There are certain decisions that haunt you for the rest of your life: like not giving your number to the cute boy on the subway, or skipping your best friends bachelorette party because of the lame job you quit anyway.
One of my biggest regrets was about a painting. Four years ago, my mom and I ate at Casa Oaxaca in Oaxaca, Mexico. The food was super rico, for sure, but I was most blown away by a painting that adorned the wall next to our table. Puzzling, beautiful, and completely surreal, it was of a cow falling (almost raining) from the sky onto a field.
The entire meal I couldn’t stop staring at the painting. WHY I was so intrigued, I still have no idea, but I finally inquired about the price, which while I forget what it was exactly, I remember it being TOTALLY do-able. I began calculating in my head ways I could make this piece mine, when my mom bombarded me with practicalities, “You can’t afford this!” “It’s ugly!” “How will you get it home?”
Regretfully, I never did go back, though I have thought about this painting tons since then. In fact, I mentioned it to a friend last weekend who travels to Oaxaca often, as that painting in my mind symbolizes Oaxaca to me.
To my flabbergasted surprise, she KNOWS the owner of the restaurant/gallery, and within two days we had the name of the artist! Unfortunately, that work is gone, 
but I am inquiring about other works by him.
So, what is the moral of the story here?
Don’t listen to naysayers?
Don’t let what you want pass through your fingers?
I’d say it’s don’t waste time with regrets as you often do get a second chance, and I am SO amazed and grateful for mine!
Because I want to share the love, below is an article I wrote in my book—Practically Posh—about how to buy art on the cheap. An abbreviated version of this article appeared on TheFrisky.com last year.
Enjoy!
xxoo, R
How To Buy Affordable Art
So you can finally afford an “It” bag (though you loathe the term), a vacation to another continent, and a couch that doesn’t require assembly. So why pray tell do you still have that sappy Klimt poster hanging over your bed? It’s time to outfit your pad with some REAL art. I’m not suggesting you hit Christie’s just yet. But somewhere between Damien Hirst and DIY-nude’s is a bounty of gorgeous pieces perfect for poshifying your home. Read on to find works at every price point..
If you have $20 to $200, buy prints. Prints are reproduced works on paper, which are limited in production and signed by the artist. Prints are ideal for first time buyers, because they’re relatively inexpensive, but still retain their value in case your taste changes.
Check out 20×200, where you can buy a print beginning at $20. If you have a wee pad, visit tinyshowcase, where they sell petite prints.
If you have $200+ to spend, look for original works from students. Ugallery.com features works from art students across the country. What’s cool about this site is that you can choose by price point and genre. I love that it offers a tool that shows you how big the piece will look in your living room. Also, If you live near an esteemed art or design school like The Rhode Island School of Design or Cranbrook, check out their art shows that are open to the public. Maybe you’ll buy from the next Elizabeth Peyton?
If you have $300+ in your pocket, buy big name photography. The trick to scoring serious photos is to buy through non-profits which sell them at fundraisers—nearly all of the top contemporary photographers donate prints to some non-profit or other. Check out The Museum of Contemporary Photograpy, Aperture, and the Humble Arts Foundation.
If you’re will to spend $500 or more, invest in original work from unknown artists. A good place to comb is Charles Saatchi’s “Your Gallery” website. The bonus? Because artists show their art for free, you pay no commission. That said, it can be a bit exhausting to peruse pages and pages of works. But so worth it when you find a piece you love at a price you can afford.
So this past weekend, my sister decided it was a fine time to tie dye some vintage slips. GREAT idea, except she decided to do this in the MIDDLE of our vintage boutique, 
I am headed to Long Island to yoga school this weekend, BUT if I was in the city I would be ALL over this Manhattan Vintage Show!
My sign today at 
I have kept this photo on my desktop since I interviewed photograher Klaus Lucka on Plum TV almost two summer ago.
