Paul Guiragossian

Sally K was born in Ohio following her family’s emigration from Lebanon. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to Saudi Arabia, where she stayed until she was 14. Sally attended high school and college in Beirut, where she graduated with a BA in fine arts with distinction from the Lebanese American University of Beirut. In 2013, Sally and her family moved back to the United States and she now paints out of her studio in California. The focus of Sally’s portraits is contemporary women. Her style merges characteristics of abstract expressionism with realism and portrait painting to convey not just the beauty of women, but their confidence and strength as well. They are alluring, flirtatious and demure with an inspiring femininity that Sally describes as the “sensuality, independence and confidence you see in strong women.” Sally’s portraits of women are intensely personal. She states, “The women I paint are an extension of me, of what I feel, how I process my surroundings, my thoughts, my anger, my pleasure. They’re the confident strong women that I strive to be. Sometimes tough and daring, sometimes shy and reserved, but always self-assured and determined; they represent what captivates me in other women; the qualities I admire, and strengths that I strive to gain.” Sally draws inspiration from photography, pop culture and fashion as well as artists ranging from the pop art of Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock to the gilded florals and figures of Gustav Klimt. Her highly regarded paintings have been featured in group and solo shows in Beirut, Dubai, Italy and the USA.

Painting is an art form that has spanned innumerable cultures, with artists using the medium to tell stories, explore and communicate ideas and express themselves. To bring abstract paintings, landscape paintings, still-life paintings and other original paintings into your home is to celebrate and share in the long tradition of this discipline.

When we look at paintings, particularly those that originated in the past, we learn about history, other cultures and countries of the world. Like every other work of art, paintings — whether they are contemporary creations or works that were made during the 19th century — can often help us clearly see and understand the world around us in a meaningful and interesting way.

Cave walls were the canvases for what were arguably the world’s first landscape paintings, which depict natural scenery through art. Portrait paintings and drawings, which, along with sculpture, were how someone’s appearance was recorded prior to the advent of photography, are at least as old as Ancient Egypt. In the Netherlands, landscapes were a major theme for painters as early as the 1500s. Later, artists in Greece, Rome and elsewhere created vast wall paintings to decorate stately homes, churches and tombs.

Today, creating a wall of art is a wonderful way to enhance your space, showcase beautiful pieces and tie an interior design together.

No matter your preference, whether you favor Post-Impressionist paintings, animal paintings, Surrealism, Pop art or another movement or specific period, arranging art on a blank wall allows you to evoke emotions in a room while also showing off your tastes and interests. A symmetrical wall arrangement may comprise a grid of four to six pieces or, for an odd number of works, a horizontal row. Asymmetrical arrangements, which may be small clusters of art or large, salon-style gallery walls, have a more collected and eclectic feel.

Download the 1stDibs app, which includes a handy “View on Wall” feature that allows you to see how a particular artwork will look on a particular wall, and read about how to arrange wall art. And if you’re searching for the perfect palette for your interior design project, what better place to turn than to the art world’s masters of color? 

On 1stDibs, you’ll find an expansive collection of paintings and other fine art for your home or office. Browse abstract paintings, portrait paintings, paintings by emerging artists and more today.