just embarking on the journey of choosing art for your home or are looking for more inspiration on decorating with art, we at Marcus Ashley Gallery are here to help!
Some of the most popular artworks for decorating interiors include original oil paintings, pastel drawings, watercolor paintings, giclee prints, lithographs, serigraphs, photography, and sculpture. Let’s look at some types of art and types of collections to consider while exploring some of the different artists and their techniques in our collection below.
Original Paintings
Original paintings are a special addition to any art collection and are one-of-a-kind. Limited edition prints of those originals are often available and at a more moderate price point, making them a great place to start for aspiring collectors.
There are a wide variety of painting techniques used in original paintings — some of the most popular options are oil paintings, acrylic paintings, pastel paintings, watercolor paintings, and mixed media works utilizing multiple painting or drawing media. Knowing the basic processes used in creating original paintings can help you when planning how to choose art for your home.
Oil paint is a slow drying medium and can be used to create wonderful textural effects, and the history of art can be told through this medium since it is one of the most iconic, and withstanding, art mediums in the world. It produces rich colors and is a timeless medium that contemporary artists like Michael Flohr and Mario Jung, Todd White, and Alexander Volkov continue to explore the possibilities of, with some artists pioneering new, experimental techniques such as Rolinda Stotts’ Bella Rotta works.
Painting with acrylics also yields vibrant works of art. These paints are fast drying and long-lasting. Pablo Picasso and Jean-Michel Basquiat are famous painters who used acrylics during their lives. We love to see when contemporary artists take acrylics to the next level, experimenting with this medium and painting surfaces to great effect as seen in the playful works of 2Wild, Steve Barton, and Maya Evantov.
Drawing with pastels and painting with watercolors are other techniques known for softer tones and colors, such as the works we know and love from Mary Cassat and Claude Monet. However, both mediums welcome a world of experimentation and “breaking the rules” with bolder colors and unexpected applications. Many artists of the 20th and 21st centuries took these mediums even further with experimental techniques, seen in the painterly pastels of Mackenzie Thorpe and the photoreal watercolors of Eric Christensen.
Modern-day artists use a range of these techniques (or a mix of all of them in mixed media) to create memorable works that will be welcome additions to any wall in your home or office.
Reproduction Prints
In order to produce more than one painting from a single artwork, artists have been using printing techniques for centuries to make copies of an original piece of artwork. Often, artists will do a limited number of these pieces, hand-numbering and signing them for their collectors to easily obtain limited edition, but premium quality, reproductions of the original artwork.
At Marcus Ashley Gallery, the artists we represent largely all offer limited editions in this way, providing a valuable destination for those seeking masterpieces by renowned artists Michael Parkes, Fabio Napoleoni, and Charles Pabst, for example.
Buying reproduction prints in limited edition or even open edition adds beauty to any collection when considering how to choose art for your home.
Additional Styles and Media for Art Collections
Fine art photography continues to be a sophisticated choice for decorating with art, particularly when you consider adding landscape photography by artists such as Jon Paul. These act like veritable windows to the outside world without you leaving home and such photography is known for instilling a calming, serene mood to interior spaces.
Sculpture adds a different kind of presence to a space, quite literally! Artists have been working with sculptural techniques since prehistoric times, and the ways in which humans have learned to shape something from natural or synthetic materials continue to evolve. Our collection tells an intriguing story about the evolution of sculpture: featuring a range of artists from Michelangelo, to 20th and 21st-century figurative pieces by Michael Parkes and Boris Kramer, wind sculptures by Lyman Whitaker, or bronze animal sculptures by Loet Vanderveen, to the innovative cold-glass optical sculptures by Jack Storms.
Curating An At-Home Art Collection
– Patinated Bronze Sculpture
Fine art collections are exciting and alluring additions to any home. When curating your own art collection, consulting expertly trained art consultants can be a fun and educational way to enrich your experience as you build your own collection. Expert recommendations can help to focus the collection and give your collection a greater sense of scope and depth.
Planning the size of a collection is an essential element in determining how to choose art for your home. If you are beginning a collection from scratch or adding fine art pieces to an existing collection, making art purchases should be thought out.
Setting the aesthetic goals for a collection is also important. Will there be limitations to what media or subjects are included in the collection? Will the overall feel of the collection be contemporary, eclectic, traditional, or vintage? Is creating a beautiful, cohesive, or eclectic display of pieces the ultimate goal of decorating with art? It is also essential to determine where the art collection will be displayed — home, office, or another space.
Adding To Your Art Collection
Original Acrylic and Mixed Media on Panel
Collecting art can be rewarding, uplifting, and inspiring. Expanding your art collection will not only increase the volume of your collection, but also your overall knowledge of art, artists, and the art world. Visiting galleries is the best way to gain inspiration for your next piece, and we are happy to host unique events at our South Lake Tahoe gallery, where you can meet the artists, see their techniques in action, and enjoy the ambiance.
As your walls or space fills up with pieces to make up your collection, there will be additional considerations in how to choose art for your home. Perhaps you will want to focus on a certain artist that will be instrumental in rounding out your collection or a special artwork that will enhance the collection.
Enhance your art collection piece by piece over time to create a remarkable addition to your home or office that will last for decades. Questions on how to get started? Get in touch with us today at +1 530 544-4278 or contact us online.
