Beautiful art adds life and personality to any space — making it an essential piece of the home design puzzle. I don’t have a favorite style, medium, or artist. Truly, if you were to come to my home, you would see everything from sketches, photography, and portraits to sculptures, paintings, art that I’ve picked up on my travels, and even art that my kids created when they were younger. I have art with bold colors, art that is black and white, art that is loud, and art that is quiet. At the end of the day, I buy what I love and what speaks to my heart. Without question, it all comes together beautifully in the end (as all heart-driven collections do!).

With that said, I am really excited to share more on the talented artists I’ve worked with previously and whose work I admire. Please note, this list is non-exhaustive — there are so many incredible artists whose work I obsess over, and truth be told, I simply ran out of space to keep raving about all of the amazing creators out there. But, here is a start. 😉 

A Few Artists to Check Out

More than anything, I view art as storytelling. I host a monthly Instagram series called Meet the Maker, where I interview artists and hear about their work, their processes, and the stories behind what they do. The more time I spend learning about each artist’s journey and why they create what they do, the more I fall in love with their art.  There is so much more that goes into their pieces than just a canvas and a paintbrush — so see below for the list of artists you must check out: 

1. Dana DeAno (@danadeano)

2. René Romero Schuler (@reneromeroschuler)

3. Sergio Gomez (@sergiogomezart)

4. Cleveland Dean (@clevelanddean)

5. Lincoln Schatz (@lincolnschatz)

6. Sheila Arora (@sheilarora)

7. Thomas Masters (@masters_thomas)

8. Eric Gushee (@ericgushee)

9. Salvador Dominguez (@salvador_dominguez_) 

…etc, etc.  Do I have to stop?!

What I love about these artists is how unique, personal, and powerful their work is. They all have their own perspectives to offer, and are incredibly passionate about their work and the stories it tells. Dana is a visual artist, using reclaimed materials; Lincoln is a photographer and captures about 100 unspoken words with each photograph; Eric Gushee creates large metal and wire structures; René is an expressionist painter depicting femininity and strength… I could go on for ages, and I’m just touching on a few!

Where Does All of This Art Go?

I am always thankful that my career allows me to buy and collect art for others — otherwise I’d run out of space on my walls for all of the pieces I can’t stop thinking about. But what’s extra fun about buying for clients is getting to source with a new perspective in mind, to experience a different taste of art, and to expand my own taste as well. 

Art is very subjective, so when I source art I have to really understand what speaks to my clients. What speaks to me may not capture the same feeling as it does for them. To understand what moves them — if they don’t have time to visit local galleries — I will populate a Pinterest board with various pieces of art and have them comment on what they like or don’t like. After that, we at AKD begin our journey of the search. There are so many local artists in Chicago (which is great!), so I try to source from these artists as much as possible. (Beyond supporting artists because they also live in Chicago, I also love supporting them because they’re able to come in and install their own piece — which I think is a wonderful moment for both the buyer and the artist! One of my favorite parts of an install day is watching the client and the artist connect.)

What’s Next?

I am always looking for the next exciting piece for my collection. A few things on my list for the new year:

1. The bolder, the better: I’m loving how artists have been playing with bold colors recently. Even if you love your furnishings to be serene and neutral, there’s something about bold art next to a white or gray sofa that is incredibly impactful.

2. Immerse yourself: I LOVE the immersion art series that have been coming to Chicago. If you didn’t make it to an immersive Van Gogh or Monet and The Impressionists exhibit, please try to make it to the next exhibit that makes its way through your nearest metropolitan area. It is absolutely mesmerizing to see art on that scale, and you truly feel as if you’re a part of the art. The music that accompanies the exhibits really completes the experience.

3. Art that speaks: Street art connects an artist to the community through creativity — offering freedom of expression, energy, and opportunities to share important emotions related to politics, social issues, and more. For meaningful work such as this, check out Sam Kirk (and her Meet the Maker episode!).

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, and this doesn’t exclude art. So take these thoughts as a starting point and use them to go find what you love in the art world. You may be surprised what speaks to you, or maybe you know just what your heart wants. Don’t be afraid to explore small, local galleries or to venture off into the rabbit holes of Pinterest to discover what speaks to you and what you want in your collection for years to come.