amelia midori miller

Amelia Midori Miller (Tokyo born, SVA trained, Brooklyn based) caught my eye on the Saatchi site a while back. Her paintings are serious: not only are they large in scale—"Tie Down," above, is 52 x 38—but their bold lines and colors just seem...big. I'll play interior designer and say any one of these would make a great statement on white walls with, say, a sleek gray low-slung sectional. (Note that  serious size means serious prices. But Saatchi sells prints of some of her pieces starting at $40.)

yellowredandblue on etsy

Yellowredandblue is the Etsy shop of a Polish artist, whose work is cheerful, colorful, and Basquiat-inspired. Also, note that these are original paintings, not prints—somewhat unusual for Etsy, and still really affordable. (She sells prints, too.)

leslie lewis sigler

I've been on an abstract kick lately—so Leslie Lewis Sigler's homey object paintings are a nice counterpoint. She handles the paint with such feeling, and renders silverware and teapots with such loving, evocative detail. My grandmothers treasured items like these (silver serving pieces, formal tea sets), and I inherited a bunch from each of them. My own taste runs to the cleaner and simpler, but I do love the contrast between my grandmother's intricate sterling spoon and a plain Heath bowl. In the same way, Sigler makes her pieces modern by blowing them up, putting them in a corner, or removing everything else from the frame.

allyson smith

You know how some art just speaks to you? I saw a painting by Brooklyn artist Allyson Smith on some blog or other, and I was immediately interested. Turns out her site is full of work I like even more than the first. She works in a few modes; there's some sculpture in the mix, as well as drawing/painting/collage combinations that include portraits and abstract composition. I can't even say exactly what I like so much—the geometry? the colors? the prettiness with an edge? the rough contrasting with smooth?—but her work seems really smart.

sullivan anlyan

My shopping habit has its advantages. I might be browsing at Anthropologie, say, my mind on dresses and necklaces, when instead I find a sweet little piece of art. Case in point: Sullivan Anlyan's bunny and birds. (Check out her website, and click over to Anthro to purchase.) Their gold backgrounds and little animal faces are as much of a pick-me-up as any new dress.

katie scott

Katie Scott definitely has a Natural Curiosities aesthetic. The London-based illustrator's work is clearly inspired by Albertus Seba's 18th-century animal and plant specimens—but with a modern look all its own.

britt bass on etsy

Just when I think the weather (and school cancellations) couldn't get any more depressing, along comes Britt Bass to cheer me up. The Atlanta artist makes springy, bright paintings that are also available as prints on Etsy. And maybe it's just my angry winter viewpoint, but these pretty pieces have just enough of an edge—gaping holes, dark corners—to make them interesting.

cassandra tondo

Cassandra Tondo calls her work "art with a conscience." The Southern California artist uses fallen leaves and leftover house paint to beautiful, subtle effect. Her love of nature is something I can definitely get behind—especially when the results are so pretty on their own terms. And she works in a variety of styles and price points: paintings, prints, even cards. I like them all; the eco prints, made using fallen leaves found on neighborhood walks (see above and the bottom two below), might be my favorite.

lulu dk decals

Lulu DK's new line of wall decals are definitely a sophisticated (but still kid-friendly) take on an affordable medium that usually leans more toward Hello Kitty or the alphabet. Not that I don't like letters or Japanese cartoon cats! But these would be equally at home in a kids bedroom and a summery living room, without a toy in sight. I'd keep everything else spare and simple; otherwise you're back in cartoon territory.

 

me elsewhere: red tricycle

Look for Sabrina Cabada's work at Covet in Arlington.

I wrote a little piece for Red Tricycle on some great places to buy kids art locally in DC. (In other words, all this online business I do at Blue Locket is great...but sometimes you just want to buy something in person.) If you're in the area, check out my sources!

nectar & light

Jen Altman's photographs, on her online shop Nectar & Light, are some of my favorite new artwork in a long time. Her subjects (gems, stone, birds, Italy) are beautiful and interesting—and happen to have great personal appeal for me. And I love that she offers prints both teeny (eight by eight inches) and huge (40 by 40). Often when I recommend art here, I think, oh, that's nice, but I don't necessarily want it for myself. But these? These I want.

atelier bingo

Atelier Bingo is a young French couple making cool, brassy art together in the countryside. This site has some groovy photos of them, as well as an interview (and they are oh so French). These prints should be in a room with low sofas, shaggy rugs, lots of houseplants, and a turntable playing this. And easy for us Americans, you can shop from their Etsy site.