U Gallery: Where Good Art is Easy to Find

U Gallery is a great addition to the online art market where you can purchase original works at reasonable prices from emerging artists. Curated by a small team of art lovers the site really takes an easy approach in helping its users find the art they're looking for. You can filter your search in various ways depending on your taste and budget. So, in essence, you're bound to find something you like. The artwork on display here crosses over so many different styles and mediums that it's hard not to leave without a few favourites. Prints begin at $20 a piece while originals can reach the thousands. New works arrive each week so it's best to visit often or simply sign up for a weekly update.

1. Red Fish Blue Fish by Robert Darabos

The Champ by David Ballinger

Stark by Ina Christensen

Field by Jenn Bomar

Keeneland by Jesse Osbourne

Elephante 1 by Scott Dykema

A Narnian Winter by Valerie Chiang

Poppy #5 by Jee Young Choi

Weekend Links

I am slowly getting back to regular programming. The pic below I found via Otis & Frank, a blog well worth the visit. I only wish I could live near a bamboo forest like this then I would be much happier. As you can probably guess I have yet to make peace with the beginning of winter, hence my tendency to post all things green lately. Somehow, I don't think even retail therapy will help at this point. One must simply endure the cold.

 

Anger at Walmart heiress's $1.4bn gallery as art market becomes focus for protests (The Guardian)

Carine Roitfeld, ex-Vogue editor: 'Never ever share your daughter's wardrobe' (The Guardian)

This column will change your life: burning bridges: Could Bernie Madoff have an insight worth mulling? (The Guardian)

Asda wagyu beef: raising the steaks? (The Guardian)

2021: The New Europe (Wall Street Journal)

Book Review: ‘The Angel Esmeralda’ by Don DeLillo (NYT)

Book Review: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (NYT)

Book Review: Back to Work by Bill Clinton (NYT)

Jim O'Neill: China could overtake US economy by 2027 (The Telegraph)

Books of the Year 2011: Fiction and Books of the Year 2011 (The Telegraph)

The Art Market: Financial Machinations at auctions (Prospero) 

Yoko Ono's "Uncursed" opens in New York (Vogue)

Germany Broke the Euro, Now It Has to Fix It (Foreign Affairs)

The painting I would like to have in my home...

Two-Tone 1975 - Susan Rothenberg

When fall is just around the corner

If you're lucky enough to still have warm weather you may want to skip this post, but if you don't, then these Smythe jackets may offer you some comfort. Personally, I wish I could have every single item from this label but that's not really possible now is it? Well, maybe, just one day I'll have at least one. For now, I'll put them down on my wish list.

I like this one too. But I wonder if either jacket would be warm enough to survive the winter? Hmm...perhaps they could partner up with the UGG company for a few limited edition pieces that could combine the pure warmth and comfort of UGG and the chic style of Smythe. Am I dreaming here? Probably, but then isn't that what a blog is for?

I don't know about you but I've always loved the fit of New Balance shoes, they're as great for walking as they are for playing tennis. And it doesn't hurt that they look good too, or at least they used to. Until J.Crew came out with this grey pair, I really thought I was going to have to look elsewhere. Hopefully, they'll come out with some other winning colour combinations and designs sooner than later otherwise I moving onto Puma.

Weekend Links

Luciles Kitchen

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, Auburn University Commencement Speech 2010 (Fast Company)

Morocco taps benefits of Barbary fig oil (Independent)

Hold the steak: vegetarian recipes (Guardian)

Fashion's Better Halves (Wall Street Journal)

Art and Fashion in Dasha Zhukova's Garage (NYT)

Burning Bright: 9 Mexican salsas (Saveur)

Arming Assad (Foreign Affairs)

What China Wants (Foreign Affairs)

Deciding on a book, and How to Read It (NYT)

Anatomy of a Meltdown (New Yorker)

The symbolism of sweat pants (Financial Times)

Making their own way in the world (Financial Times)

Books about Joseph Heller (NYT)

Paris smartphone apps (David Lebovitz)

The Art of Buying Art Online: ArtStar

There is something to admire and appreciate about websites that do all the work for you and Artstar is just one of those sites. Even if you already have a good eye for art, you most likely do not have the time to go searching through the countless number of names and galleries that exist to find the ones you want. Luckily, Artstar's curators do all the work for you. Their team of specialists are highly skilled and erudite in different fields of art, and bring together a wealth of experience. Most importantly, these behind-the-scenes art makers know how pick artists with something clever and beautiful to offer. And much like 20x200, Artstar offers prints and originals at affordable prices (with prices for prints starting from $25 to $450). Here are just a few of my favourites.

1. Michael Schall

2. Firelei Baez

3. Liu Jin

4. Han Bing

5. Meena Hasan

6. Christina Dixcy

7. Zaria Forman

8. Tian Taiquan

The Smart Girl's Guide to Prada...

I spotted this great look in the street style section of NY Magazine this week and I was convinced it was Prada. It had to be; I had seen the trend everywhere. And who else could be credited with starting this colourful stripe trend, so simple in execution that it's hard to believe it could fetch such exhorbitant prices? Well, it turns out, many others. But I suppose Miuccia Prada can only be flattered, for her ability to create something innovative each season, is always deliberately imitated. And you can't blame anyone for trying to emulate her. After seeing this look below from fashion blogger Delmy of Fashion Bananas I wanted that same skirt for myself. Now, if only Asos still had some left.

Weekend Links

My Bunny Junior

Art: James Turrell (Interview Magazine)

The Danish Sandwich: Reloaded (Wall Street Journal)

A Wish of E-Shoppers is Now in China (Wall Street Journal)

Grilled Chicken with Za'atar (Bon Appetit)

How Can Jeans Cost $300? (Wall Street Journal)

Russian Artist Mock Putin (Daily Beast)

Vietnam: Acquiring a Taste for the Spice of Life (Wall Street Journal)

A Graffiti Artist Shows a New Side (Wall Street Journal)

A Brazilian's Comic Mania: Social Media (NYT)

Can this woman change the world? (The Telegraph)

The Rules of the Tunnel (NYT)

Baked Tomatoes with Baguette (The Guardian)

The Kid by Sapphire (NYT)

For New Yorker on iPad: Words Are the Thing (NYT)

Storm Clouds Gather over Piers Morgan (The Guardian)

Bringing Comfort Food to Print Fans (NYT)

The Man Who Made a Nation Cry (The Guardian)

The Physioloty of (Over)-Sharing (The Atlantic)

One Ingredient, Many Ways: Honey (Saveur)

Ten Essential Books on Typography (The Atlantic)

The Light Touch of Yves Saint Laurent

I don't really have a favourite designer; seasons come and go and so do trends, some of which I am not always fond of. But I have always had a soft spot for Yves Saint Laurent, even typing out the name and seeing it on screen somehow looks beautiful to me. That's why I really miss the time when Tom Ford was designing for the house; he did such an incredible job. To this day, those had to be my all-time favourite collections. But the aesthetic is still there; YSL accessories are classic and chic but with enough of that French detailing and sophistication that you have come to expect from this brand.  I only wish they could make a purse somewhere along the lines of this YSL cuff available from Netaporter below. I think the gold would work so well with the textured black python.

Today I Will Zap the Bad Things Print

I dropped my laptop yesterday and it now seems to be approaching a slow and painful death. The screen is blank and there is a strange sound coming out of it as though something were spinning inside.   It's too early to tell whether I can fix it and recover all that was lost but all I can say is that I need a little positivity in my life today. So, please enjoy this beautiful and encouraging print from Corduroy.