Last weekend was great at Casa DeCocco.  The days are getting longer, the sun was out in full force and temps were in the 60's.  I spent a little time in the garden!  In February!

My favorite accomplishment was getting some new artwork framed and up on the walls.  I'd rather have new art than new furniture, any day. What you put on your shelves and hang on your walls makes it your home.  And it has nothing to do with provenance or monetary value.  Wait, I take that back.  Provenance is everything.  Where you got it, who created it and why you display it tells the story of your life.

The endless supply of original art that kids bring home from school is a favorite source.  Grandboy did this one.  Obviously in the style of Picasso, in his cubist period (his art teacher is brilliant--exploring all the greats).  For DIY framing, I buy the needed materials at Michael's--on sale or with a coupon, of course!

This is where I hung it - at the top of the stairs.  When you come in the front door and look up, there it is.  Made Grandboy very proud to see it there (score for this Mimi).

Then this amazing photograph, taken by Jim Fenton, arrived yesterday -- a birthday gift from a childhood friend.  I dropped what I was doing and headed right out to get a frame for it!

I used a craft store frame and "glass," but since it's hung in a hallway with no natural light hitting it,  it should be safe from fading. If it gets moved to a room with windows, I'll take it to the framer.

Not to be a snoot, but there are two kinds of important art.  Above is the perfect example. The piece on the left is an oil on paper by Gary Bowling.  He's an established artist and I paid real money for this beauty and to have it professionally framed--including using museum quality glass so that it's protected from the sun.  The piece on the right was created, again, by Grandboy in celebration of Dias De Los Muertos.  The camera cannot catch the sparkly glitter and vibrant markers used to create that skull, but I feel both are safe under the craft store frame with cheap glass.   Both pieces are important, both are framed, both look great.  But Mr. Glitter will fade over the years because Mr. Sunshine visits frequently.

I look for original art everywhere I go.  This was found at Grandaddy's Antique Mall in Burlington, NC many years ago.  I paid under $100, it's just a wrapped canvas and is unsigned.  That scene evokes sweet childhood memories for a lot of people (as does a piano--chopsticks anyone?).

A closer view.  Love it.

Here's another example of combining the "free" art (nothing about kids is really free, is it?). The Vietri pottery fits right in with those masterpieces from art class.  We used plate hangers for the pottery and good ol' wasabi tape for the paper pieces.  By using the wasabi tape, I can color coordinate with the painting!  Look closely at the ones on the right.  You'll see the influence of Andy Warhol at the top and Vincent Van Gogh on the bottom.  Not sure about the influences of the flying baseball in the middle.

These sweet faces are in the Living Room, reminding us all not to take life too seriously.  Raleigh artist Ana Peralta paints all kinds of subjects, but her animals (and her colors) are my favorites.

There are many other works hanging around the house, but we all need to get back to work.   I created a Houzz Project folder based on this post, with lots of additonal pieces, some by artist friends. If you have friends who are artists, definitely buy their work!  You can see that Houzz folder by clicking here. 

Ciao,

Anne