Art in the Home

About two months ago, my in-laws came out to visit. My mother-in-law brought a selection of family photos with her, to see who in the family my son most resembles. While we were flipping through her pictures, this one caught my eye:

It's a photo of David's Great-Uncle Renee and his wife in France. I was absolutely entranced by it. It looked more like art to me than just a snapshot, and the longer I spent looking at it, the more things I noticed. Isn't that the most wonderful thing about art? I scanned the photo so that I could frame a print.

I hung it next to our piano as both a piece of art and a piece of family history. This photograph made me consider my perspective on art in the rest of our home. I think it is one of the easiest ways to make a house feel comfortable and lived in, and there are so many ways, at various price points, to bring art into your home.

People tend to think of art as expensive, first and foremost. To be fair, we have some expensive pieces of art in our home. The center painting in this vignette in our living room was an original oil painting we bought at an art show.

This extra-large print above our bed was moderately expensive, and required a custom frame because of it's odd size.

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This amazing stained glass was a custom piece my father had made for me as a Christmas gift. It hangs in my kitchen window so that I can see it every day.

I believe that if a piece of art really speaks to you (and you have the means), it is absolutely worth it to spend some money on it. Not only are you bringing something into your home that makes you happy every time you see it, you are supporting artists. So worth it!

If, however, you don't have tons of money to spend on original or limited-edition art, there are so many more ways to bring it into your home! I am an amateur artist, so there are a bunch of pieces around our house that I have done myself.

This is an old piece I did in high school:

To the left of that expensive oil painting in our living room is a watercolor I did:

There's a quick painting of our dog I did a couple of years ago over the dog food bowls:

And just the other day I did this Frida Kahlo inspired painting in a few hours to brighten up the powder room:

If you're not an artist, don't worry! There are tons of less expensive options for the less artistic among us too. Check Etsy for inexpensive prints you love, like these I found for our guest bathroom:

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This little girl on a ladder is an inexpensive print I found at a local art show. Look for art shows in your area. Even if you can't afford the original art on display, many of the artists offer prints of their work for much lower prices.

If all you can afford is a frame, don't worry! There is also a bunch of stuff around our house that was free! This piece was the cover of a program from when David and I went to the opera for my birthday:

Here's a map we picked up for free at the airport when we took a trip to Ireland several years ago. We absolutely loved the country, so I framed the map and hung it in our office.

The office also houses this fun poster that we got from David's Grandma's house after she passed:

And this small piece, which is one of my favorite pieces of art in our entire home, was printed on a CD pamphlet, so I just cut it out and framed it. The track list from the CD is printed on the back!

Take a look around your home and see if there's anything you love that you could stick in a frame and hang up on your wall. Here are a few options you might not have considered:

- Magazine pages
- Wrapping paper
- Scrapbook paper
- Calendar pages
- Fabric
- Pages from a coffee table book
- Recipes
- Program covers
- Sheet music

Use your imagination! And, if you do have the means, consider supporting your local artists. You're sure to walk away with a one-of-a-kind piece.

I'll be back with a post about how choosing the right frame can take your art to the next level!