Hi again!
Last Monday night, Sotheby’s kicked off the New York auction season with two big sales, one for major contemporary artists and the other for emerging artists. Together, the two auctions sold $267.3 million worth of art. So “emerging” might be…relative.
On Tuesday night, my son’s school held its annual art show, featuring truly emerging artists. It was incredible. My first grader loves sports, but I’ve never seen such a big smile on his face as when he showed me his piece pinned to the temporary gallery wall in the gym. I was reminded again about the positive power of making art, for both the artist and the audience.
As I’ve started to fill the walls of my home, of course my children’s art has found a home on its walls. But I also love supporting artists with whom I have or feel a personal connection (beyond having given birth to them!), and today I wanted to share them with you. Some of the artists listed below I am lucky enough to call my friends, and some of them I’ve discovered over the years. I hate to sing the praises of Instagram (have you read Jonathan Haidt’s new book yet?), but it has introduced me to art from, yes, emerging artists, all over the country. And my home - and life - are more colorful for it.
The Artists!
Anna Matthews: My friend Anna creates beautiful work exploring color and texture. She’s gone from the East Coast to the Wild West and is currently working on a series marrying the rustic with the refined by painting beautiful old barns on gorgeous silk (I love a good textile work, it speaks to my fashion-and-art loving soul). And she’s currently taking commissions for the summer!
Ronen Azulay: Ronen and I worked together during his former life as a fashion designer. Now he is a full-time artist who creates powerful pieces out of reclaimed denim, leather, and other materials that explore sustainability, social values, and his Israeli-Moroccan heritage. His work can be found at hotels, residences, and stores likes Saks and Madewell all over the world. He is currently showing new work in New York at The Other Art Fair through May 19.
Scott Sueme: One day when I was searching for interior design inspiration on Instagram, I found a post that I loved, searched the image via Google, and was introduced to Scott’s gorgeous, tactile work. I fell in love with his Pacific Northwest-inspired pieces that exist somewhere in between painting and sculpture. Like Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Scott works on both large-scale site-specific works, as well as smaller pieces.
Jane Dashley: I’ve followed Jane on the interwebs for close to two decades. She was one of the OG fashion bloggers, with an incredibly distinct voice and incomparable eye. To her audience, it might seem like she’s recently moved from the world of fashion to the world of art, but what makes her so special is how she has always interwoven the two. Her recent paintings are an otherworldly mix of child-like wonder and sophisticated color and design. (P.S. Her mother, Judy Aldridge, has unbelievable style and talent, too.)
Lily Stockman: Ok, so Lily might have moved from emerging to established, but that’s ok. I still discovered her via Insta! I first learned of Lily through her and her sister, Hopie’s, company, Block Shop Textiles, back in the days when I was doing “competitive research” for Olen Organic (my former baby clothing company). Lily is a rising star in the art world, represented by galleries in New York, London, and beyond. She uses color, shape, and technique in a way that makes her paintings vibrate. The energy fields she creates around her work are wild, and it’s really cool to get a behind-the-scenes view of how she’s building a mega-career.
Enjoy! Remember, it’s not aimless scrolling on social media - it’s cultural research (even if it’s from bed). Win-win!
x Lindsay