Zatista The premier source for original art online

Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe www.warhol.org

You know the saying, “If you find something you like, buy three”? Well, that applies to jeans and shoes, but how about art? Most of us don’t have the resources to purchase multiple Warhol “Marilyn Monroe” prints, but once you see a few of them together, it’s easy to see why someone would want to spend the money.

Amanda Beckmann "IMOK114" zatista.com

Alone, a work of art can be magnificent. The really amazing thing is when individual pieces come together to form what might as well be another larger piece. In some cases it’s completely unintentional, but in others, I like to guess whether or not a given piece was conceived on its own or if it was actually meant to be view as part of a series.

Amanda Beckmann "Intimate Loveliness" zatista.com

Case in point: Zatista artist Amanda Beckman. Amanda has a real passion for collage. I first came across her work while browsing Zatista one afternoon, which I do “from time to time” (ahem!). Specifically, it was a piece from her “imOK” series that caught my eye, a beautiful, whimsical burst of retro colors on a tattered, earthy background. When I clicked on the artwork, I noticed something I had never seen before: in addition to multiple views of this particular collage, I also saw it was a series.

The complete "IMOK Series" by Amanda Beckman zatista.com

Something clicked! Genius! Suddenly, there was interplay among the pieces: the colors, the compositions, and the arrangement of the bursts, which could be aligned or alternated if hung together.

Amanda Beckmann "Morphosis" zatista.com

Be on the lookout for opportunities for synergy in your art collection. Perhaps pieces you already own look even better when hung as a group, or it just might be the time to invest in a series. Judging by the impact you’re sure to make, it’ll be well worth your investment.

Free art is a tragically rare commodity these days — unless, of course, you live in New York City. Until PaperGirl comes to our towns, the rest of us will just have to live vicariously through the denizens of the five boroughs, or at least those of them who were lucky enough to have original art work hand delivered to them on September 15.

Photo: Basila Hickley

According the New York Times City Room blog, a pack of Brooklynites distributed rolls of art by bicycle randomly throughout the city last Wednesday afternoon. It was New York’s introduction to what has become a world-wide phenomenon. PaperGirl was started by Aisha Ronninger, an inspired Berlin art student, in 2005. It has since spread as far as Romania and South Africa, adopted and carried out by enthusiastic supporters of public art, and usually bicycle culture, too.

Photo: Basila Hickley

The dispersion effort in New York was preceded by an exhibition of the works at the Dumbo Art Center. It’s just amazing to see how much time and effort went into most of these pieces — they’re beautiful! Free art, like free lunch, isn’t really a reality, but even briefly removing the element of commerce from the equation really says amazing things about the power of creativity.

Photo: Basila Hickley

The pack of eight PaperGirl NY art delivery people found that attitudes toward free gifts vary by neighborhood and by borough, though. Manhattanites took the cake for being the least enthused — and borderline combative — unsurprisingly. Granted, shoving things at New Yorkers is generally a bad idea, but the inhabitants of the outer boroughs seem to have been rewarded with more art for their kindness.

FYI PaperGirl, the inhabitants of Portland, Maine are definitely not over free art, so if you tire of the urban jungle, we’re available for a delivery any time in the next year. Until then, I guess we’ll just have to buy art like the rest of the world, or move to the Big Apple.

Zatista’s contributing writer Katie Enna sat down with New York based designer Anthony Cochran to discuss some of his favorite art purchases, his insights on buying art online and enhancing beautiful and timeless interiors with art.

What is the first piece of art you ever purchased for yourself?

When I was working as a waiter at Tribeca Grill in the early ‘90s, one of my co-workers, Claude Martz, brought in some drawings he had done of a girlfriend. I thought they looked like Matisse and was so moved, I asked him to do a portrait of me. It only looks a little bit like me but it’s a very simple line drawing and is still one of my favorite pieces today.

Those first few art purchases can sometimes be the most daunting. Do you have advice for those who are starting out?

The first piece of art that you buy should be beautiful to you whether it be comical, clever, crazy, edgy, or cool. Art can and should make a statement, but just remember to ask yourself “Is it necessarily a piece I want to live with for the rest of my life?” When I buy a piece of art, I think, “Is this something I can’t live without?”

What inspires you when you walk into a client’s home? Where do you begin?

I find that most of my clients will at least have one piece of art or furniture that they are emotionally attached to. I’ll usually work from there and try to incorporate the client’s personality into the rest of the room. I often look to him or her directly for inspiration.

Buying online is obviously different from seeing a piece of art and falling in love with it in a gallery. What are your suggestions for those buying online and how did Zatista help you find the right pieces?

I love painting, so I started by choosing a medium. Then I searched by size, and then by price. Then maybe I’ll search for a specific color and work from there. The great thing about Zatista is that they do the looking for you, all the hard work is done.

If you had to decorate an entire room on one color palette what would it be?

Sky.

