Pat The Puppy.

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“Grey Abyss” by Karen Iwachow. Photograph. $200 (16” x 20”).

This photograph is for sale on the new online gallery The Mammoth Collection. I’m attracted to the simplicity of this piece, the stillness and tranquility. The subject is the natural world yet due to the fog it is disorienting and almost abstract.

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Another shot of the living room with new art.

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We have new work in our living room by Anastasia Ugorskaya: “Pores” top right and “Dragonfruit” bottom right. Both pieces are in basic white frames from Blick.

This grouping works for a couple of reasons:

1- All three pieces are detailed, quasi-figurative paintings

2- The ephemeral mood is similar

2- All are on white paper with a lot of negative (i.e. empty) space

3- The white frames create consistency

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The frame for ‘Singing Cat’ came this afternoon and I’m a happy girl. I must say it looks great above my computer! Yes, I realize it’s not hanging straight; I would retake the photo but then there would be no Yoko posing for us.

I had a local art store cut a piece of thick paper to the size of the frame (16 x 20”) so the print could ‘float’ on top of it. This is a good trick for framing random-sized artwork with standard-size frames.

The frame is made with plexiglass which some people like because it does not break. I don’t love it - my main complaints are that it doesn’t always lay flat and it scratches very easily. For these reasons it’s best if you handle it as little as possible.

“Pores” by Anastasia Ugorskaya. Watercolor on paper. $100.

I bought this painting a few days ago from Anastasia who I featured on Art Hound a few weeks ago. It turns out that she also lives in Brooklyn so we met up. She happens to have a bit of older work that she is anxious to sell. Her work is stunning and as I told her too, a steal for what she’s charging.

This piece in particular has a warmth to it that speaks to me.

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I’ve been buying more and more ready-made frames online for the price and convenience, and along the way I came up with an easy way to preview how they’ll look. What I do is quickly Photoshop the artwork into the image of the frame I’m considering. It’s definitely not the same as seeing it in person but it does the trick. Here’s my hacky preview of ‘Singing Cat’ with the simple bamboo frame I picked for it.

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I received both the “Hoja Papel” from Esther Ramirez and “Singing Cat” by Ashley G and have been working on getting both ready to hang. More on “Singing Cat” to come, but “Hoja Papel” is now up and giving me something lovely to look at while I work!

I decided not to frame the piece but instead mounted it on some sturdy paper and used a small binder clip to hang it on a nail. The trick to this technique is either using two clips at each corner if the piece is large and/or thin or one if the piece is small and rigid enough to lay flat.

A close-up of “Iris.”

The drawing is so delicate that it’s hard to fully appreciate it on a computer screen. This shot does it a little more justice.

“Iris” by Cendrine Rovini. Pencil and marker on paper. $130.

I wrote about Cendrine’s work yesterday and was so inspired that I bought this drawing. I was really touched by this piece in particular, and for $130 it was hard to pass up.

But it wasn’t quite so simple. While attempting to make a decision I felt overwhelmed by choice. I had narrowed it down to a half dozen of Cendrine’s drawings but was having a tough time singling out a clear winner. (In the heat of the moment it can be really challenging determining what you want to own and hence look at every day!) As often happens, I ended up purchasing the piece I was first drawn to. I say if something draws you in right away, there’s a reason.

In these moments of doubt I also get Cameron’s input - it can make a big difference to get another opinion when you’re trying to make a decision and your eyes are glazing over. He always reminds me to pick what I love, not what I think is the coolest or what other people will like. And he’s right.