Yes, it's true that spring may be quickly turning into summer. But since we don't yet have our office air conditioner installed, we're hoping that cool-ish spring weather sticks around a little while longer. As such, we've got a whole wish list of things we're wanting to read, buy, and do for spring:



Visit: The Catskill Animal Sanctuary in Saugerties New York. Only 90 minutes from New York city this sanctuary for abused and neglected farm animals is guaranteed to make you feel less curmudgeonly.

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Read: Pulphead: Essays, by John Jeremiah Sullivan. Web Editor Grace just finished this book of essays and it's the perfect read to pack for a get away weekend or a day at the beach. The essays are short and engaging with an authentic tone that is unselfconscious. You'll be entranced by the essay on Axel Rose. Seriously.



Buy: Mickalene Thomas' latest print for kids featuring her dachshund Priscilla available only through the MoMA Design Store. At only $140 framed, they're sure to go fast.



Wear: Tom Sachs for Nike sneakers. Wear these and you will be the coolest kid on this, or any other, planet.

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Jasper Johns, Three Flags, 1958. Whitney Museum of American Art.

Today is iconic American artist Jasper Johns' birthday. Johns (b. 1930) is famously reticent about his work saying, "I have no ideas about what the paintings imply about the world. I don't think that's a painter's business. He just paints paintings without a conscious reason," but one of his most well-known quotes sums up his approach to art and art-making:

"Do something, do something to that, and then do something to that."

On aging he says, "As one gets older one sees many more paths that could be taken. Artists sense within their own work that kind of swelling of possibilities, which may seem a freedom or a confusion."

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Jasper Johns, Catenary (Manet-Degas), 1999. Whitney Museum of American Art.

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We're hiring! ArtStar is looking for a summer photoshop intern. This is an opportunity to join a creative and dynamic team on the Lower East Side while building your resume. We are seeking an intern for 2-3 days per week in our office and are happy to arrange for school credit.

Responsibilities will include:

- Working with image files including resizing, color correcting and uploading into our system.

- Devising an image cataloguing system for our files.

- Working with installation and interior shots in photoshop.

- Light graphic design work as neened.

Requirements:

- Strong proficiency with Photoshop, InDesign, Adobe and the Microsoft Office Suite.

- Excellent organizational skills

- Ability to be self-directed on projects while working as part of a team

- Knowledge of and enthusiasm for the arts

This is an unpaid internships and students are strongly encouraged to apply. School credit can be arranged. Please email a cover letter and c.v. to hello@artstar.com.

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Interior Designer Sydney Maag stopped by our office this afternoon to give us some tips on how to hang and install art. Look for her advice on how to measure, install and level single pieces of art and how to hang a collection salon style. Big thanks to Sydney for stopping by!

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We had a great time on Friday night at Dagny & Barstow for Frieze Week cocktails. Emily, Meredith and Jess Hodin from the Winston Group were wonderful hosts and we celebrated with exceptional cocktails by Saint Germaine. Their summer spritizer is our new fave!  Thanks to all who stopped by and we hope everyone enjoyed the fairs and isn't too exhausted!

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Thanks to all who joined us on Monday at Soho House NYC for a great discussion about art, technology and the future of 3D printing. Matt Griffin, Community Manager for Makerbot was jointed by artists Micah Ganske and Marius Watz who presented on their work and their move into the world of 3D scuplture. They were joined on a panel by me, Grace, from ArtStar to contribute an art world perspective. It was a great night and thanks to Micah, Matt and Marius as well as to the audience for their great questions!

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We love seeing how other people hang their art collectionsand the above is a great example of how to pair vintage furniture, and particularly that amazing mirrored sidetable, with some vintage-inspired art and accessories. Note the asymmetrical arrangement of the pieces as well with the largest frame hung over the shelf of curiosities.

Below is a pic of Phillp Lim's house who's pairing of books and art against those gorgeous white bookshelves is just inspired. The oversized red floor lamp completes the look for a room that sophisticated and arty.

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JOIN US for a special Frieze Week Art Party

Hosted by: ArtStar, Dagny & Barstow and Jess Hodin from The Winston Art Group

Sponsored by St Germain

Friday May 4th, 6-9 pm

Join ArtStar, Dagny & Barstow and Jess Hodin on Friday May 4th from 6-9 PM at Dagny & Barstow on the Bowery for a cocktail celebration of the inaugural edition of the Frieze New York art fair as well as the PULSE and NADA fairs with a special focus on the art on the Lower East Side. Featuring cocktails by Saint Germain. No rsvp required.

Dagny & Barstow: 264 Bowery, just south of Houston.

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Dagny & Barstow is pleased to offer 15% off purchases during the party.

Winston Art Group is the nation's largest independent art advisory and appraisal's firm advising clients on acquisitions and disposal of all areas of fine art.  For more information, or to begin collecting or selling, please contact Jess Hodin at Hodin@WinstonArtGroup.com

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We love the way this room is hung salon style with many different small pieces. Note how they are all framed and mounted differently - some are framed and others aren't, the frames and mats are all different and there is a mix of painting, drawings, photography and sculpture. Building up a collection of small pieces and works on paper is also a great way to grow a collection on a budget and it present ever varying possibilities for arranging the work on your walls. Best of all, if you move the pieces are easily adaptable to new wall space.

