"un-original" sin...

I have always loved art and I have always loved original things (objects, clothing, people, etc.) so it kind of blows my mind when I think about all of the completely tacky un-original things that I have hung on my walls throughout my life... I mean let's go way back (way, way back) to the MJ days, the days when my room looked a little bit like this...

(Yep, I posted pictures of Michael Jackson on every square inch of my bedroom... and that is exactly what every other little girl growing up in the early 80's did)

Then came the black and white photos with the highlights of lightly colored objects...

(Yep, I hung these posters everywhere in my late teens and early 20's, just like everyone else did)

So I guess it was of little surprise when in my later 20's and early 30's I began collecting "art" from such fine galleries like "Target" and "Pier 1 imports"

Now, don't get me wrong... I dig the example above, I think Rodney White is totally original and did an amazing job of taking everyday pop culture objects and turning them into great pieces of visually interesting, mentally stimulating >>> ART.  But once they hit the mainstream reproduction outlets, they began to lose their luster. You know, cause how special is something... when anyone can buy it... anywhere... at anytime???

Which leads me to a revelation that I had a few years back... Art should speak to you, art should call your name (whether a whisper or a shout) it should tell a story, any kind of story... like, who you are, what you love, where you want to be... and art should never say "ummm... I shop at Target... a lot!"

So anyhow, my rambling (somewhat misguided) message is that (just like I would wish that no one in the world would ever again by a "bed-in-a-bag") I would love to see people stop buying silly re-production pieces from big box retailers and instead support their local community of artists, buy something original... shop your local gallery or craft boutique, check your local goodwill for unique finds and hire a professional photographer to take beautiful pictures of your family (notice I said "professional" do not go to Sears, JC Penney, The Picture People, etc. as these outlets WILL NOT produce beautiful artistic photographs) or even better yet, pick up a camera and a paint brush and let your own creative juices flow, get the family involved, purchase a large canvas and let everyone take turns adding details... you just may be surprised how talented you are. And in the end you will definitely have something original that will speak to you!

(Bill took the picture of this old truck in Santa Fe, then he constructed the frame out of reclaimed wood from our old porch)


The walls of our home are now filled with many original pieces... photographs taken by Bill and I through the years, paintings done by our kids, projects that we have worked on together, and antiques that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Our style is miss-matched and imperfect and you may not like it... but we do, and I can guarantee that you won't find an exact replica of it in anyone else's home-

and that my friends is what truly matters when it comes to art.