The Artful Home

Original oil paintings by Julia O’Malley-Keyes take center stage in a beautifully crafted display area. Photo by Dan Cutrona

Gallery owners and artists across the region offer guidance and expertise for homeowners looking to buy art for their home

“You’ve got to find something in your private environment that elicits joy and triggers fond memories. That is my job as an artist—to create something that has a positive influence on the viewer,” says Julia O’Malley-Keyes, owner of O’Malley-Keyes Fine Art in Falmouth. Few understand how the subtle power the art in a home contributes to quality of life as well as O’Malley-Keyes, whose paintings are collected and enjoyed around the globe. Her intimate gallery in Falmouth welcomes visitors to drink in the richness of her talent and partake in her lively stories of her process and experiences. Understanding the importance of making art widely accessible, O’Malley-Keyes offers many of her oil paintings as fine art reproductions at reasonable prices. The discerning buyers who are able to hang her originals in their homes understand that surrounding yourself with art you love is more than an indulgence—it is an integral part of creating surroundings that feed your soul.

The Cape and Islands are fortunate to have hundreds of artists and galleries that offer a wide variety of styles, mediums and subjects in the art available for purchase. From the tip of Provincetown to the islands, the art community always has a story to tell. Helen Addison, principal of Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, has been working with artists and clients for many years and innately understands the relationship buyers have with the art that speaks to them. “Individuals look for art that will enhance their living and working environments. They often choose work that inspires, is reminiscent of treasured times and places, warms the heart, brings a smile, evokes thought and discussion,” Addison says. Addison is integrally involved in connecting artists to the community through her countless openings, exhibitions, events, workshops and demonstrations where art lovers can get closer to the process and the artists. The story and journey of the artist is not only inspiring for potential buyers but also becomes part of the legacy of a piece when it graces their home. “In buying art, and in life, people support people they like,” Addison observes. Addison, who represents some of the best-known artists of the region, including Paul Schulenburg, Marc Kundmann and Cleber Stecei, understands how the equation of introduction between artists and clients equals successful connections.