Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1458429
W hen I started Lesley Myrick Interior Design in 2015, my business actually had a different name: Lesley Myrick Art + Design. As a collage artist and an interior designer, I couldn't make up my mind! I didn't want to limit myself and my business only to interior design when my love for creating original art — and collecting it — ran deep. A few years ago, I closed my Etsy shop and shifted my focus fully to interiors, but art is still a central part of what I do and how I do it. Selecting art for my clients is one of the most vulnerable parts of my work as an interior designer. Art is so personal and needs to resonate on a much deeper level than a sofa or table lamp does. I can select an accent chair or chandelier for a client in a matter of minutes and feel confident with my decision, but with art, I agonize over it and second-guess myself. And even if I personally love a specific piece of art, it doesn't mean that my clients will. We're all drawn to, ART FOR ALL INTRODUCING ORIGINAL ART INTO YOUR HOME IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK BY LESLEY MYRICK | PHOTO BY JEFF JONES and affected by, different elements in visual art. Last year, for a Macon client's bedroom, I chose a vintage photograph by Slim Aarons to be the focal point of the room. It had the right vibe, color palette and energy for the room, and it's a personal favorite piece of mine. However, it was the one item my client requested I re-select for the space. I was baffled. Why didn't she like it? I adored that photo, and it felt so perfect for the room! I thought it was a slam-dunk design decision, but clearly, I had missed the net. Her reason for requesting the change? She didn't like that the woman in the photo seemed to be staring right at her. It weirded her out. That is the power of art; to connect with the viewer, or even to repel the viewer. Great art makes you feel something. I'm personally drawn to colorful abstract art; a few favorite local artists include Kathleen Jones, Joe Adams and She Keene. Collecting original art can seem like an exclusive world that's out of reach for most, but it's actually more accessible than you might think. Many contemporary artists and galleries offer payment plans for larger investment pieces, and smaller works are often quite reasonably priced, especially if purchased unframed. Independent galleries, community art collectives and even coffee shops can be superb sources for affordable originals. I've found fantastic emerging artists on Instagram. Social media is making many things, including the world of original art, more affordable and more accessible. We're all familiar with the cliché of the starving artist, so let's be the generation that puts this in the past and compensates working artists well for their time and talents. That Van Gogh poster you tacked up in your college dorm isn't helping anyone out, so please, as the pithy saying goes, "buy art from living artists; dead ones don't need the money." Owning a unique piece of art, even if it's modestly sized, will always feel more special than hanging a mass-produced piece from a big-box home goods store. I'll reluctantly admit that I'm guilty of using readily available cheap-and- cheerful art as gallery wall filler, but it's 88 maconmagazine.com | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022