Years ago, when I was a hopelessly romantic teenager who watched way too much TV, I dreamed of meeting the perfect man (which I did: you're on his art website now) and that we would wear matching, knitted, aqua sweaters. In public.

You know -- Matchie Matchie.

Well, that was an immediate no-go as my Norwegian Artist, like many reasonable men, was horrified at the thought of being Tweedledum to my Tweedledee. Matchie matchie repelled him, not only in clothing choices but in home decor as well, and what he wanted regarding the latter was a reasonably clean environment (we wound up having four kids) that was comfortable and filled with items of meaning to us -- my Polish teapot, which doesn't match anything; an old oak buffet table that, unlike box store furniture, improves with time; and, because he's an artist, paintings of beautiful places and scenes, the kind of art you enter into and make a story about, one that features you as a central character.

It's Normal to Be Different

Fortunately, because I was raised by normal, unpretentious people and my television addiction ended long before HGTV, I saw the sense in this. Over the course of 35 years, the Norwegian and I have not worried about establishing a strict neutral palette with an approved Pop! of color here and there. (By the way, this Fashie-fashie Colorless Crush was not in vogue 35 years ago, the mandated hues then being blue, I believe, which will eventually come back "into fashion" when the Home Interior Design Industry decrees that it is so. Of course, if people spent less time absorbing TV dictates on what their homes should look like, and more time actually living in their homes, then they would not feel obligated to constantly renovate their personal environment to mimic staged studio shots in a magazine.)

Nothing really matches in our home, but neither is the decor oddly out of sync -- a Victorian fainting couch next to a director's chair, say. (Although if that's what makes someone happy, then for God's sake, let them be happy.) Most importantly, our home is not the reflection of somebody else's tastes -- featuring the full line of their home decor products -- with seasonal variations -- as seen on TV.

Our house is our home, unapologetically reflecting who and what we are.

Surround Yourself with Meaningful Items

The image to the left is Steve's painting, Polish Pottery, which features that teapot I mentioned.  Now if our home "colors" were cobalt blue and white, it would fit in perfectly according to Home Decor Industry standards (except for the fact that it's colorful, which does NOT fit into the present day rules), but whatever home colors we have circulate around sage green and warm terra cottas, which we just sort of fell into because we liked them.

And so it should be with any home -- surround yourself with the things you like, recognizing that they are far less important than the people you love -- and everything falls into place. (Polish Pottery, the artwork, is available as an original painting on this website, as well as a print, and image on products, at Steve Henderson Collections.)

Being stressed out is so common in our corporate American culture -- which spills over into our "free time" -- that when we're not overworked and feeling anxious, we wonder if something is wrong.

There's never enough money; taxes don't go down; workplace woes, which are funny on sitcoms or syndicated comic strips, lose their shine in real life; and when the washing machine isn't making strange sounds, the interior of the refrigerator feels warm. Add to that our wondering if this is what life is all about, and are we living our one and only existence meaningfully or not? and you have stress.

But we weren't meant to exist like this, and waiting until retirement, or dying and going to heaven, for a relief just isn't the best option.

Stress Doesn't Like Quiet Speculation

Advice abounds on how to counteract stress, and because we are a corporate culture, controlled by those whose primary interest in us is monetary, there's always a pill to take. But there are small, creative actions we can take to counteract the stress in our lives. If you have a piece of representational fine art on your walls, you have the means of taking one of these small, creative actions:

Sit down in front of the painting, perhaps with a cup of tea or coffee (life slows down with a hot drink in our hands). Look at the painting -- explore the brushwork, look at the light and shadows, observe how certain parts of the work are crisp and defined, and others are brushier, more impressionistic, even abstract -- especially in the background.

(As an aside, just by doing this, you are performing an action that the elitist art snob community avers that "ordinary" people can't do -- you are looking at art with a critical eye and speculating upon the quality, skill, artistry, and meaning of the piece. If more people gained confidence in their ability to judge art, then not only would more regular, real people buy art, but they would do so assertively, secure in the knowledge that what speaks to their soul belongs on their walls.)

