In this week’s interview, MEPAINTSME Gallery Director, Anna Bresler, speaks with clients Emmanuel Neira and Kathryn Vestal about their approach to collecting and living with art.
Anna Bresler: To start, it would be great if you could each tell me a bit about yourselves. Are either of you artists or in creative fields?
Emmanuel Neira: I would say that we’re both artists/in creative fields. I’m an architectural photographer. I grew up in a town east of Dallas called Mesquite. When I’m not taking photos I like to listen to music, watch movies and go vintage shopping.
Kathryn Vestal: I’m a painter and printmaker, but for work I’m a Design Advisor for a furniture company. I also grew up in Mesquite, which is where Emmanuel and I met. And we’ve been together for 13 years. We have two cats and a dog. When I have downtime, I am usually playing video games or sketching.
AB:You currently live in a studio loft space in Dallas, Texas. Are spaces like this hard to find in Dallas? Was it important for you to find a space with some character and history to form the backdrop of your home?
K: Yes, a lot of the older buildings haven’t been maintained and end up being demolished, unfortunately. So when people get into an older loft space they really hold onto them.
E: When we originally moved out together this is the type of space we always wanted. We imagined living in a place with a lot of character. At first that was really hard to find. So when this place came up we jumped on it.
AB: How long have you lived in this space together?
K: We’ve been here for two years!
AB: It already feels so lived in — When you first moved here, had you already begun collecting art?
E: Yes, but not on the same scale. We had a big white wall in our last apartment that we wanted to cover in art. We first started with collecting prints and more accessible pieces of art.
K: When we got into this apartment, we made it a priority to start collecting original pieces from artists and galleries. We really wanted to start supporting working artists and have a diverse collection of work.
E: It also helps that our neighborhood has a lot of artists and artists’ studios here. We have more opportunities to visit studios and buy local art directly from the artists.
AB: Do you share a design sensibility, or find that there's been a lot of compromise? Do you always agree on which artworks to purchase?
K: For the most part we have the same design sensibility. Although, when it comes to art we can disagree on pieces. I personally think we have enough cowboy art but that’s a motif that Emmanuel is really drawn to. But we do make sure that all the pieces work together.
E: I agree, we tend to like similar artists so there hasn’t been a lot of compromising when purchasing art. I will say I do tend to lean towards the cowboys.
AB: Many collectors I know begin collecting books, records, comics, vintage toys, or the like before collecting art. Did either of you have a 'gateway drug' that started it all?
E: Yes, we are definitely collectors of many things, and always have been. It’s a big part of our personalities. I started with collecting records, and they’re still a prominent feature in our home. I recently started to collect blu-rays as well.
K: I started with comics and figurines. We both have just started to collect Garfield memorabilia and now have a bit of a shrine to him in our home.
AB: When it comes to selecting artwork, I've noticed that many of your works are by local artists and are even a bit 'tex-mex' in style. But you also purchased a couple of artworks from MEPAINTSME, a Gosia Machon ink drawing (from Germany) and a Didier Hamey etching (from France) that are very European in feel. I love this tension between these two aesthetics that runs throughout your interior design - it's an unusual juxtaposition. Are we looking at a marriage of your two preferred aesthetics, or an eclecticism that you're both drawn to?
E: Being Texans, there’s definitely a sort of attraction to western iconography. Growing up in the south has really influenced our design, we are drawn to a Southwestern color pallet, long low shapes, and the romanticized imagery of the cowboy.
K: But we do pull a lot of inspiration from European interiors as well. We have some vintage Scandinavian mid century modern pieces, and other pieces in our home are definitely inspired by European design and architecture.
I think it’s more the eclecticism that we are both drawn to rather than us having two separate interests.
Upper left:Fauvette, an etching by Didier Hamey, is at home in an elegant array of furnishings and artwork.
AB:You've really integrated your artwork with your furnishings and other finds in a way that feels personal, but also seems to reflect the artwork itself. The Didier Hamey etching, for example, has a romantic feel to it - it's dark and dreamy. And you've created an elegant setting for it that really augments this mood. When you add a new piece to your collection does it generate ideas for how you may want to style the space around it?
K: Absolutely, when we purchase work we do have a question in the back of our mind, ‘where’s this going to go?’ Once we get the piece home, we start rearranging things to find the best place for the artwork.
E: We try to create vignettes that draw the viewer into the work individually, but that also tells a larger story in the home. We want the space to reflect the art well and vice versa.
K: We’re not afraid to move around the entire loft just to get a piece that we love to be presented well.
AB:You guys have great intuition - the works do feel right at home. I noticed most of your artworks are works on paper, which seems like a good place to get started when it comes to art collecting. Will collecting works on paper be a focus area for you, or do you want to start collecting paintings someday, too?
E: We are naturally drawn to works on paper. You have a lot of options with paper works, it can be a watercolor or ink painting, a print, a drawing, or a photograph. So paperworks will always be a prominent part of our collection.
K: We are definitely interested in acquiring more paintings, but we would need a bigger space to commit to getting more.
Since we are renting, it's much easier to move with smaller works, and we can change the space up easily with them.
AB: You've done an amazing job creating your own space. Do you ever consider making a career of it?
E: It’s something we’ve thought about and we’re open to the idea if the opportunity arises. We have in the past helped friends out with style advice for their homes, and we've enjoyed being able to work on different spaces.
K: So maybe one day we’ll focus and make it into a career, but for now we’re just enjoying documenting our design journey.
AB:What are some of your favorite places to discover new artists? (online or IRL.)
K: Dallas has a lot of great galleries that show local and international artists. Plush Gallery, PDNB Gallery, Barry Whistler, and Conduit are a few of our favorites that we go to.
We also have the Dallas Art Fair every year that brings a lot of artists from around the world to our attention. The Dallas-Fort Worth area also has some really great museums and facilities to get out and see art.
And of course Instagram, that’s how we came across MEPAINTSME, and it’s easily the most accessible way to experience art. Instagram is an amazing resource to get connected with artists and discover what kind of art you like.
AB: If money were no object, what artwork would you love to live with every day?
E: I really like the idea of furniture as fine art. I really admire the work of Donald Judd and being able to own a piece of furniture he made would be a dream come true.
K: Anything by Allison Schulnik, if I have to be specific, a Hobo Clown piece or the painting Gin & Juice on Pink, 2020. She’s a huge inspiration in my personal work and I could stare at her art all day.
AB: It’s been great getting to know you guys better. I can’t wait to see how your home continues to evolve. Can we share your instagram handle so others can follow your journey?
K: Sure! We’ve been posting photos now and again at @ek.spaces
