What is the one decorative piece in your home that makes you smile every time you see it? Maybe it’s a luxurious cashmere throw an extra-special person gave you, or a status-symbol object emblazoned with your favorite logo. Or maybe it’s that thrift store chair you picked up for a song and gave it a cover-worthy makeover. For me, it’s this painting:
C. Flower 2, Ashley Saer
When we moved into our house in August 2006, one of the first things I did while painting over all those pink walls was paint the oddly shaped hallway/pod a fun blue (Enchantment by Behr, by the way) to break up the expanse of white walls all around. We hung a few things that would fit on the narrow walls that made up the space, but the wider wall at the end of the hallway remained blank until later that fall. Because whatever would eventually occupy that space had to be special.
I first saw the painting, C. Flower 2 by Arkansas artist Ashley Saer, on the invitation to an upcoming fall show at interior designer Tobi Fairley’s shop-gallery combo, now known as Tobi Fairley Gallery. As soon as the colorful card came across my desk, I was transfixed by the trio of bouquet oil paintings that decorated it, but particularly this one—the textural, abstract blooms, the varied background hues of my favorite color…and the vase. Especially the vase, because it was virtually the same color as the walls. Clearly all of these things indicated that this was meant to be. Having worked with Saer in the past, I’d long-admired her work, and this was the perfect piece to start a collection with.
The night of the show, I was so happy to see that “sold” sticker next to my new painting, which couldn’t come home with me yet, as it was still not entirely dry. But I was able to pick it up a couple of days later, and I was so excited to finally get it home and see how it looked in what is now officially known as the pod gallery. And as you can see, it is perfect, as if it were commissioned just for that spot. And any time I look at it, I’m immediately cheered up by the brilliant color scheme and the beautifully textured blooms. Of every piece in our small but pretty great collection of art by Arkansas artists, I know this will always be my favorite.
