Whenever a customer brings up the subject of what sort of art they should buy, we always tell them the same thing: Buy the art you love. Regardless of its cost, age, provenance or who the artist is, art is meant to speak to us and touch us in some way. With that in mind, it’s a safe bet that pictures of our beloved pets, just like the rest of our family, will always touch our hearts and make us smile. That’s why we always love it when a customer brings us their pet’s pictures.

Another type of art that makes us smile, and feel pride, is artwork we have created ourselves. This runs the gamut from a kindergartner’s doodle to the work of an accomplished artist. But maybe you think you have no artistic ability. Think again.

You probably have a really nice camera in that phone sitting beside you or in your pocket. And you probably have about half a zillion pictures on it. Did you know that just about any of those photos can become a nice piece of art? There are dozens of apps available, many for free or just a couple dollars, that can help you transform a casual snapshot into something you’d be proud to frame (We’ll help with that!) and hang on your wall.

Here’s a great example we recently framed for our customer. She took this candid picture of her inquisitive little boy as he came over to see what she was doing. It captured his silly personality so well she knew she wanted to do something special with it. She used Prisma, one of the many apps mentioned, to transform him in a couple clicks and then had him printed. The filter she used was just one of many possibilities available; the photo could have just as easily been transformed into a watercolor, black and white photo, sketch, or who knows what else.

 

 

In selecting the framing, we considered a few different colors for mats but decided that a black mat was best. It provides a lot of contrast that allows the colors to stand out well and it draws the eye in to his adorable face. The photo is tightly cropped, without a lot extra space around him. In a case like this it is normally tempting to use a lighter mat on the bottom to “open up” the picture, but we decided to keep the tight cropping and the “in your face” nature of this little guy.

Our customer was thrilled to have her favourite little boy on the wall ready to say hello to her every time she passes by, and we were happy to help put a smile on her face. Browse through some of your favourite pictures and we’re sure you’ll find at least a few you’d love to have on your walls. We’re here and ready to help you get them there!