Martin Luther King, Jr., a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement, preached peace in the face of brutality and died a violent death at the age of 39. His methods, shared by Mahatma Gandhi and other well-known leaders, have been praised long after his death, and he lives on through his quotes. Color your living room with the words of a great man who continues to influence millions.

These art prints evoke a sense of hope and security, even through less vibrant colors like black and white. Although simple, they remind us that the words are the focal point by refraining from using graphics that can distract from them. This provides a calming contrast to more colorful decorations in your living room. If there aren’t many other decorations, it emphasizes the minimalism in a very classy way. Martin Luther King art prints fit in just about anywhere, no matter the environment.

Just Words

Some of the most bare bones art can be the most potent. Veruca Salt’s “Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate” proves this with black, cursive-like scripts against a plain white background. Featuring only four lines of text, it offers a quote that’s easy to remember. Capitalizing the word “LOVE”’ creates a focal point near the bottom center, and it also drives home the point of the quote and reminds us of how much power love really has. This is a great print to hang in the living room to bring your family together. Family love can turn into love for your fellow man for the people who live alone. “Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate” inspires warmth and simple goodness through its minimalistic approach.

This approach is repeated for Veruca Salt’s “You Have to Keep Moving Forward – Martin Luther King Jr,” which sets King's words in a variety of texts (most frequently block text) against a dark gray background. Using large letters that take up the entire space of the poster, it is easily readable. Capitalized verbs accentuate the importance of actions, while the word “forward” is italicized to create a forward slant. Different words are bolded to add emphasis.

Words And Simple Graphics

Taylor Greene’s “Martin” uses large capitalized white print over a generic silhouette. Rather than taking away from the text, the graphic enhances it, giving King’s words an ideological context by placing it within a person’s head. That it isn’t Martin Luther King’s head isn’t a problem: rather, it echoes the belief that his approaches are universal and that anyone can benefit from using them. With this print in their living areas people can challenge themselves to put King’s ideas into practice and bring him back to life through the realization of his ideas.

Martin Luther King, Jr. art prints can bring hope and positive energy to people’s homes and provide constant motivation to love one another and work for a better future. Treat yourself to a happier life by hanging Martin Luther King’s words on your wall.

Sepia tones weren’t always looked at as part of up-to-the-minute, design schemes. They started out as a necessity. People harvested cuttlefish from the sea and used some of them to make ink. Over the years, the ink was used to create many different things. As such, it eventually found its way into the hands of photographers. They added it to their work in the hopes of increasing visual interest and longevity. Their efforts paid off and sepia toned pictures became very popular. Today, people are still using them to decorate their homes and offices. Although there are no framing or matting rules, most people choose to keep the overall look down-to-earth. Thus, sepia photography is often paired with frames and matting that matches or compliments the images’ natural tones. Also, people no longer feel the need to restrict their displays to images of the past.

Golden Gate Bridge II

Alan Blaustein

Consequently, sepia tones are creeping into contemporary artists’ photos too. For example, it is common to find them in collections of wildlife photography by artists like Susann Parker, Barry Hart, Monte Nagler, Tony Stromberg and Wendy Caro.  It is also seen in bodies of work that focus on flowers, trees, architecture, waterscapes, transportation, business and more. So modern minded decorators have no shortage of geometric shapes, tones, textures and themes to work with when it comes to sepia photography. Of course the tones are still used to recreate the feel of bygone days as well. The list of fine examples includes Al Capone’s Wanted Poster, Tennis on the Wings, Vintage Football, Rosie O’Grady Firetruck and Jim Christensen’s Train Series. Each would certainly have a place in homes or businesses with a penchant for nostalgia. For instance, the Tennis on the Wings photo might look good next to model planes, antique altimeters or vintage rackets.

Tides and Waves

Alan Majchrowicz

From bathroom to bonus room,  Michael Mullan's art prints are perfect for adding creative cheer and inspiration to rooms in your home. Mullan grew up in Chicago and currently lives in Woodstock, Vermont. He works as a graphic designer and illustrator and he enjoys playing the violin and guitar. Michael Mullan went to Millikin University and earned a BFA in graphic design. He also has a MFA in illustration from SCAD. Mullan's creations are published as wall art. His art is also displayed on fabrics, dishware and more. These can be found in quality stores such as Bloomingdale's, Hallmark, and Target. Mullan's art has a special way of speaking across generations and lifestyles by adding modern flare to classic themes. To read more about Michael Mullan's accomplishments, click here.

Enhance the creative cheer of the most necessary room in your house with Dancing Bubbles I. This is an art print of a bathroom sink full of water with bubbles in the background. The print is made of light blues, beiges and browns. Hanging this art print in your bathroom not only adds a complimentary decor, but also brings a relaxing and soothing feel. This print sets the mood of the bathroom because it has words like "calming" and "soothing". Dancing Bubbles I features a simple, fun print with gorgeous earthy hues of blues and browns for relaxing in your bathroom. 

Spice up your kitchen decor with splashes of deep reddish brown. Many of Michael Mullan's kitchen art prints include phrases like "A cup of love" and "Cooking is love made edible". These prints will bring love into the room and make it more family friendly. Most of Mullan's kitchen prints use red, black, white and light blue. The simplistic colors of these pieces make it easier to one to match your kitchen and choose a finish as well.  

With the wonderful hues of light sage and aqua, Mullan's prints like the Night Owl II print is perfect for children's rooms and sun rooms. This art print shows a owl perched on a tree branch under the moon. Right next to the owl's feet in small letters are the words "GOODNIGHT SLEEP TIGHT". The colors are light and compliment each other.

