Get the latest pulse on art facts & home decorating tips.

Hi there! I’m an artist, interior decorator, and busy mom who loves spending her free time scouting out the hottest trends in art, décor, and design -- and of course decorating. I’ll be dropping by the ArtWire blog from time to time to share my favorite art facts, decorating ideas and more. Hope you enjoy my first installation!

Contemporary Chic

Here’s what I’m really into this week: the ArtSelect Contemporary Art collection.

I have to admit I’m an eclectic decorator at heart. My husband and I live in a home that’s brimming with quirky accents – from our bright red chairs to our graphic-print curtains. So naturally, the ultramodern artwork in the Contemporary collection really appeals to me.

Best of all, the collection contains 4 inviting categories to browse. Retro Mod is my favorite, chock full of fun graphic shapes and bright colors like this wonderful Rex Ray print.

Merengue by Rex Ray

The Black & White collection features art and photography prints with striking shapes and silhouettes like this cutting-edge X-ray print by Stephen N. Meyers.

Calla Leaf I by Steven N. Meyers

There’s also the Modern collection, with all manner of intriguing and eclectic Modern Art by Abstract masters like Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky and Jackson Pollock.

L'Oro dell'Azzurro by Joan Miro

And finally, the Urban Loft collection features art with a dramatic urban edge, like this cosmopolitan G. Lang cityscape.

Urban Abstract No. 165 by G. Lang

So if you’re the kind of person who loves progressive décor, dig into these 4 ultra hip collections.

Contemporary décor not your cup of tea? Discover your signature home decorating style—and art to match it—in ArtSelect’s What’s Your Style collection.

Mother and Child by Pablo Picasso

My mother said to me, "If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope." Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso. —Pablo Picasso

A mother’s love can inspire true greatness, as this quote from Picasso so beautifully illustrates. And whether you’re a painter, lawyer, doctor or homemaker, chances are, your mother had a strong influence in helping to mold your talents and strengths.

Breakfast in bed, brunch at a fancy restaurant, a fragrant bouquet of flowers—these are all tried and true ways to say thanks on Mother’s Day. But this year, why not try something a little more enduring and tailored to your mother’s unique personality?

Whether she prefers floral art to landscapes, or figurative to Abstract, you’re sure to find a piece your mom will love in our Mother’s Day collection. Every work of art in this special collection comes custom-framed, ready to hang, and ready to ship the next business day.

This year, say it with art! Save 15% on Art for Mom, May 3rd-13th.

My son is 7 ¾ years old, which he’ll proudly announce to anyone who enters our home. His favorite subject in school is art, and he spends many happy hours drawing and painting skulls and superheroes for mom to tape to the fridge. Recently, he presented me with this wonderful and inventive trio of pictures (o.k., I’m biased).

I gifted my own mother with crayon creations when I was younger, too. And now that I’m all grown up :-), I’ve found other artful ways to share my creativity. At ArtSelect.com, for example, you can choose artwork that your mother (or anyone!) will love and custom-frame it with her décor in mind (in my mother’s case, a pretty, soft Traditional style).

There’s tons of lovely art to choose from, and your personalized masterpieces will last much longer than the fridge art of your youth! Best of all—you won’t get your hands full of finger paint.

Check out the Mother’s Day Art collection and save 15% until May 13th.

You have to systematically create confusion, it sets creativity free. Everything that is contradictory creates life.

— Salvador Dali

Creative genius Salvador Dali (1904 – 1989) was a master of the unexpected. Wildly imaginative, the Spanish artist merged familiar imagery with the striking and the bizarre in his vivid, often highly controversial surrealist paintings. As eccentric in person as he was on canvas, Dali dressed in eccentric clothing and cultivated a signature flamboyant mustache. Without question, he was easily one of the most eclectic and influential artists of the 20th century.

Fittingly, Dali’s birthday is mid-May, right in the midst of spring’s most profusive displays. What better way to celebrate than to explore some of Dali’s most famous art?

The Persistence of Memory, 1931
by Salvador Dali

The Persistence of Memory, a quintessential Dali artwork, features soft, melting watches that symbolically represent Einstein’s Theory of Relativity: time is relative, not fixed. According to historians, inspiration for this painting struck when Dali was watching a runny piece of Camembert cheese melting on a hot August day.


The Metamorphosis of Narcissus, 1937
by Salvador Dali

The Metamorphosis of Narcissus was inspired by the Greek mythological figure Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool and was immortalized into a flower by the gods. In this painting, Dali employs vivid colors, striking imagery and symbolism to innovatively depict Narcissus' dramatic transformation.

Today, as when Salvador Dali was alive, the artist’s legacy serves as an inspiration to embrace the creative spirit—and the unexplored.

Decorate with the unexpected! Shop all Dali Art.

Do you have a favorite Dali painting you'd like to know more about? Or share information about? Post your comments below!

Props to ApartmentTherapy.com!

After the day's dishes are done and I've tucked my son into bed, it's finally time for me to unwind. Typically, I'll curl up with a good style magazine or surf the net for décor and design sites. Last night, the waves yielded a particularly intriguing find -- along the lines of displaying art.

Check out this stroke of genius from ApartmentTherapy.com:

That's right! They're mounting framed art directly onto bookshelves crammed with good reads. If you're a bookworm (like my sister), you'll do backflips over this concept (which my sister will when she reads this post). Check out the original ApartmentTherapy.com article and see for yourself.

Have you ever seen anything more creative? If so, post a comment and tell me about it!

