The first thing I did when I got a job and apartment after college, was A.) sent flowers to myself B.) splurged on an all-new wardrobe, or C.) went to a home decor store and went bananas, or D.) all of the above.

The answer is D! And my first stop at said home decor store, was… the kids’ section for my artwork. I may have been an adult on paper, but my favorite show was still Lizzie Maguire. Plus, one thing that hasn’t changed since the days of that cute apartment in the Twin Cities is my love of color. And art made for children is always vibrant and colorful and fun. Just like I used to be before a mortgage and laundry and stressing about forgetting my daughter’s freshman orientation wore me down and beat me up. I digress.

Here are a few artists whose work would look amazing in either an office OR a playroom.

Matt Lyon (aka C86) is a London-based artist that I’m sure I can’t afford. He’s done work for Nike, AT&T, and AOL (remember aol?!) among others, which tells me he’s out of my price range, but maybe not yours! In any event, we can appreciate his fun, funky designs like Cloud Blusters. To see more of his happy-go-lucky designs, check out his website here.

Matt Lyon isn’t the only Matt whose creations are kid-oriented, parent-appreciated. Matt Mabe illustrates animals and is there a kid’s room in the world without some kind of animal art? No. Even as an adult I wouldn’t dream of living in a home without some animal art. And his is perfection. Matt Mabe began creating a series of animal prints (one for each letter of the alphabet) for his kids’ bedrooms. They should definitely take them when they move into their first apartments.

Finally, I’d love to introduce you to a local Michigan artist. I was grabbing a cup of coffee a few weeks ago at a Full Circle Coffee (Byron Center- a few miles from the ice arena, incidentally.) and there was this beautiful, whimsical art on the walls. Mary Litwiller creates the most precious scenes- sometimes with fairies, sometimes not, but always cozy and/or interesting and/or fun. Check her out on IG at miss.artiste. Her feed is chock full of goodness. Not to mention… the mushrooms! Swoon!

I hope you’re doing something for your inner kid today! If you need some inspiration, look no further than your local home decor store!

Daisy Buchanan said “I always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it.” Well, friends, I always plan for National Redhead Day and then miss it. But not this year. It’s today! I’m celebrating with red wine and red vines. Because I’m classy.

Like fanny packs or white-washed jeans, red hair goes in and out of style in art. For instance, Pre-Raphaelite artists loved painting redheads. Why? Nobody knows. We can only assume some redheaded witch cast a spell on them. Here are three paintings featuring gingers.

John William Waterhouse painted redheads like Squid Game kills characters off. Easily and often. He loved painting mythological figures and creatures! He painted A Mermaid in 1901. His most famous redhead painting is Lady of Shalott, which I love so much I recreated it during quarantine when I had nothing better to do than paddle around in a canoe with candles and blankets. But I’d like to feature another painting of his, that I like just as much.

In The Tempest, Miranda is a compassionate, kind character, which is another reason I love this painting. Often redheads are witches or villains or have questionable morals. Case in point- Waterhouse also portrayed Lamia as a redhead and she was a child eating demon. So. When there is a good redhead in media, I just can’t resist her!

Historically, Mary Magdalene has also been portrayed with red hair. Along with Judas, Eve (after the fall), and sometimes Abel (after he killed his brother). I told you! We get a bad rap. Mary Magdalene turned out to be a gem though, and Frederick Sandys painted her beautifully. The model was probably Lizzie Siddal, who modeled for everyone who was anyone in the Pre-Raphaelite era.

Wikipedia thinks this is a sensual portrayal, but I sort of think she looks like she’s about to be sick in the alabaster jar. Opinions? I do like the eyebrows he gave her because they are faint like mine. Like she also has to add color to them before parent teacher conferences or tailgating or whatever redheads did back then.

If this next one looks familiar, it’s because you’ve visited my “About Me” page! But I promise I’m nothing like Lilith, who was horrible. In Jewish culture she was Adam’s first wife and a self-absorbed seductress and murderer. And those are the kinder descriptions.

This painting is a great example of Pre-Raphaelite art. There were lots of redheads, but does anybody every talk about the abundance of candelabras? Freckleless faces? Flowy dresses? Flowers? How women loved to play with their hair or hold something close to their chest?! What a time!

Happy National Redhead Day! You don’t need permission from a redhead to celebrate, but if you feel you do, here it is! Tell me how you are celebrating today!

I know what you’re thinking: “Today is National Deviled Egg Day!” You’re right, but there aren’t as many deviled eggs in the world of art as you may think. Instead, let me direct your attention to the Melbourne Cup race, which is also today! I didn’t care about the Melbourne Cup at all until I watched “Ride Like a Girl” on Netflix (I highly recommend it, you guys!) PSA: The horses to watch this year are Twilight Payment, English King, and Verry Elleegant. If you’re the betting sort.

