confessions of a soon-to-be-star of TLC hoarders

1.  rhythm in the abstract by claudette lee-roseland

2.  holding his head by jain mckay

3.  unemployment by fabio coruzzi

4.  heinz tomato ketchup by vincent bernier

5.  drinkers by john murray

6.  boer by aleksander garin

7.  native american cat dolls by tomoe nakamura

i'm a spender.  to me, money is only as worthwhile as the things you spend it on.  that isn't to say i don't see value in saving money-- money saved is, in a way, still money spent.  an untouchable savings account, to me, equates to spending one's money on one's own security-- a safety net is still something you have to buy in a sense.

i am, however, the type to feel money burning a hole in my pocket, which is a trait that i think has contributed to my love of collecting things.  i collect, art, antiques, souvenir spoons, and i'm doing my best to collect wine instead of drinking the good vintages right away.  i think the blogging community is a common place for the collecting type, since having a blog creates a curated aesthetic of sorts.

i also am one to enjoy a personal history more than a general one.  i'd prefer a historical memoir over a history book.  i'd prefer a walk in a cemetery over a historical museum exhibit.  i'd prefer watching antiques roadshow to a historical documentary.  i enjoy hearing about the personal experiences that become attached to moments in time, especially when those moments in time have a general intrigue.

all of this makes me fascinated by objects of age, or objects that one keeps with a certain level of permanence.  lately, i've been looking for a nwe piece of art for my collection.  either a small one for over our tv or a larger one for the dining area...  which do you like best?

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for the love of art

100 years ago - peter doig

if i could only visit one museum whenever i return to paris, i think i would pick the pompidou centre.  this is mainly because the last time i was there i spent so much time staring at the above painting that i pretty much missed the rest of the museum's incredible collection. (the original is huge if that helps your perspective).

i am a total art museum geek, and i've been extremely fortunate to have a family that has shared this love with me.   more recently, i've had the pleasure of beginning to collect fine art which has been a really amazing experience so far.

anyone with a basic understanding of this goofy town of ours, ann arbor, should be able to mention the following:

the university

whichever football player is currently flavor of the month

zingerman's

and finally...

the ann arbor art fair

unfortunately, my office is situated about 500 feet from the state street art fair, which means the commute to work was eight shades of no.  the middle aged ladies hunting for knick knacks have officially taken over until next week.  though this means nothing good for my strong desire to run over pedestrians small road rage issue, it has gotten me in the artistic spirit!  with this in mind i thought i'd share with you art buffs my all time favorite artists, whose work i highly recommend you explore!

peter doig

ben shahn

marc chagall

cy twombly

jim dine

honorable mentions: amy sillman, alexandra wiesenfeld, christopher pekoc, and mary frank.

one of my favorite things about collecting art, and doing blog posts like this, is the pattern you see emerge based on the things that, as a viewer, you find attractive.  

who are some of your favorite artists?

PSST don't forget to enter my giveaway before next wednesday!!

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cool alert: david parise's vintage barbie and ken photography

now that steve and i are officially going to be moving in together, it is difficult for me to describe the immensity of my decorating urges.  for now i have been able to resist buying every jamie young lamp and caitlin wilson throw pillow, but once we actually get used to the space all bets are off.

a few of my more loyal readers might remember when i walked you through my little baby collection of fine art.  well yesterday i found an artist whose work i cannot wait to add to my collection.  david parise is a photographer whose vintage barbie and ken prints are adorably humorous and wonderfully creative.

i think i'll have the willpower to wait until we actually move (we will definitely have less wall space than my current place, which means i may not have the room for additional wall art) but if we have the room for barbie and ken i am going to have some tough decision making to do. look at how many amazing shots he has:

check out david parise's portfolio and shop here!

have a lovely hump day!

a look at my collection

i was off the grid this weekend up north with steve and his roommates, and since i didn't manage to post on friday last week before we left, i'll make it up to you with a double post monday.  a little over a year ago i purchased a signed triptych from shepard fairey's website after watching and rewatching and rewatching banksy's exit through the gift shop.  

since, i have decided to branch in to the extremely silly since i am not independently wealthy even a little bit world of art collecting.  i think wall art is an awesome way to really put your personal style into the space where you live.  i really love the pieces i've found so far and can't wait to find more to suit my collection.  more information on the artists is provided in the links at the bottom. (excuse crappy iphone photo quality).

obey andre the giant triptych (hand signed lithograph) - shepard fairy // a quiet place (hand signed print) - kai samuels-davis // nudes, multiple (original oil painting on hardboard) - jake vogds // two men and a guitar (hand signed limited edition giclee) - peter doig // precious time (hand signed limited edition serigraph) - zamy steynovitz