I was recently talking to a friend about interiors, décor and collections. She mentioned that she loved to collect instruments that have been converted into table lamps. I said my ‘thing’ is art and crucifixes. That if I had an unlimited budget I would buy art and more artistic crucifixes. Basically, for the love of art.
Diversity of Art
Art is so diverse and interesting. The best art tells a story, and/or provokes a strong emotional reaction. My art collection isn’t huge, but it is hugely personal. I have a piece of art depicting a favela that I bought while I was in Rio. My first piece is called ‘Shadow lady’, an oil painting of a woman looking out reflectively. Sometimes I buy prints of pieces of love from artists I could never afford such as Tamara De Lempicka. And I try to include art in all my furniture sets.
The best way to grow your appreciation of art is to attend galleries and art exhibitions. Visit not only large organizations such as the National Gallery of Victoria but also local studios. Blue Thumb recently hosted an exhibition which I attended as part of Melbourne Design Week.
Exploring colour, space, emotions
This exhibition was exploring the connection between colour, space and emotions. The artist, Ellen McKenna, paints coloured shapes on canvas using acrylic. I had a great chat with her about her process and inspiration.
For the exhibition there were three rooms where one range of her artwork was very colourful. Full of happy colours such as red and yellow. One room featured the calming colour blue. The third room showcased paintings in the positive and warm colour coral.
What I observed walking through the different rooms was my reaction. The red and yellow paintings were too busy and loud for me. The blue was a little too monochrome and moody. However, the coral paintings, although also monochrome, were a lot more calming.
The exhibition aimed to explore the connection between colour, emotions and space. I think it achieved that. At the end of the day, I attended purely for the love of art. I’ll leave you with one piece of advice on how to buy art – buy what you love.
