New Art and Ikea Stromby Hack

I have been obsessed with Jessica Rae Sommer's portrait art for a while. They are expressive, avant-garde, and capture the most vivid colours and details of a moment. I can't really put a label on my decorating style (that's probably why we call it eclectic), but it is on the transitional side and is definitely not mid-century mod. Therefore I am a bit concerned that her artworks may not work for my home, but I couldn't seem to be able to take them off my mind either. So I finally decided to give them a try, and ordered two of my favourite ones: Lavender Heat and Face (for NYC). I am glad to report that I am beyond happy with how they turned out. 

This is Jessica Rae Sommer's Lavender Heat in an Ikea Stromby Frame. 

I really want a thin and minimalist frame so I opted not to go with Ribba which has a much deeper profile. 

I was all ready to get to work and spray this baby with a few coats of gold paint until I found out that the glass of the Stromby frame is glued to the frame and does not come off. So frustrating! I ended up having to go the old fashion way by taping up the glass and painting it in Liquid Leaf Classic Gold. You can still see brush strokes when you are up close, but overall the gold-leafed frame looks fine if you are not looking for them. 

The framed Lavender Heat is now in my master bedroom. 

Now onto the Face (for NYC). I have seen many designers and bloggers incorporate this painting into their projects and they all look gorgeous, like what Sara Blakely did in her mid-century mod dining room. 

Initially I was going to have it custom framed in the same minimalist black frame, or have it laminated and mounted onto a poster board. As I was contemplating the options, I taped the print onto an existing framed art in my upper hallway to see how it would look with the gold bombe chest. I was pleasantly surprised by how amazing the print looks in a thicker champagne picture frame! I immediately took out the black white photo and replaced it with the JRS' print. 

Under a different lighting.

I think I like this setting better with black and white accessories. Who knew such a piece of avant-garde portrait art would work so nicely with a more traditional style hallway of mine? The conclusion is that there are no rules when it comes to art. Just collect whatever your heart tells you to and display them all. 

P.S. I bought both prints from Society6.