For many, figuring out what to hang on their walls can be a perplexing situation. Whatever the reason, the art dilemma is very real for so many people, including my own design clients. So I’m taking the dilemma to a number of experts in this series “The Art Dilemma, Solved,” which I first posted about yesterday. I’ve got questions and, today, Angela Chrusciaki Blehm, artist and home decorator who also blogs at The Painted House, has answers. I’ve had my eye on one of her pieces for a while, so I was thrilled to be able to share advice from her!

“There is no better tip than buying what you love. Art doesn’t need to match the sofa.” – Angela Chrusciaki Blehm

Q. What are the biggest challenges you think people have when it comes to deciding on artwork for their homes?
A. Definitely budget! After that, I think people struggle with indecision, maybe from lack of confidence. Also, if there is a couple, one partner might not agree with the art selection. But mostly I think in the past acquiring art could seem elitist and difficult to access, but now with direct lines to artists and their work online, art can be acquired while sitting at home. In fact, it is how I acquire most of our art in our collection!

Q. Do you think people struggle with the concept of art?
A. I’d say a lot of people don’t understand the breadth and depth of art. While a nice still life painting is easy to approach, if one doesn’t have a general basis of art history and knowledge of contemporary art, more conceptual work might seem confusing. Also, in a practical sense, I’ve seen people struggle with imparting an importance on art—to some it is hard to see that a piece of art in the home is as meaningful as a sofa or chair and worth the investment.

Q. You are an artist yourself as well as an interior designer. How do you curate the art you hang at home?
A. It is always changing! For the longest time I just had my own work on the walls because it was free, ha, and I had sentimental attachments to it. Over time, we made room in the budget for collecting other art to enjoy and also as an investment. I am drawn to 20th-century art—abstraction, hard edge, figurative. I also love collecting contemporary art from my artist friends. When I acquire a new piece, I often shift artwork around in the house to find the perfect place. Smaller pieces usually move more frequently as the larger canvases are site-specific in our home—like the large dining room panels.

Q. Can you name any favorite art sources other than your own work?
A. I love, love finding art through my favorite dealers. Gillian Bryce is an Atlanta-based dealer who acquired the complete work of 20th-century artist Martin Sumers. I have one of his figurative oils, a watercolor, and a collage. She literally has thousands of pieces of work in her inventory and there is a piece for every taste, style, and budget. She has been the biggest contributor to my collection because of her eye, her knowledge, and she is just so down-to-earth friendly. Other favorites are Susie Quillin, also in Atlanta—she sells as MiNTY on Chairish.com. Also on Chairish are Marquis de Mod and Rhett Baruch, who find great pieces. I love buying vintage from dealers, but it is so special and rewarding to buy fresh new work directly from the artists. I love the work of Jenny Andrews Anderson and Suzy Lindow (doing work as Wink Wink Studio). There are so many fabulous artists selling their own work, marketing on Instagram, it’s never been easier to find new art!

Q. Do you have any design rules that you consistently go by?
A. There are natural aesthetic laws of the universe that my eye follows—variations of scale, color balance, pleasing compositions—if it doesn’t “look” right to me, then I adjust it. Very much how I approach making art. It is hard to articulate, but I just know it when I see it.

Q. How do you know when a piece of art that you’ve been eyeing will work in that space…or when you finally bring it home and hang it, how do you know if it really does work there or not?
A. It is just a feeling of it looking right. It is a balance of colors and composition and varying paint styles for contrast. Also, I like to play with scale of pieces—maybe put something really large in a small space or the opposite. Maybe I’ll pair something large with something petite.

Q. What are some of the best tips you’ve heard on bringing art into the home?
A. Do a lot of looking to discover what pulls you in—look in museums, books, galleries, online. Once you know what it is you like, search out vintage art from dealers but also in estate sales, garage sales, Craigslist, etc. Of course, I recommend buying contemporary art directly from the artists, developing a relationship and supporting their work firsthand. There is no better tip than buying what you love. Art doesn’t need to match the sofa. The best interiors I’ve seen have art that slightly jars with the furnishings. And art can move around the house as new acquisitions are made. Collecting can be very fluid.

Thanks, Angela, for all of this great advice on how to solve the art dilemma! To see more of her work, visit her site here and follow her on Instagram here. To hear more from experts in “The Art Dilemma, Solved” series, visit here.