A kitchen is one of the most valuable assets of a home.  Modern design is becoming more and more popular and the natural flow between living and kitchen areas make this type of decor very appealing.  Polished stainless steel, sleek straight lines, and uncluttered surfaces deliver a clean and organized space to prepare meals or ponder the days events with a cup of coffee.  Be selective in minimal modern art wall hangings and your kitchen will deliver that perfect balance of modernism and contentment.

What to Look For

A silhouetted picture of kitchen utensils on a frameless canvass mat, is a subtle reminder of the room's purpose without becoming overbearing with too much movement.  Never eye-catching, but bringing volume to an empty wall space, a single fork, a pair of spoons, or a tea-pot fills a void with character, without distraction.

A Touch of Color

Add a colorful reminder of naturalism with large slices of oranges, limes and grapefruit for a complimentary display of realism.  A contemporary oil painting, surrounded by a skinny frame, will provide a touch of sheer elegance among polished appliances.

You can never go wrong with sepia or black and white photography, encased in bordered, silver or black frames, when creating a delicate balance of modern motif.  An ordinary cup or a group of scattered spoons work well when hung in duplicate along a side wall or positioned above a stainless steel range or basin.  Captured shading adds dimension and highlights the beauty of chrome and stainless steel.

Before deciding on wall hangings to compliment your modern kitchen, search around on our website for various ideas of popular designs and images that are present in urban, contemporary, or even eclectic decor.  Not only will your kitchen become more appealing to your own taste, but will also blend more naturally with surrounding areas with like decor and style.

April is National Decorating Month but that’s not the only reason to shop for wall art in the days ahead. There are a lot of funky holidays scheduled to take place throughout the month and we’ve got several framed art pieces that can help you celebrate them in style. We’ve picked out five unusual observances to help you get started:  

Straw Hat Month

It’s Straw Hat Month. So why not celebrate it by decorating your home or business with paintings featuring people wearing straw hats? Famous artists Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Pierre-Auguste Renoir have created several paintings that would blend into a straw hat theme. There are also full color photos that celebrate straw hats too. They include Susie Boyer’s Working Day is Done and Walter Bibikow/Danita Delimont’s Cuba, Sancti Spiritus, Trinidad, Cuban Straw Hats.

National Kite Month

National Kite Month is another reason to redecorate in April. Try setting up a display wall featuring artist Jack Sorenson’s Flying Kite with Friends or Paul Brent’s series, Beach Kites. Brent’s series would pair perfectly with artist Katharine Gracey’s Beach Houses collection or Michael Paraskevas’ My Seven Aunts. They feature flying kites too.

International Guitar Month

International Guitar Month also falls in April. That said, you might want to hang a series of guitar themed artwork throughout the house. The list of artists whose work contains great images of guitars includes, but doesn’t end with Pablo Picasso, Tang Ling, Edouard Manet, Adam Perez and Deann Hebert. Of those five, Tang Ling’s collection includes a series of black and white photos taken at a guitar factory. In our opinion, they’d look fantastic on display in a music room.

Car Care Month

Fans of vintage motor vehicles rejoice! It’s officially Car Care Month as well. So hang up framed photos of classic cars, racing posters, race drivers and more. We’ve got more than 700 pieces of car art to choose from, including works by artists Antonio Massa, Scott Westmoreland and Keith Mallett.

National Card and Letter Writing Month

Lastly, April is prime time to pay homage to the lost art of letter writing. Yes, it’s actually National Card and Letter Writing Month. Celebrate it with movie posters like Letters to Juliet or contemporary prints like Wild Apple Studio’s Letters Series. Other artists who’ve creating pictures featuring letters are Deam Millman, Albert Ludovici, Cristin Atria and Alma Lee.

If you have any questions about purchasing artwork that fits right in with these and any number of April’s funky holidays, please contact us!

With Oktoberfest kickoff closing in, we wanted to talk about decorating home bars and entertaining areas with animal art, specifically. It’s a great, subtle way to convey the feel of Old World Germany traditions year round. Of course one of the animals that should be at the center of the decorating scheme is the dachshund.

Dachshunds have been a part of German culture for centuries, and according to the American Kennel Club, their roots go back to the 1600's. At the time, many German huntsmen used the dogs to capture foxes, badgers, rabbits and feral pigs. In later years, they were entered into dachshund races during October celebrations and other competitive events, which continue around the world to this day.

On top of that, there are companies that manufacture dachshund themed wine, beer and bar supplies. Among them are Dachshund Riesling, III Dachshunds Beer and Maitland-Smith. The dog themed bar supplies include brass wine holders, shot glasses, steins, highball glasses, bottle openers, coasters and more. Thus, incorporating wiener dog themed animal art into a home bar or Oktoberfest décor scheme makes sense.

There are two pieces of animal art that must be mentioned when talking about Oktoberfest and home bar decor. One is Stephen Fowler’s Dachshund Wine print and the other is Ryan Fowler’s Dachshund Brewing Co. print. They both resemble vintage advertising signs and prominently feature the dog's image. Because they do have the appearance of commercial art, they could be paired with artist Brian Rubenacker's Dachshund Wieners.

 For a more whimsical look, there is also Tracy Flickinger’s Hot Dog. It features a cartoon image of a female dachshund enjoying a cocktail while dressed in a pink feather boa. Additional decorating options include actual photos of wiener dogs and work by artists like Dean Russo and Serena Bowman. A combination of these prints will make the perfect décor for Oktoberfest as well as everyday décor for your home bar.

Lunchtime Atop a Skyscraper, c.1932 by Charles C. Ebbets

This image was taken during the construction of the RCA building in 1932. The photo was taken from the 69th floor, and today, the fact that the men wore no saftety harnesses is daunting, but during the Great Depression of 1932, men were willing to take any job they could find, regardless of the risk.

Lunchtime Atop a Skyscraper