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Hello out there! This is my debut entry as your new Savvy Decorator, and what better way to start my new column -- and the new year -- than by reminding you that January is an excellent time to redecorate?

I don't know about you, but I always feel like reinventing myself around this time of year. Maybe it has something to do with the promise each new year seems to hold, or maybe it's just because I've been O.D.ing on holiday sweets and savories! Either way, come January, I get bit by the redecorating bug (and the get-a-new-haircut bug, and the go-the-the-gym bug, etc., etc.).

If you're anything like me, you're taking a fresh, new look at your home decor right now and wondering what you can do to spruce it up and infuse it with new life. Let me tell you -- when it comes to livening up a room, a little bit of new art goes a long way! If you need help finding art that suits your signature style (and your vision for the new year), our Decor Collection is a great place to start.

Maybe you're looking for some accents to go with your laid back, Casual decor?

Or perhaps you prefer art with a more urban-inspired, Contemporary feel?

Maybe you're looking to infuse your home with lush, Global wall art?

Or perhaps something more Traditional suits your style better.

In any case, once you start clicking around you're bound to find some images you love. And while you're at it, you can also check out our New Art collection, where everything's always 10% off.

There. That should get you started! And as always, be sure to fill me in on your home decorating exploits! Until next week...

Have you been bitten by the January decorating bug yet? If so, now's a terrific time to find beautiful, framed and ready-to-hang art and mirrors to refresh and revive your home. Stop by our annual Winter Blowout Sale and see what all the buzz is about. You could save up to 80% on some really incredible finds!

You'll find all kinds of art, from X-ray Photography to Impressionism, Abstract Art and other goodies. And to make life easier, every item is framed and ready to hang. Many items also ship free, so be sure to stop by and check things out!

Our Winter Blowout Sale only lasts until February 8th, so get there before all the best titles go...!

If you're a fan of home furnishings and accents with rich, dark hues, you might get to the point where you're finding your space getting a little, well...dark! No worries, though. You can easily lighten things up with Abstract Art.

Case in point: the drawing room of Ellen Lupton and Abbott Miller, as featured in a recent DesignSpongeOnline posting (if you follow the link, scroll down to the 5th image).

See how they use an oversized Abstract artwork with light coloring to brighten this space? I just love what they've done here! Intuitively, you might not think these elements would complement one another -- the earthy, ornamental carpet; the black and chocolate-hued furniture; the large, airy Abstract -- and yet it all works!

That's the beauty of decorating with Abstracts. They can work well in a number of settings, whether Contemporary, Global, Traditional, Casual...or a little bit of each. Here's another one that could really lighten up a dark corner:

In a Mellow Mood
By Nancy Ortenstone

The way you frame an Abstract artwork can also help it to merge seamlessly with the other items in a room. You can use the colors in your mat and frame choices to either match, complement or artfully play against the existing palette of the room. And of course, if you're looking for a quick fix, an elegant Abstract Art poster can also do the trick, like this image by Mark Rothko:

Acrylic on Paper, 1968
By Mark Rothko

Of course, there are lots of other ways to add space and light to a small or dark room (we wrote about this topic in April 2007 if you want a refresher).

Ok, that's it from me this week. As always, happy home decorating!

Cubist artist Pablo Picasso is famously quoted as having once referred to artist Paul Cezanne as "the father of us all," and with good reason. The Post-Impressionist Cezanne can easily be said to have bridged the gap between Impressionism and Cubism.

Pots de Fleurs et Poires
By Paul Cezanne

Born in West Piedmont, France, in 1839, Cezanne was fortunate enough to have a well-to-do father (a banker) who supported his artistic pursuits throughout his life and career. He studied art as a young boy and then went on to paint with the Impressionists in Paris. Although he loved the light, quick brush strokes of Impressionism, Cezanne soon introduced more earthy, grounded, structural influences into the style, saying, "I want to make of Impressionism something solid and lasting like the art in the museums."

Bathers
By Paul Cezanne

As you can see, Cezanne used the quick brushstrokes and ephemeral style of the Impressionists, yet with a much stronger emphasis on composition, form and geometric shapes. These are the hallmarks of Post-Impressionist painting, which eventually led to Cubism.

