Artwork, Pattern & Inspiration

I ended up on an incredible new (to me) site today that I thought I’d share with you for a little inspiration. The main idea behind 20×200.com is that “art doesn’t have to be expensive to be good.” Amen. Love it.

Filter Samples from 20x200.com

While art should always be costly, it doesn’t need to be expensive. And even if it’s expensive, art is generally an investment worth having. That doesn’t mean you should throw money at every artist who asks you to buy their work. Think about your life and where you spend time – in your office, do you want to be inspired and reminded of certain things? Hunt for artwork that will lead toward that inspiration.

Day 114: Dice on 20x200.com

For me, I know that my brain really gets going when I can pull together a series of objects or moments and realize that they are part of a pattern or have some kind of commonality between them. I like uncovering relationships between events, songs, dates, whatever. I enjoy finding rhythms of continuity – it’s something that fascinates me. As a result of that, I enjoy artwork that shows pattern or sequences or collections. I’m not a fan of abstract – not because I don’t appreciate the aesthetic of it but because I’m not able to uncover any kind of relationships within the artwork itself.

Prairieside Forks from 20x200.com

This idea of uncovering and appreciating pattern comes out in how I plan and lead worship services for my church. Explicit or not, I want a thread of continuity running from the beginning of our time together right through to the end – even as a way of helping me lead people through the experience. Sometimes it is more evident, sometimes it’s more of a foundation to what we are doing. But usually as I’m planning our services, I’ve found it helpful to identify some of these commonalities for people as we’re journeying through the different elements. I’m sure you understand.

125 Swimming Pools at 20x200.com

For me, I want artwork that is going to inspire me towards this idea of uncovering pattern and relationship. I’ve put some examples in this post that reflect that and I’ll definitely be heading back to that site to buy one or two of these pieces to be included in my collection.

What’s the last piece of original art you bought?