Oh, and how lucky is that kid to grow up in a space like that?!

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We were incredibly flattered to see this article in Rebellious Magazine about Redefining What It Means to Be an Art Collector by Erinn M. Cox. A huge thank you for the kind words!

Re-define What it Means to be An Art Collector

By Erinn M. Cox

In the winter of 2010, I stumbled upon a website for a gallery in London and discovered the work of an artist named Jennie Gunhammar .  Her work is breathtaking, I mean literally breathtaking, and although I desperately and suddenly wanted to own one of her pieces – I couldn’t get myself to even ask the price. Her images stuck with me, and when I still couldn’t get them out of my head some 14 months later, I emailed the gallery to inquire about pricing, availability, etc.  A simple email was all it took to get the ball rolling toward my first, real, live, art purchase.  The high of the purchase was only exceeded when the work actually arrived, and it was more gorgeous in person than I ever imagined it would be. At 35, I was finally a bonafide art collector.

Sound familiar? Absolutely – even for those of us who are more seasoned in the fine arts, at least in appreciation and knowledge, if not the wallet.  Working in the art fair business, I can recall a visual of what a major, fine art collector looks like – and it certainly didn’t look like anyone in my circle, myself included.  I have denied myself the joy of purchasing art, supporting artists, filling my home with beautiful pieces – mostly because I was convinced I couldn’t afford the “real” work.  And for that, I was a fool.

In the last few years, the characterization of an art collector is changing – not only in the minds of the collectors but the galleries as well. The picture of a wealthy, seasoned patron is blurred with the up-and-coming buyer with both a little and a lot to spend. Whether you are looking for something (or someone) specific, or wide open to what’s out there – there are virtual galleries that are redefining what it means to purchase and collect art and support artists.

These carefully curated websites offer dynamic works at exceptionally reasonable prices selected for both the veteran collector and the daring novice with an astounding variety of conceptual thoughts.  The best part?  They’re open 24 hours a day and provide tons of information, categories for sorting, and assistance if you’re just not sure where to start. The art buying process should always be about finding work you just have to have and with art this accessible; you should be filling your walls from ceiling to floor.



ArtStar | www.artstar.com

Good for Artists, Good for You | Build Your Collection | Be An Expert

Believing that people who enjoy contemporary art should be able to own it, ArtStar is all about exposure – for the artist (emerging and established) as well as the buyer (novice or seasoned). Founder and director, Chrissy Crawford explains why: "ArtStar is an online platform for discovering and collecting contemporary art at affordable prices. The recession spurred a tremendous amount of innovation in the art world. Artists and galleries became open to new ways to reach collectors and realized that the survival of the art world means accessing not only young collectors, but collectors with limited budgets and without access to galleries. ArtStar uses the Internet as an online platform to give artists exposure to collectors around the world. We also help artist access younger collectors often priced out of the market for their original work but who have what they want to collect. Collectors might purchase a print from ArtStar for $50 today, but they are actively invested in the artist's career and might by an original down the line."

As you begin collecting work, the biggest question sometimes is which work to buy. By taking the guesswork out of collecting with a wealth of resources for learning about art, ArtStar has the answer here, too – including a blog with video interviews their featured artists and curators and savvy collecting advice, as well as virtual exhibitions to see how tastemakers assemble collections. Knowing that you’ll receive numbered, authenticated, limited-edition, museum-quality prints makes your only decisions which one and which size - in a run of 450, between three sizes are divided as follows: 11"x14" editon of 250 | 20"x24" editon of 150 | 30"x40" editon of 50, all starting at just $25.



I find the work on ArtStar to be some of the most interesting, cutting-edge and conceptually diverse work I’ve seen – often challenging my notions of art in significant ways.  It's no surprise, with an all-star team of curators and art experts scouring the globe for significant and special work; all becoming must-haves in any collection. In my own, my first purchase here was Langdon Graves’ Cycle for a mere $50.  Her drawings are beyond my means at the moment, but this print is one of my favorites, and I feel privileged to own one of her works. On my list to grab before they’re gone are Noel Kerns’ Prada Marfa, Dolly Faibyshev’s Pink Pants Poodle, and Kim Høltermand’s Deserted City Bridge.  All three present contexts that seem familiar but often are beyond what I’ve experienced in a reality.  I think I’ve been here, been there, and experienced that place, but then maybe it's all imaginary. These juxtopositions of the surreal with the familiar, the luxury with the stark, the partial with the complete are what make art so seductive and ArtStar is teeming with this kind of work.

Beginning an art collection (or jump-starting a burgeoning one) isn’t the challenge it used to be.  The caliber of work on offer online today is unparalleled – the opportunity to own works from some of the world’s finest artists is staggering, and won’t cost you a year’s salary to do it.  Finding work I love and bringing it into my home is a joy unmatched by almost any other purchase I make, and both of these sites have ensured my happiness for some time to come.

Images: from top, Pink Pants Poodle, Deserted City: Bridge, and Cycle.

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