home edit: love is blue

Sahba Shere painting "Love is Blue"

Let me start by saying, this post is long overdue. Sahba Shere's "Love is Blue" is my very first real art purchase from about a year ago when I began my obsession with creating a beautiful space around me. I am just sharing now as it took me this long to decide what to do to conceal the hideous non-working fireplace below. Now that I have my missiles (they're real) sourced from the Alameda Flea Market on either side & plants from Flora Grubb Gardens, the painting finally feels like it's properly "framed" and ready to share with you.

I discovered Sahba's art on a typical work day, sitting at my desk at Google San Francisco, minding my own business (or more than likely getting into other people's business) when all of the sudden my co-worker walks in with this incredible large scale, mixed media painting that was 3x the size of her.  I literally jumped from my seat (I'm short and my feet don't touch the ground most of the time) and demanded how and why she was carrying this amazing painting. This was at the apex of my art obsession and I couldn't find anything that spoke to me, but this painting spoke to me instantly. She explained that her sister-in-law was this amazing local artist and she was helping carry in some of her art for a show at our office. I was greatly intrigued.

One of the items on my bucket list is to commission a painting and since technically I had an "in" with the artist I thought perhaps I could convince her to do the commission that I thought wouldn't be possible until I was much older. We emailed and I started following her on Facebook and Instagram so I could keep up with her latest work while I plotted the inspiration for my future painting. That all changed on March 15th, 2014 when I saw her post a photo on Facebook of "Love is Blue." It looked completely magical. I promptly arranged a visit to her studio in Palo Alto to view it although it was already sold in my mind. My instinct was right and it was even more special in person. I like art with depth and complexity, but still calming, not chaotic. I like people like that too. It's not an easy balance to strike in either case. The painting looks like that exact moment when you realize you love someone for the first time so much that it almost hurts. Can you see that? I love that you can just stare and get lost in it and find nuances you haven't seen before. It's the first thing I see when I walk in my apartment and brings me an instant breath of fresh air.  I feel very lucky that I was able to convince Sahba to sell it to me vs the line of trendy New York art dealers that were inquiring about it.

Beyond the art, I love the artist! When first viewing the painting, I unexpectedly spent a long time hanging out with her in her studio talking about dreams and where we are in life. She has this calming energy and warmth that makes it easy to be close to her right away.  Plus, she's lived all over the world in Paris and India, likes pizza + rosé,  and is pretty much just a general badass.  I'm very grateful to not only have one of her pieces, but to call her a great friend.

I recently posted a photo on my Instagram of my visit to her new studio and received many comments asking if you could visit it too and the good news is you can!

Check out Sahba and 22 other local artists at the Silicon Valley Open Studios 

May 2nd and 3rd from 11:00-5:00pm 
Cubberley Artist Studios 

Studio F7

4000 Middlefield Rd

Palo Alto

Let me know if you check it out and what you think!