Reading this week:

• Prelude to Imperialism by H. Alan C. Cairns

Long-time and even not-so-long time readers of this blog will remember when I fretted endlessly about whether or not to buy a pretty pot at the Renaissance Festival. I have been to a number of art museums at this point and I like to think I appreciate art, and I have even followed in the footsteps of the Rubells who apparently would buy art on $5-$10 layaway plans because they were poor but still wanted to support artists. They have in unrelated news become fabulously wealthy, but still my point then was that I wasn’t sure enough in myself and my own aesthetic sense to commit to purchase an item solely because it was a joy to look at. I have apparently gotten over that and have gone on an art buying spree.

After the pot the next art art piece I bought was the above oil painting of a fish. It is by Sarah Sutphin, who is based in Chicago. I found her via the Canned Sardines subreddit, which I found in turn via BoingBoing. Buying this piece satisfied a few itches. One, I had been on the hunt for a reasonably-priced oil painting for a while. When we visited the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, it had occurred to me that there must be tons of 19th-century oil paintings of ships just laying about anywhere, and it would be fun to own one. I have since come to the conclusion they might not be as dime-a-dozen as I thought, on both halves of that hyphenated phrase. But Sarah works in oil, so it ticked that box, and also I thought the sardine was kinda cool. I like to rib my super amazing wife for not enjoying canned food so much, and a sardine is up that alley. Plus it is very pretty and was very reasonably priced, at I think $50. Sarah has raised her rates a bit because being a working artist is a grind, but still her prices remain eminently reasonable. She can paint a fish way better than I ever could.

However, with the purchase of the fish I became The Type of Person Who Buys Art which really just opens up the possibilities. The sardine was a reasonable expense I could buy on a lark, but my next piece of Art was the above textile piece by Annabel Wrigley. I had spotted some of her pieces Shop Made in Virginia. I had admired some of her larger pieces because I liked how she combined the different fabric shapes, and then the sort of stitched quilting over the whole thing really tied it together. Her larger pieces really lean into the organic and rounded shapes which I liked a lot. I had then noticed and considered buying one of her smaller pieces, much more in my price range at about $150. But then they sold out and I had to wait but then there was a restock. I popped in every time I passed the shop to look at them and then finally bit the bullet, taking one home. It now sits in the middle of our largest art wall, along with pieces from my travels and my super amazing wife’s travels. The wall gets us compliments from the cat sitter.

The really dangerous part however of buying the textile piece is that it established a firm upward trend in the purchase price of the art I buy, which can only be sustainable for so long. The next stop in this trend I spotted at Shop Made in Alexandria, a suspiciously even more localized shop. The above piece was made by Maria Vud of Old Town Mosaic Art. I think the biggest reason I like it is that it reminded me of the intricate and detailed Byzantine mosaics that I first saw at Dumbarton Oaks. Maria produces absolutely gorgeous work in tiny little packages. I’m not quite sure how she does it but the way the tiles and the glass pieces and occasional painted work all come together it is dazzling in the light. Plus I liked this particular piece because of a fondness for bees. My super amazing wife and I had wanted to get another piece to compliment the sardine, but it was sold before we committed. We eagerly await her further work.

Which brings me to my latest and so far priciest art purchase. Via ClockoutDC I learned about Gallery Article 15 which is an extremely cool shop. It is run by a former Foreign Service Officer who now runs the art gallery as the only such place in the US solely dedicated to Congolese art. This is a really important way to get these artists known to a wider audience, which benefits both the artists (and their livelihood) and the robustness and richness of the American art market. The above piece is titled Les Sinistres D’eruption De Volcon De Nyriangongo and is by Narcisse Nsimambote. I’ve climbed to the top of Mt. Nyiragongo, so I felt a connection to the piece, and I really liked Narcisse’s style. The longer you look at it the more shapes and figures you can pick out of the lines, rewarding a prolonged look. And the highlights of color draws you to certain parts while connecting the whole. The price of the art itself was $350 (I was afraid it was going to be $1000), which feels like a really accessible way to enter into the fine art world and supporting some excellent cross-cultural art pollination, just like my little bee above.

Anyways I hope everyone enjoyed my taste in art. I am excited to share what we wind up getting next, even if my wallet isn’t.