Habitually Chic®'s Logo  

Art Smart

by habituallychic

11 . 06 . 08

I often worry about the future of art and that parents might encourage their children to become doctors or lawyers or bankers…well, maybe not bankers anymore…instead of fostering their love of art. So I like to support anyone who has made a career out of their passion and become an artist and now you can too at UGallery, an online gallery that “provide art enthusiasts access to affordable original artwork while offering young trained artists a platform to launch their careers.” I’ve highlighted a few of my favorite works from the site and I think all of them would make great holiday gifts! And who knows, one of the artists might turn out to be the next Picasso!

Art teaches nothing, except the significance of life. – Henry Miller
Smoke 14, Mark Elverspon, Massachusetts College of Art, photograph $80 (His work is a very affordable version of James Nares!)

Cherry Blossoms, Colette Wirz, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, acrylic, $1900 (Very reasonable when you consider she might be the next Van Gogh!)

Beech Forest, Comusina Hardman, University of Georgia, oil on canvas, $800 (Stunningly beautiful!)

In Congress, Austin Givin, University of Arizona, oil on canvas, $380 (Read the artist’s notes to learn more about this plein air painting!)

Candy Colored 3, Kaylie Abela, Massachusetts College of Art, acrylic on canvas, $50(A true bargain for a great work of art.)
I Have a Feeling That You’re Feeling Less Days, JenMarie Zeleznak, The Cleveland Institute of Art, oil on canvas, $750 (I don’t know which is better, the painting or the name! Love them both!)

Beach Grass, Ryan W. Kimball, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, oil on canvas board, $150 (Looks more sophisticated than what I see in a lot of galleries.)
Shoot for the Sky, Nikole Handel, Cairo Durham High School, photograph, $70 (From a high schooler! Amazing!)

Getty Reflection, Andrew Stein, Carnegie Mellon University, photograph, $100 (Have to support the hometown artist!)


Downward Spiral, Melissa Buchmann, University of Arizona, photograph, $85 (Reminds me of an image I posted on my blog from an Andree Putman designed apartment!)

Top Painting: Sunset Boulevard, Humberto Valle, Ringling School of Art and Design, acrylic on canvas, $700(I see the next Cy Twombley in that painting!)

30 Comments
Comments Closed

  1. Anonymous November 6, 2008 | 10:23 pm

    i love this idea. i can’t afford expensive art but i appreciate quality and this is a perfect combination!

  2. Brilliant Asylum November 6, 2008 | 11:39 pm

    What a great idea. I am with you–let your babies grow up to be artists!

  3. Soren Levarda November 7, 2008 | 12:50 am

    there were few takers for the christies and sothebys auctions this past week, but looks like the quality of the work here could be the same if not better

  4. Arlynn November 7, 2008 | 2:35 am

    Oooohhh… I LOVE the Cherry Blossom! It’s just simply lovely – what a great find, thanks!!!

  5. Fifi Flowers November 7, 2008 | 4:52 am

    YESSSSSSSS… we must encourage our children to paint, design… be creative! In my home it’s working… both of my children are interested in being graphic designers and create animation… YEA!
    And if down the road they decide to be doctors or lawyers or whatever… they can do art for relaxation therapy… LOL!
    GREAT post!
    LONG LIVE ART!!!

  6. Gina November 7, 2008 | 5:30 am

    great art, indeed. Love them all!.

  7. Two Tall Girls November 7, 2008 | 6:04 am

    In my daughter’s second grade class I am the volunteer art docent. I have no qualifications for this job but they needed someone and I thought that it might be fun.

    On Monday when I brought the art pieces (part of a specific lesson), to their classroom, we had such an exciting discussion about art. They are 7 years old and they know to look for details and emotion. They know that art is personal and they love it.

    So, I completely agree with you, I am encouraging my children to express their creativity and I am thankful for blogs and etsy and the like where the importance of this is apparent.

  8. viera November 7, 2008 | 7:10 am

    Great and affordable selection! I love stairs so Melissa Buchmann’s stais ( black&white!!!) would be a great addition to my collection.
    Thank you X
    V

  9. Ms. Wis./Each Little World November 7, 2008 | 1:58 pm

    These are some wonderful pieces. My husband and I both have art degrees and I always encourage any young artist. Even if you have a non-art day job, art teaches you how to see and how to live. Getting an art degree was the best decision of my life.

  10. ArchitectDesign November 7, 2008 | 2:05 pm

    Did I know you were from Pittsburgh?? So am I, plus a CMU grad!

  11. LindsB November 7, 2008 | 2:41 pm

    I love all of these, so beautiful. I think its very important for children to have a creative outlet- its a way to express their feelings and learn about emotion. I did it as a child and loved it!

  12. Susan's Snippets November 7, 2008 | 4:57 pm

    Heather, thank you for promoting artists!!