Aside from the concept, I love the untamed yet delicate feel of the bird-themed art. Naturally, the beauty of those art prints got me surfing on a whole new quest: for art with intriguing-looking birds. Here are a few I added to my wish-list:

Whether or not my hubby will let me mount anything on our bookshelves is another question! Until we meet again, Savvy D. is signing off…

At a time when art was largely the domain of men, American artist Mary Cassatt (1844 – 1926) broke through traditional molds for women and rose to overwhelming artistic success.

Cassatt chose to immortalize the everyday lives of women and children in her paintings, going much against the advice of her American male contemporaries and teachers. Never one to follow convention, she gave herself over wholly to her artistic career. “I can live alone and I love to work,” she once said.

The only American to paint and exhibit with the original Impressionists in France, Cassatt was close friends with Edgar Degas. Standing before one of her canvases for the first time in 1874, he famously exclaimed, “It’s true. There is someone who feels as I do.”

Mary Cassatt is known for her paintings of women reading, sewing, knitting and doing everyday things—but her true passion was painting mothers and children. With a loving touch, Cassatt depicted tender, intimate scenes of 19th century motherhood.

While Cassatt never married nor had children of her own, she was pivotal in nurturing the Impressionist Art movement in its infancy. Devoted to her profession, she claimed, “A woman artist must be ... capable of making primary sacrifices.”

What I Wish Was on My Walls Right Now

Last week, inspired by art with exotic birds, I started a wish-list of framed art I’d like to see on my walls this year (maybe not all in one room). I seem to be into a retro/metro/hula girl/graphic-prints/global style these days, both in my wardrobe and my décor, but somehow it all works together!

So here they are: my top 5 art picks for this season.

1) Tiki Bamboo

As you can see, I’m really into retro art these days, but with an island feel. Notice the funky stained bamboo frame I found to go with it?

2) Constant II
By Brent Nelson



The big city girl in me loves the contemporary, Abstract feel of Brent Nelson’s work. I thought a sleek, simple black frame would showcase this print best.

3) Waikiki
By Scott Westmoreland



Hey. If I can’t get to Waikiki, at least I can have it on my walls!

4) Vertical Focus I
by Lisa Kowalski

Isn’t this fabulously wacky? There’s something decidedly ultramodern about geometric art prints. I thought a clean, stainless steel frame would work best with this image.

5) Floating Motion
By Aleah Koury

Exotic and elegant. This Asian art print would beautifully complement my celadon green living room walls and red paisley sofa.

Well that's it from me for now. Want to add to this list? By all means -- show me what inspires you!

Designing an Artful Office

My colleague Erik just moved into a new, larger office at work. Last week, he asked would I like to help him decorate his new corporate digs? Do dolphins swim?!

The Goal: A tastefully modern office that felt like home to Erik.

The Plan: Develop a theme based on Erik’s existing art collection and office furniture.

The Plan in Action: Erik’s furniture has a lot of warm earth tones, and his personal art collection includes B&W sailing photography prints and an angelic pencil portrait of his daughter. His art preferences tend toward Abstract Art and black & white photography.

Looking for art to extend and enhance his collection, I found a great assortment of Abstracts with earth tones. Abstracts and B&W photography prints are naturally complementary, so that made things pretty easy. I also found him some "soft contrast" photography prints by Alan Blaustein that beautifully echo the feel of Erik's pencil portrait.

To keep things interesting, I used different frames on each piece: warm walnut frames to go with the furniture and art color palette; classic black frames to play off the B&W photography; and stainless steel frames to bring in a modern element.

Because the office had a lot of wall space, I hung the matching frame groups together to create an interesting yet unified feel between the different pieces. I also made sure to align the tops or bottoms of the pieces to give the room a symmetrical feel. And voila: Mission accomplished!

I’d love to hear about your adventures in office decorating! Post a comment and drop me a line.

Next time you need to drop a quick line to a friend, colleague or loved one, try a free eCard from ArtSelect. Choose from thousands of stunning images by all the world's greatest artists and custom frame your favorites to create your own e-card masterpiece!

Here's how it works:

1) Choose a work of art you love, whether a still life, landscape, portrait, photography print, or any other image on our site.

2) Leave the frame as is, or custom-frame your eCard image for a personal touch (optional).

3) Click the Send E-card button directly beneath the image.


4) Fill in the email address and personal message fields.

5) Click Send, and voila! You've made someone's day.

So next time you're pressed for time and stuck for words, let Monet (or Renoir, Van Gogh, O’Keeffe, Klimt, Picasso…) say it for you! A picture's worth a thousand words, after all…

Browse our bestselling art and find the perfect image to make an eCard from!

QuickShip Art for Instant Chic

If you’re anything like me, sometimes it takes an upcoming dinner party or a month-long visit from the in-laws to get you motivated to refresh your décor. Or maybe you’re the type who just gets randomly struck by a burning urge to redecorate. In either case, when you want to give your décor a facelift, and fast, here’s a terrific resource: ArtSelect’s QuickShip art prints.

As you’d expect from the name, QuickShip art ships out quickly—as in, the next business day—which makes it perfect for striking while inspiration is hot!

The collection offers all kinds of interesting categories as well, like Floral Art, Landscapes, Photography, Abstract and Vintage Art. Best of all, every piece comes custom framed by designers. Whew! One less choice to make in a busy day.

Copper Melody II
by Laurie Maitland

This unframed Museum Wrap canvas is particularly striking and sophisticated.

Chrysanthemum
by Selina Werbelow

So next time the decorating bug bites, for whatever reason, check out the QuickShip line, and have fun!