Why am I an art consultant?

Appreciating Seurat’s *A Sunday on the Island of La Grande Jatte* at the Art Institute of Chicago.

When I was a kid and had no idea that “art consultant” was even a job, art was still a major part of my life because I surrounded myself with it. My bedroom walls were covered with posters of my favorite Monet paintings, and under a sheet of glass on my desktop were postcards from every art museum I’d ever visited. I would rearrange them regularly, keeping the extras in a shoebox in my closet – and I had a lot of extras. I grew up just outside Washington, D.C., and my parents often took me to the National Gallery, where I’d acquired the bulk of my collection. Postcards gave me a way to hang on to the feeling of losing myself in a captivating painting.

A childhood trip to the Metropolitan Museum - I promise I enjoyed it more than my face here suggests.

As a teenager applying to college, it suddenly dawned on me that my continued interest in art was something worth pursuing more seriously. I have no talent for drawing or painting – I’m strictly an art appreciator – and it never occurred to me that I might have a future in the art world. I just knew that I loved art, so I decided to give art history a try. Packing up for my move to Berkeley, I made sure to bring my shoeboxes full of postcards, which soon papered the walls of my dorm room.

An example of postcard wallpaper in a dorm - sadly, my college photos are trapped on an old digital camera somewhere. Photo: Society 19

Instinctively, art is the first thing I add when moving to a new space, no matter how temporary. I once carted along two large Robert Motherwell silkscreen prints when my family had to relocate for few months, whereas most of my clothes went into storage. But the art made the new space feel like home. It was essential.

An adorable photobomber in front of the Robert Motherwells in our temporary home.

I feel so fortunate that my family has been able to collect a number of original artworks, but my postcards still have a special place in my heart because they remind me of why I chose this career: I have always felt compelled to surround myself with art, and I want to share that feeling with as many people as possible.

A Joseph Albers *Homage to the Square* silkscreen installed in a bedroom

Art makes your space distinctive, adding energy to any room. And while I can’t cite any scientific sources on this, I firmly believe from my own experience that art is good for your brain – it engages your mind and imagination yet also offers a mental resting place during times of quiet reflection. Not to mention the fact that it makes any room more interesting and beautiful.

An Aldo Chaparro crumpled metal wall sculpture, installed in a Laguna Beach home.

At California Art Advisory, placing art in clients’ homes is my favorite part of the job. The hunt for the right piece is one I relish, but the best part is visiting again after my clients have had a chance to live with it for a while. Seeing how the art has enhanced their home and become part of their daily routines is so satisfying, especially if they have children. When kids live with art (whether it’s original or of the postcard variety), their lives are enriched, and if they’re lucky, they’ll find a way to keep that feeling going, even as adults.