    My son, Phillip is trying to live out his passion and that it isn’t always an easy road, especially in today’s market (as you know).

    Check out Phillip’s latest photographs at:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmoo/

    (available in large format for purchase!)

    Again thank you for supporting artistic talent, especially from the younger set.

    who haven’t “made” it yet

  13. Charlie November 7, 2008 | 5:01 pm

    Oh how fantastic. Its going to take me hours to look through all the art. I will certainly be buying something. What a great idea.

  14. Sabina November 7, 2008 | 5:41 pm

    What a wonderful post — with a house full of artists and musicians I can definetly appreciate the value of art in all it’s forms!!

  15. Marla in Columbus November 7, 2008 | 6:05 pm

    Heather,

    My daughter who is 10 just informed me last night that she wants to start an “art club” at her school – Ohio State School for the Blind. She wants tactile art that blind people can feel. While I would love to give Liv the credit for this cool idea, I think it really lies elsewhere given she told me momemts later that all the elementary rooms were going to be exhibiting art sometime soon and that the school would be, for a short time, a museum. I love the creativity – just wish I had some!

  16. maison21 November 7, 2008 | 6:05 pm

    very cool post, chic. i love the idea of supporting young artists- why buy a print, when you can have an original work for as little as 50 bucks?

    i have to buy a piece or two for the bachelorette’s bedroom, so i’m gong to be perusing the site.

  17. Inspiration November 7, 2008 | 6:22 pm

    Thanks for showing these up and coming artists! The photographs are particularly stunning to me.
    I think the artist’s would thank you too for the support.

  18. Michelle Parks McCourt November 7, 2008 | 7:33 pm

    I love this idea and that they are affordable pieces of art. It is much more democratic:) a great way to add that final touch.
    Ps i really like your blog, very inspiring

  19. Anonymous November 7, 2008 | 7:50 pm

    Love UGallery. What a great resource. Please, please post the grey dress from Club Monaco. I might want to call the D.C. store and order one!!

  20. Richie Designs November 7, 2008 | 8:39 pm

    yeah!

  21. designbabylon November 7, 2008 | 8:47 pm

    Thank you so much for posting this! I’m currently looking for art for my house and love the idea of supporting an emerging talent at the same time!

    I grew up with an artist (and, as it turned out, an interior designer) for a grandmother and treasure the memories of creating art with her in her studio in the attic of my grandparents’ home. Art education is INVALUABLE & I would hate for it to become as threatened as music programs seem to be these days….

    I’ll have to let you know if I purchase anything!

    -db

  22. Anonymous November 7, 2008 | 9:09 pm

    It is indeed a small world. The photographer of “Getty Reflections,” Andrew Stein, is my son’s best friend from high school.

  23. Ben Rowe November 8, 2008 | 12:08 am

    That’s a great site.

    I love how the internet has opened up so many more doors for any artist. It takes away the whole snobbish art gallery scene, and just lets people buy great affordable art that they like.

    It’s great that people invest in high end art, but sites like this make art accessable for all of us. Which is a very good thing.

    Great post!

  24. A Day That Is Dessert November 8, 2008 | 3:53 am

    beautiful images.

  25. Daughter November 8, 2008 | 10:58 am

    It’s so true!! If only we could go back to the days when the greatest minds of the world were artists and people weren’t obsessed with $10,000 handbags.

  26. Ivy Lane November 8, 2008 | 3:30 pm

    The Beech Forest is my favorite! Wow, what a great way to help promote artists and their works. Thank you for the tip .. heading to the website now!

  27. Lynne November 8, 2008 | 9:31 pm

    I love that cloud photo – I’m very tempted to buy it.

  28. hello gorgeous November 11, 2008 | 2:45 am

    I love your and Brilliant Asylum’s sentiments: Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Lawyers…

    Seriously. My daughter is struggling as we speak with applying to college for a history undergrad or to art school. I sent her this post. 🙂

    I love a teacher and an artist. I’m so conflicted!!

  29. a is for art x February 8, 2009 | 2:25 am

    “chic,”
    I wanted to stop by to thank you for promoting my artwork on your blog. I should have thanked you earlier. You have the right idea with this post (of course I agree!) and the rest of your blog is also fabulous. My piece “Candy Colored 3” sold just 3-4 days after your post about UGallery. I am now blogging about my artwork and my artistic journey here. Thanks again, and chic design blog!
    Sincerely,
    Kaylie

  30. Erik March 18, 2009 | 9:54 pm

    Great post! One thing to keep in mind, is an artist is an artist at heart. Even if their parents strive to knock them off that path, their heart will eventually steer them back on the right track.

    Another site that hosts a Ton of affordable art is Masterpiece Online (recently moved to http://www.masterpieceonline.com). Over $40 Million in art from over 15,000 artists and galleries.

    Cheers and long live the artist true to the heart!