I just love the location of my office at the HEC-TV station. With all of the unique organizations and venues in the Grand Center, it seems like there is always something to do around here. Last week as I was leaving work I noticed a big group of people next door at the Contemporary Art Museum and I decided to check out what was going on. It turned out to be a festival for St. Louis artists, photographers and jewelry makers to display and sell their artwork!
I immediately fell in love with these photos by Jane Linders. Two gorgeous HDR photos of a vintage camera + coffee and a chance to support a local artist? Sold. I am kind of embarrassed to admit that I couldn’t wait to get to work the next morning to dress up my cube with these new beauties.
If you’re anything like me, the holidays always seem to approach so quickly and often cause stress between finishing things up at work, traveling, and most of all, shopping. I especially have trouble finding something to buy for the gift exchanges that take place at seemingly every holiday party. I realized about 10 minutes before I started writing this post that I still need to come up with gift ideas for three different celebrations with family, friends and coworkers. The easiest way to handle this situation would be to buy the same gift for each of the festivities, but finding something that can be enjoyed by party guests of all ages with different interests seems nearly impossible.
As I sat in my cube pondering my dilemma, I looked at my new photos and discovered that the answer was right in front of me; literally. Why didn’t I think about my gift exchange needs during my adventure at CAM last week? Luckily I happened to pick up the business cards of my favorite artists from the art fair, so I can now make my gift exchange purchases from the convenience of my cube via their Etsy shops. If you are in a similar holiday gift-purchasing situation, I strongly encourage you to support our local artists.
Below is some more work by Jane Linders. If you happen to follow me on Instagram, you know that I am a big fan of HDR and I am totally inspired by Jane’s use of the technique. In addition to HDR, she also has galleries of infrared photos, polaroid transfers and lightboxes.
These custom “hipstamagnets” by Jill Giordano make a perfect exchange item for all types of holiday parties. Jill can create a custom magnet out of any photo or digital scan. What a great opportunity to break away from generic gifts and add a creative personal touch to your white elephant present.
Carrie Hawkins’ decorative paintings “Souvenirs from Wonderland” will brighten the home of any friend, family member or co-worker. Her projects include murals, wall hangings, custom drawers and more. You can see here work here!
Lastly, these fabulous custom book marks by HEC-TV’s own Jacqui Poor make the perfect stocking stuffer! Each “Book Bling” item is one of a kind and is only $5. Email Jacqui@hectv.org if you are interested!
Good luck with all of your holiday shopping! Thanks for supporting the St. Louis art community.
