Affordable Art 101

I've been on both coasts over the past two weeks and am glad to be back home for a bit. We flew in from L.A. last night with such strong tail winds that we landed an hour early, giving us a chance to pick up Dame Eleanor McRuff from her kennel before the 6:30pm cut-off. We convinced the cab to floor it from O'Hare and I jumped out just in time to bust her out, only I had no leash. If she was one of those smart Collies that knows the difference between a sidewalk and a street or say a liver treat and a moving automobile it wouldn't be a problem. But in this case I needed, in true MacGeyver style, to rip my luggage strap off my suitcase and fasten it to her collar. As I walked down the street with a blatant shoulder strap as a leash a lady said, "Interesting leash" as I tried to explain she she cut me off and said, "Whatever works in an economy like this, right?" Sure I was dressed sort of like a hobo and hadn't really showered or brushed my hair, but REALLY?! It did get me thinking about how designers might have to adjust in a "deep recession" and that reminded me of a great resource for original prints, Affordable Art 101. It's not necessarily bargain prices, but it's a great way to add chic prints of high caliber at reasonable prices in lieu of perhaps paintings. Be sure to check out the Prints priced under $100 section. Above: Claes Oldenburg original lithograph "All Kinds of Love II" ($300). Below: Robert Indiana "Four Winds" original lithograph ($400); Alexander Calder original lithograph, 1965 ($350).