Tastemaker Spotlight: Katharine Earnhardt

Meet Katharine Earnhardt: a must-know player in the art world. Katharine lives by the motto of demystifying the art world. She believes in making it work for you—whether you’re buying, sourcing for a client, or just culturally curious.  ArtStar was excited to compare notes and learn Katharine’s hottest ArtStar finds.

Instagram handle: @masonlane_art

What is one question you get asked the most by those starting an art collection?

“How do you know what I will like?”

Why do you think buying art is intimidating for many?

Many people aren’t sure if they love something ENOUGH to have it long term. That, and pricing and quality is a big fat mystery to many. We help people get comfy with these issues.

What advice/education do you give to interior designers vs consumer?

With both tend to share stories about the art that help everyone involved move away from the “love it” or “hate it” reaction to the “this is interesting” response. With that, people tend to relate and feel more connected to the pieces, which leads to a longer term enjoyment. And when consulting with designers, a lot of the conversation is around actually pitching the art to clients. There are different strategies used than when pitching furniture, and when we help designers successfully sell art that clients feel great about, everybody wins. GO TEAM!

Design by Tina Ramchandi Creative. Photo by Ellen McDermott.

What should the big picture or goal be for collecting art? Should you buy what you love or should design and curation be a top priority?

Buy pieces that interest you. The best homes feel like yours and only yours!

Tell us a little about Mason Lane and your company mission?

Mason Lane is a new kind of art advisory firm that helps clients “style walls”. We use fine + decorative art, objects, gallery walls, functional accents, wallpaper, paint, and more to make client spaces feel balanced, complete, and totally personalized! We’re also a female-led team with offices in Brooklyn and Toronto, and we take pride in being a particularly fun team with zero pretension.

Can you talk a little about where you source art from? ie: galleries, fairs, online?

We source from all over and collect our favorites in our internal database that’s remarkably organized and useful. Sources include online shops (like ArtStar!), galleries, home stores, artist studios, and “modern makers” around the globe. Because we also deal with non art (like wallpaper, paint concepts, murals, etc.) we also get a ton of inspo from Instagram, (who doesn’t?) and daily lives that are entrenched in the design scene.

How has the internet changed the way we collect art?

I think it’s kind of like Seamless Web-- a few options online is a great idea. Having everything there is system overload.  People tend to just get confused, and that’s definitely helped our business. We help clients edit, get it, and feel good about what they buy.

What are your top 3 tips for building the perfect gallery wall?

1. Don’t DIY - hire us, hire an installer, or hire ANYONE that has done this many times or you’ll ruin your wall, weekend, and marriage.  

2. Get good quality prints. We love getting Epson Photo Rag Paper at The Print Space.

3. Keep your frames tight (ie a 2” gap or less).

4 (I can’t help it!) Use frame bumpers or painters tape to keep it all level.

How can you incorporate photography with existing pieces?

Great walls have variety, just like design! You wouldn’t do a room with all wood furniture, so don’t do your walls with all paintings (or drawings, or flat art, etc.). Pair paintings with photographs, add shelving and a gallery wall. Mixing it up makes it all feel balanced.

Can you share with us your most coveted art you personally own?

I bought a Raymond Hendler when we were moving and trying to sell our old place. We had two mortgages and no furniture. Let’s just say that was not a zen time. I knew someone else was eyeing the piece I wanted, and I couldn’t handle not having it. I pulled the trigger, and the gallery VERY optimistically believed in my real estate situation more than I did; they let me pay after we sold our place (FINALLY) and I paid off the piece before getting a couch (or chair, or bed, etc.).  BEST BUY EVER. I love it so much.

What are your top 10 favorite artworks on ArtStar right now?  

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