Back to the painting: your object, in sitting down in front of the painting to contemplate it, is not only to slow down and be quiet (in themselves actions that are the opposite to what we normally do when we're stressed), but also to pull yourself out of your mind for awhile, that mind where worries, thoughts, and anxieties are contributing to your stress. It is easy, in our society where there are so many things to do, and many more things to worry about, to allow our thoughts to run along the same channels over and over.

NOT Thinking about Your Worries

In contemplating the painting, you push your mind to think about something other than your worries for a moment, and in stepping outside of your worries and into the painting, you explore routes that you may not have taken before. For example, in the work Riverside Muse (above left), you could ask yourself, "Who is this woman?" "What is she doing by the river?" "Is she sad, happy, content, questioning, curious, peaceful?"

In exploring the background, where the river wends, one wonders, "What is way back there, in the background? Are those bushes? Does the river end there, or does it turn and go on?"

And from there, as your mind slows and gently begins to meander along with the river, you think, "What would it be like for me, if I were there in that picture right now? What if I were the woman in the painting?" -- And there you enter the magical world of finely done representational art, art that looks like a place or a person or an environment -- but not like a photograph, with little left to the imagination to fill, but like a place you want to be. It is a place that changes every time you look at it, because not only does the painting change with your moods, it transforms depending upon the light and shadows cast upon it.

Be Someplace Beautiful and Relax

That's what representational art does -- it invites you in to the place it depicts, and encourages you to stop, stay, meditate, reflect, wonder, daydream, and ponder great things -- and these very actions are a counteraction to the worry, anxiety, fret, and disquiet of stress.

Feeling stressed? Brew a cup of tea or coffee, find a beautiful painting, and contemplate it. Go someplace beautiful and find solace there.

Fine Art and Home Decor for Your Life, Home, and Office

Art belongs in all of our lives, and it goes so much further than matching our sofa and rug. The best fine art is that which speaks to our soul, encouraging us to think big thoughts and wonder at the world around us. Steve Henderson paints art like this, and in addition to selling original paintings and creating customized commissioned works, he also offers prints in various formats (framed, canvas, metal, acrylic, wood, poster) at Steve Henderson Collections.

Click on the images in this article to see them at Steve Henderson Collections, or click on the product images below, featuring a sampling of Steve's images, to be taken to the purchase page for those items. All products from Steve Henderson Collections come with a 30-day, money-back guarantee through Fine Art America. To read more about buying artwork, confidently, for yourself, please see our article, 5 Super Easy Tips for Choosing the Right Artwork for Your Home.

Gold is so much more than a precious metal, something to be hoarded, stored away, and counted. This type of gold is one limited to a very few. It is because gold is so rare, we are told, that it is valuable.

But there is more to value than rarity, and indeed, those items and elements of true, intrinsic worth are frequently those we overlook because they are so "common" -- fresh air comes to mind, sunshine, blue skies, autumn leaves, and silence. These are gifts of the earth that are meant for all because they are so meaningful, and their value is increased, as opposed to diminished, when all have access to them.

The Value of True, Real Gold

True gold is a color glowing from the landscape as the sunlight dances through the leaves, brushes across the grass, and emanates from the sky above. Gold in this sense is available to all people around the world because it is a gift from God through nature. As recipients of this gift, we honor the giver by ensuring the skies stay clear, the air stays fresh, and the sunlight is not impeded in its journey from space to the land in which we live.

Like many gifts, the gold of nature frequently goes unopened because we are too busy to stop, look, wonder, reflect, and observe. But when we do take this time, we are rewarded by a glimpse of what light does to a landscape. In Gold Leaf, the original oil painting, a rural country landscape pulsates with golden glow, a glow that turns a meadow of grass and trees into a fantasy world, one magical in its appearance and allure.

Gold Leaf as Wall Art and Home Decor

Fine art belongs in all of our lives because it, like real gold, has an intrinsic value that celebrates beauty. In addition to the original oil painting, Gold Leaf is available as a print in many formats (framed, canvas, metal art, acrylic, wood, poster) at Steve Henderson Collections. Gold Leaf is also available as an image on products you use everyday -- coffee mugs, phone cases, tote bags, and even shower curtains and hoodies. Fine art takes the extraordinary in our lives and turns it into the extraordinary.