In honor of the Australian race, let’s check out some Australian artists!

1. John Olsen: In reading about Olsen, I got the feeling he’s just always been famous. Like he was born a famous painter 93 years ago and has been ever since. His kids seem to have been bitten by the art bug too. His son is a successful art dealer, one daughter is a painter in her own right, another was a designer before passing away. It wasn’t all family fingerpainting and wholesome pictionary nights though. The family had their fair share of obstacles, you can read about this article, if you’re interested. We’re here for the art though, and the paintings emerging from John Olsen’s studio are noted as the best in Australia.

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2. If we’re talking about Australian artists, the world wide web insists I mention Sidney Nolan. I don’t know if he intended for his paintings to be funny, but I can’t help but find them humorous. His most famous work is a series of Ned Kelly paintings. Don’t know who Ned Kelly is? Me neither. He was a bushranger. Don’t know what a bushranger is? Me neither. They were escaped convicts, surviving in the outback. Outback outlaws, basically. I think Ned Kelly was like the Jesse James of Austalia. Nolan painted such an expansive series of Ned Kelly paintings, they could practically make up a comic book. Nolan lived through the Great Depression and agonized over his involvement in WWII. He had no shortage of inspiration for his art, but he most loved the Australian landscape and local history. It’s no wonder he’s noted as an Australian great.

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3. After stuffing my eyeballs with tons of Australian art and tearing my clothes and gnashing my teeth, I picked Margaret Preston to highlight as our third and last Australian artist du jour, but I’m going to give you a list of honorable mentions if you’re feeling saucy about the Aussies and really want to dive in to their art like a scuba diver at the Coral Reef. You know still-lifes aren’t my favorite, but something about how Preston painted flower arrangements makes me all warm and fuzzy. I love the bright flowers, and the unique touches she takes the time to include. For instance, in Anemones, I am completely enamored with the pitcher the flowers are in. Where are those houses, what inspired her to include them, and why are they so close together?!

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Happy Melbourne Cup Day! Here’s the answer to the question we all really want to know: The horses run counterclockwise in the Melbourne Cup as they do at the Kentucky Derby. See here for more info.

As promised, here are some Honorable Mentions: Albert Namatjira (his landscapes are beautiful!); Ben Quilty (if you’re into disfiguration, check him out); Fiona Hall (her sardine can sculptures are chef’s kiss! Mwah!)

For some reason my husband and I both have a hard time remembering our anniversary every summer. For some other reason, I have a really easy time remembering our proposalversary. I never forget it, and it is today! We don’t celebrate, except I may use it as an excuse to buy myself fancy chocolate. But I just do that on random days too. Even better than chocolate (Maybe? That’s up for debate.) is art! So to celebrate my (very, very long-awaited) engagement eighteen years ago, here are some sweet, lovey-dovey paintings.

Let’s kick it off by steaming up the windows with Watteau’s La Surprise. Jean-Antoine Watteau was a French Rococo painter, who, in true French fashion was enamored with love. His paintings are all titled things like, The Worried Lover, Pleasures of Love, The Feast of Love, and other things that would make any kid bear his cootie-protector like a cross to a vampire. My favorite is La Surprise, which is the most intimate of his paintings, in my opinion. But the most interesting part, I think, is the guitarist. He is watching unabashedly, while tuning his guitar. Critics seem to think he is sad or lonely, but I think he just looks intrigued. Way to make things weird, guy.

Fast forward a couple hundred years and Kerry James Marshall is creating beautifully intimate works about love. (Fun Fact: Marshall was named as one of Time Magazine’s Top 100 most influential people in the world in 2017!) Marshall painted a lovely, tender reimagining of Harriet Tubman and her husband, that I love. (And that sold for a cool 5 mil.) He also painted Slow Dance, which I think captures the everydayness of love. But I think my favorite Marshall piece that (literally) says “Love” is Vignette #2. There is a whole series of vignettes at the Art Institute of Chicago, but how sweet is this one? For once, I’m thankful for the lack of color. I think it is so dear in its simplicity.

Finally, a steamy painting from Roy Lichenstein: We Rose Up Slowly. I love words as much as paintings, so you can imagine my delight when an artist include words in their art. Lichenstein’s comic-y vibe really speaks to tweenage Julie, who spent a full summer reading Archie comics, weeding through them for the few glimpses of romance. I didn’t care if it was between Archie and Betty or Archie and Veronica. I didn’t even care if it was Moose and Midge. Lichenstein’s portrayal is a little more grown-up than what I remember in the Archie series, but it makes me nostalgic and romancey. (Sidebar: Roy Lichenstein was born in 1923!! Does that surprise anybody else?!)

Let’s hear it for a great November, my friends. And tell me- do you have/celebrate/remember your proposalversary?