art i love: heidi lender

I am super lucky to count an art gallery owner as one of my besties...I absolutely love modern art, and Guthrie Contemporary has what I consider to be the best and freshest contemporary art in New Orleans. I have long admired Susan Dory, one of Leslie's artists who has actually become a friend - and one day Susan is going to do a piece just for me! (I am saving my pennies for that one)

But this post is about her newest photographer - Heidi Lender. Heidi has been featured in many magazines and blogs for series "Once Upon". Also called "Who Am I?", because Heidi takes photos of herself in different interiors and outfits but obscures her face. I find them fascinating and beautiful, because we can all find our style or personality in one of the settings. How cool is it that we can know so much about a person from what they choose to wear and surround themselves with? The only constant in Heidi's photographs is her furry companion - her adorable dog.

My faves:

Might have to get this one - my father grew up in a trailer in rural Mississippi

 And the one I am now the proud owner of!!!!! :

This one echoes the modern minimalist dreaminess of my bedroom and my design style

 Check out her entire series and let me know which one speaks to you...Happy weekend!
E

I am a rude copycat

We all know that everyone copies everyone else. The people who are doing insanely lovely but simple work (such as the polka dot painting by Damien Hirst) must know that every Tom, Dick and Harry out there is copying their piece for their own home. I do not condone this usually, especially since neighboring designers often copy pieces in my store. I get very self-righteous, and call it plagiarism and shoplifting, and every other nasty name I can think of.
But when it comes to art, sometimes I can't help myself. The only things I want to collect and spend big bucks on are the things I cannot even imagine doing myself. When someone has created a completely new process of painting (like my love Susan Dory), or something is huge and has a multi-step process (like the Longstreet photo branches I am getting one day for my bedroom) then I want to buy it. But if the artist lives in another country, does not show in a gallery in my area, and I think I can reproduce it fairly well, I will probably give it a try.
Case in point: Natasha Law is the sister of Jude Law and I think that is mostly the reason she gets so much press in England. Her pieces are gloss on aluminum, and really large simple line drawings with pop art colors of women in various states of undress. I am not impressed by them enough to try to buy one, but I thought I could do a few on paper for my own apartment for fun and to fill wall space until I can buy some art I love. These are the ones I am trying. Will let you know how it turns out!
E

Saving my pennies - Paule Marrot

As we have discussed all this week, some things are just worth saving your pennies for. Art, I believe, is one of these. Because you can have a striking, huge piece of artwork, and even if everything else in the room costs $10 at a local yard sale, it just elevates it. People subconsciously think that someone with great art has great taste and would only have amazing furniture, too. I know, it's classist and silly, but true.

I have done all my own art for my spaces and have done some for my clients as well. But I am saving my pennies for amazing, permanent collectibles. Paule Marrot's giclee prints for Natural Curiosities are at the top of my list. The French painter did these works on fabric originally, and NC is releasing them as huge prints. Yes, the black and white (my fave) is something I could easily do on canvas, but the framing in lucite boxes is gorgeous, the detail is mesmerizing (layered like a watercolor) and in the great scheme of things in the art world, they are quite well priced.
What do you think?
E
Update: The pink one (below) is on the cover of House Beautiful September 2011!)

Turned horiz. looks like Hermes' logo

House Beautiful