Click on the images below to learn more about the product and how you can add it to your life. All purchases from Steve Henderson Collections include a 30-day, money-back guarantee through Fine Art America. Products are shipped worldwide.

Children are cute -- no mistake about that.

The mistake we do make when it comes to children, however, is assuming that cute is all they are (when they're not being noisy, messy, or . . . childish. It's just as easy to romanticize children as it is to denigrate them).

"Cute" has a tendency to demean the importance of an idea, item, or person, encapsulating their entirety in one word. Kittens are cute, we universally agree; sometimes grown cats are -- but to limit their meaning and personality to sheer cuteness is to overlook the depth of what they are. (Tiger cubs, for example, are cute -- from a distance. Those who see them as nothing more will be in for a surprise if they get too close.)

Why Are We to Become Like Children?

As with tiger cubs, children embody a deeper sense of meaning and personality than we are prone to give them -- it is not for nothing that Christ advised His disciples to strive to be like children. Why would He say this?

The answer lies in being with children, watching them, listening what they say to us directly and to themselves as they're playing. Children, especially very young ones who have not been exposed to the schoolyard and to too much movie, TV, and social media, are uncomplicated, naturally living the simple life that we adults have to purchase magazines to figure out what it means.

Life to a child is a moment by moment thing. And while adults can easily grumble that, of course children don't have to worry because everything is taken care of for them, we might also reflect upon the great trust children put upon the adults in their lives, to take care of those things. Those of us who ascribe to a belief in God aver that He, ultimately, is the best and greatest parent, but all too often, we as His children do not exhibit the trust in Him that the average two-year-old places in his or her parents.

There is wisdom to be found here.

Original Painting, Wall Art, Home Decor, and Apparel

The Teal Umbrella is available as an original oil painting on the Steve Henderson Fine Art website, as well as a print in various formats (framed, canvas, acrylic, wood, metal, paper) at Steve Henderson Collections. The Teal Umbrella is also available, at Steve Henderson Collections, as an image on products you use everyday, such as the coffee mug, phone case, carryall makeup bag, t-shirt, and home decor throw pillow shown below.

(All of the images are clickable, and will take you to the page at Steve Henderson Collections where you can learn more about the product. Products from Steve Henderson Collections are shipped worldwide, and all come with a 30-day, money-back guarantee through Fine Art America.)

This article is linked to Family Fun Friday.

Just in time for the holidays, Steve is excited to announce that a selection of his works is available as licensed canvas wall art at the national e-commerce retailer, Wayfair.

You can see the various places where Steve's work is available as wall art home decor in his Steve's Art in Stores page. To see a visual list of individual artwork available as wall art home decor, please visit Steve's Wall Art Home Decor page.

Steve is excited to announce that three of his licensed images, Diaphanous, Last Light in Zion, and Ocean Breeze, are posting in the Best Selling Art Category at Great Big Canvas, the online wall art decor resource with more than 550,000 images.

Ocean Breeze and Diaphanous are still available as original oil paintings, through the website. Last Light in Zion, the original painting, is sold.

Life is full of adventures, and in Steve's younger years he bicycled, three times, through South America. The longest trip lasted two-and-a-half years; covered 24,000 miles; began in Alaska and wended its way down to Ushuaia, Argentina. Then it was back home to Oregon, U.S., via Brazil, Florida, the Eastern seaboard, then west.

So South America, to Steve, is a beautiful and special continent, and he was excited when five of his works were chosen to be sold as wall art home decor through On the Wall of Brazil.

There is a timeless sense of nostalgia and simplicity in The New Hat, which focuses upon a young woman before a mirror, preparing for the day ahead. There is no cell phone demanding her attention, just the hat.

It is a reminder to us that life is more than busyness, with great importance attached to slowing down, breathing deep, and savoring the moments of quietude and concentration.

The New Hat, which is available as an original oil painting, is newly available as licensed wall art home decor through various retail sites, including FulcrumGallery.com, Vintage Wall, and Poster Hero, among others. See all the links where you may purchase The New Hat as licensed wall art at The New Hat -- Wall Art Home Decor.