Art | It's Great To Be Home

Quivering For Art

August 6, 2009 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 3 Comments

It’s always fun to get a sneak peek into what other people think about you – which is exactly what this quiz from ArtQuiver is designed to do.

Basically, this art website, which specializes making original artwork available to the public, analyzes your responses to a variety of question to determine the artwork that you should be drawn to – your “unique artistic taste profile.”

When I first ran across this quiz on Decorology, I was totally intrigued and had to give it a whirl. The quiz consists of a series of paintings which you are asked to rate on a 5-star system – after you’ve rated a slew of paintings, the computer starts rating the paintings for you, and then ultimately provides you with a huge list of original artwork that is supposed to float your boat.

Here’s what ArtQuiver thinks I should like:

While there are definitely some questionable recommendations (man in cowboy hat?), I would say that about half of these paintings are ones that I would actually enjoy looking at every day. Whether I’d be willing to pay hundreds (or thousands) of dollars for artwork picked by a computer is another question, but it’s fun nonetheless.

Take the quiz for yourself right here. How’d they do?

The MADI

July 24, 2009 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 5 Comments

Everybody loves a great party, and the engagement party that I went to last weekend was certainly no exception. Not only was the party for one of my favorite couples (love ya, Jen & Kyle!!), but the location for the bash was a fabulous art museum. Gorgeous eye candy while I celebrate my friends? Sign me up!!

Here are a few of us frolicking amongst the art – and yes, we always stand according to height. Always.

This awesome event was held at The MADI Museum in the trendy Uptown area of Dallas. MADI (pronounced mah-dee) is an avart-garde movement founded in Argentina in the 1940s – the art is reminiscent of Cubism with oodles of geometric shapes in bright colors (my fave!). You’ll notice that much of the art is whimsical and modern, which is especially interesting since a law firm shares space with this unique museum – and the firm’s founder, Bill Masterson, actually created the museum.

The facade of the museum currently boasts the famed Arcadia sign, salvaged from the Arcadia Theater on Lower Greenville when it burned in June of 2006 by the Belmont Neighborhood Association.

Kilgore & Kilgore, the law firm that offices in the same building as The MADI, purchased and installed the Arcadia sign on the facade of the building and had it rededicated in March of 2007. Prior to that time, the building looked like this:

Isn’t it magnificent? Take a peek inside this totally unique museum:

This piece is my favorite, and I think it’s actually something that you could duplicate at home by drilling tiny holes in wooden blocks and hanging them from fishing line. Wouldn’t this be an amazing mobile in a child’s room, or in a recessed niche? The shadows it creates are phenomenal.

These paintings below are just stunning – to me, they almost look like textiles.

And random, I know, but I had to point out the eco-friendly (and stylish!) plates used by the lovely hostess – love’em! You can check out the full line here.

So there’s your sneak peek inside a fabulous museum (and an equally fab engagement party!). I love that this party was in a completely unique setting, one that totally reflects my friend’s personality and love of all things bold and graphic. Cheers to the happy couple!!

Fab Art On The Cheap

July 7, 2009 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 6 Comments

There’s probably nothing more daunting than buying a piece of art. I mean, what if you don’t like it in a few years? What if you want to change your decor and all of a sudden that awesome piece of art clashes with everything? What if you don’t want to make a huge investment? What if you want a piece that’s original and totally unique, maybe even one-of-a-kind? That kind of swag is out of the budget.

Or is it?

Check out these gorgeous, unique pieces of art:

Are you swooning as much as I am? (I know, my love of everything bold, colorful and abstract runs deep). Well, hold on to your socks, ladies and gents, cause they’re about to be knocked off – most of this artwork is $20 or less. I know, I kinda think they’re lying, too.

ImageKind and 20 x 200 are sites which operate under many of the same principles as Etsy – namely, these sites allow artists to sell their art directly to you. This way, you get some pretty awesome art from up-and-coming artists for an absolute steal. Now you can switch up your artwork with the season or your mood, or take a risk on a piece of art that you wouldn’t normally buy, without worrying about breaking the bank!!

Know of any other great sites where you can find affordable artwork from new artists? Spill the beans!

Images courtesy of ImageKind and 20 x 200. These sites were originally found here.