On Zatista we provide only original, one-of-a-kind pieces that can often require you to buy on an impulse seeing how they may not be around forever.  How do you make sure you don’t miss a great piece?

If you see a piece of art that literally moves you, and you can’t stop thinking about it for three or four hours, it’s probably something that you’ll love forever. I once found a small, Cezanne-like oil painting by Charles Sibley at a flea market. I walked away from it and thought about it all day long. I finally went back and bought it. The painting cost me $600, which was a lot of money for me, and for most people, but it’s one of those pieces that I know I’ll keep forever.

More on Anthony Cochran:

Anthony’s design firm ACD is renowned for sleek yet comfortable interiors. He is also Cofounder and Creative Director of QCollection, a pioneer in high-end, environmentally friendly furniture, fabrics and home accessories.

Prior to QCollection and ACD, Anthony served as Senior Style Editor for Martha Stewart Living and worked with a variety of other influential design firms including Victoria Hagan Interiors, Stephen Mallory Associates and John Saladino Inc.

I don’t care who you are: as a guy, “wine” and “art” are two terms that are likely to give you sweaty palms or even a mild case of the hives. Rumor has it that John Wayne himself was known to wither a bit in the presence of sommeliers and disapproving gallery directors with angular haircuts.

Look for a theme: Zatista.com Petra Simmons "II" $525

The fact of the matter is that you already know what you’re talking about in both areas.  The average guy has been making informed decisions in nuanced, subjective realms (albeit with less pomp and circumstance) his entire life. We all have our favorite bands, authors and sports heroes we’d follow into battle.  And while art is it’s own universe—one that you may only be contemplating for the first time—you can rest assured that just like basically everything else in life, your “taste” can be boiled down to a simple gut reaction.

And run with it: Zatista.com Ann Calfas "parian octopus IV" $550

Looking at a piece of art for the first time is no different than flipping through radio stations, and just as with wine, relying on your own reactions with a little bit of confidence is what’s important. Sure, you can study up and focus on deciphering the cryptograms of terroir and varietals, but what it really comes down to is “what do I like?”

Or match the piece to your place: Zatista.com Brent Schneeman "Zilker, Zilker, Zilker" $400

Don’t trust yourself to make that informed decision?  Well, you should.  After all, who is it that reaches over and turns the dial from Kenny G to John Coltrane?  And who devoured The Old Man and Sea and then bought the cliffs notes to Pride and Prejudice back in college? And while that Prius was the right choice for your transportation needs, you still can’t stop obsessing about that ’82 Land Cruiser, can you?

Or just find something that speaks to you now and will for a long time: Zatista.com Busser Howell "Blue Square" $10,800

Granted, there are a few faux pas (the incorporation of your favorite team’s logo in a painting, dogs playing poker, and any thing that can actually be specifically classified as “Man Art”–even if it’s going in your Man Cave), but they’re as easy to avoid as the pleated jeans in the men’s section.  When it comes down to it, art is about relating universal elements of the human experience, so “I don’t know, I just really liked it” is the perfect justification for almost any purchase.

Friends of mine are getting married this summer and although they have registered for housewares at the usual places, they have also asked their parents for a fine art photograph as a wedding gift. This photograph will be the start of what they hope will be a life long hobby of collecting fine art together. A brilliant idea, no?

When I heard about this, the wheels in my head started turning immediately. Could I buy them art as a wedding gift, too? I barely even had to ask, they could see the excitement in my eyes. Luckily, I’m brave and I know the couple well enough to attempt this tricky task. I wouldn’t try it otherwise. Art is a very personal choice and no matter how well you think you know your friends, there’s always a risk that art you choose for someone else may never get hung.

That said, I’ll give myself a budget of $150, and I’ll make a list of some things I know about them:

- They’re foodies and they spend hours in their kitchen cooking delicious meals for all their friends

Zatista.com S. Josephine Weaver "Big Tomato" $135

- They’re dedicated to their organic garden

Zatista.com Susan Beauchemin "Lemon Tree" $120

- One of them buys sunflowers all season long at the farmer’s market

Zatista.com Jim Larimer "Sunflower at Day 68" $250

- One of them lived in Maine for several years

Zatista.com Jim McGinley "Enroute Popham Number 8" $120

- They meditate

Zatista.com Tadeusz Smusz "Flower Mandala"$120

- They love color in their home

Zatista.com Sharis DeJaynes "30" $150

- and they love the outdoors, especially hiking with their dogs in the woods

Zatista.com Keith Dotson "The Enchanted Forest" $110

It’s going to be a tough choice.

Encourage your marrying friends to request original artwork for the walls of their new home as a wedding gift. If you want to select art for them, make sure you know them very, very well and get their permission first. If you understand their tastes you will have fun buying original artwork for your friends. If you’d rather they pick out their own artwork, give them a gift certificate to their favorite on-line original art seller instead.

Make it a wedding gift they’ll truly remember and treasure.