Mont St. Victoire
By Paul Cézanne

Cezanne's forays into geometric simplification inspired a generation of artists -- including Picasso, Braque and Gris -- to experiment with form, and to eventually offer complex multiple views of the same subject. Thus, Cezanne sparked one of art history's most revolutionary movements -- that of modern art.

Oh, you're gonna love this! From now until Sunday, January 27th, ArtSelect.com is offering free art! Well, not exactly free, but pretty darn close! It's like this: when you buy art between now and midnight on January 27th, ArtSelect will match whatever you spend, dollar for dollar, in an art credit account you can redeem from March 7-12.

So if you spend 50 bucks now, you'll get 50 bucks worth of art store credit in March. If you spend $308.50 now, you'll get exactly that much store credit in March, and so on. Pretty cool, huh? Sort of like a mail-in rebate -- except you don't have to go to the trouble of licking a stamp!

There are just 2 crucial points to keep in mind. 1- When you buy between now and January 27th, don't forget to enter the promo code "ArtDollars08" at the shopping cart. And 2- Don't forget to come back from March 7-12 to redeem that credit! You have just a few days, but you can use the credit to apply to anything on the site -- posters, canvas art, framed prints, whatever!

Ahhhh, it's days like this where I really love my job the most! Be sure to tell all your home decorating pals...

Feel free to read more about this offer, or start shopping now, while the deal's still on!

French artist Edouard Manet was one of the most influential artists in the nineteenth century. Although he associated heavily with the Impressionists, he forged his own path as an artist and defied categorization throughout his career.

Self Portrait with a Palette
By Edouard Manet

Born in Paris in 1832, Manet was raised by a well-off, well-connected family who groomed him for a career in law. His uncle, however, regularly took the young Manet to the Louvre and encouraged him to pursue painting. In 1845, he enrolled in a drawing course taught by Antonin Proust, who would be come the Minister of Fine Arts and Manet’s lifelong friend. After several years of travel and study, Manet opened his own studio in 1856.

Manet kept the company of Impressionist artists like Edgar Degas, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. But while he was heavily influenced by their work, he resisted exhibiting with them and being classified as Impressionist. Like the Impressionists, he often painted with quick, successive strokes, but unlike them, he also favored a much darker palette, as you can see in the following image:

The Knitting
By Edouard Manet

There were other differences as well. Like the Impressionists, Manet painted everyday scenes from Parisian life, but unlike them, he introduced somewhat controversial elements, like the nude in this image:

Luncheon on the Grass
By Edouard Manet

Again like the Impressionists, Manet enjoyed painting outdoors -- but unlike them, he felt that studio work was equally important. His choice of subject matter also took him into decidedly non-Impressionist terrain, as in his famous war paintings.

Throughout his career, Manet was resisted by art critics and yet championed by contemporary artists like Stephane Mallarme and Charles Baudelaire. Today, he is celebrated worldwide as one of the founding fathers of modern art in the nineteenth century.

The Balcony
By Edouard Manet

See more artwork by Manet!

Who Says You Have to Hang Art in a Straight Line?

One thing that really gives me a boost in the dull days of winter is scouring other design sites for inspiration. Today, I came across these snaps of some really innovative art displays from a recent Design*Sponge blog post:

Don't you just love the creativity here? There's such a varied assortment of art styles, shapes and frames on this wall, and the images are all hung at different levels. Eclectic art displays like these can turn a bare wall into a work of art. The key is to have a common theme in one way or another. Notice how, from the cuckoo clocks to the drawings and paintings, just about every artwork here features bird imagery.

Here’s another terrific display:

Isn’t this one intriguing? What really catches my eye here is all the different shapes of the artwork. Ovals, squares, rectangles, circles – there’s a little bit of everything on this wall. As we mentioned in a previous post, inventive art displays like this can really add interest to a room. Don't be afraid to mix it up a little and combine clocks, tapestries, mirrors, canvas art and more. Just be sure your display has a common element, whether color, shape, frame style or overall theme.

In my own decorating, I like to use “décor research” like this as a sort of springboard for my own creativity, and I encourage you to do the same! Browse the internet, see what others are doing, and then put your own artful spin on it. And as always, be sure to have fun! Until next week...