– Strangest collecting experience? 

I once bought a piece of art from a dealer on the secondary market. The painting was local so, foolishly, rather than have the art shipped to us, we decided to pick it up. My husband knocked on the door of the seller, only to be greeted by an angry gentleman who did not seem pleased about the fact that he was parting with his painting. He walked my husband to the stairwell and said, “There it is—take it.” My husband literally took the painting off the wall and walked it to our car. It felt more like an art heist than an acquisition.

– Most valuable lesson learned from collecting? 

Regret is a waste of time. If you love art, there will always be pieces you think about and wonder why it is you didn’t buy them. And, occasionally, there will be pieces you think about and wonder why you didn’t not buy them. Neither reaction will change the choices you have made. Nor, frankly, will they change the choices you make in the future. So forget regret. It’s a waste of time.

– What current art trends are you obsessed with? 

I find myself increasingly obsessed with baskets. They are so gorgeously tactile and engaging. Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center has a show of Jeremy Frey’s astounding baskets right now and they are absolutely beautiful. I can’t get enough baskets.

– What do you require from an artist you collect? 

Empathy. Ok, that’s not entirely true. I don’t require anything of artists. I am the grateful beneficiary of their extraordinary gift. But I tend to collect contemporary figurative art and the work I find most compelling demonstrates a huge amount of empathy between the artist and the subject.

– Favorite or strangest places you meet with artists outside of their studio or your home?

I first met the wonderful artist LJ Roberts for coffee at the Highline Hotel. We had bonded online over our love of dogs and were able to share a cup of coffee with one another and our dogs at the Highline. We became fast friends and now spend time together only in dog friendly venues.

– Any advice to new collectors? 

Ignore what everyone says and collect what you love. Art is personal. Only you know what you love. Only you know what you will be excited to walk by every day. So don’t listen to “experts”—the only expert on what you love is you.

– If I had this piece of art_______________, I could die happy. 

Any answer I gave you to this question would be out of date this time next year. Not because I am fickle or capricious, but because there is so much astounding art being created every year. Every painting Chantal Joffe makes is my new favorite painting. Every time Allison Schulnik paints a dog I swoon. I fall in love with every new Chiachio & Giannone quilt. The list goes on. I have been incredibly lucky to fill my walls with wonderful art. I can die happy today. But I cannot wait to see what beautiful art is created tomorrow.