JR and Bernie Kelley found a home for the "Saloon Girls" atop their wine rack

For novice art buyers, investing in sculpture can be fraught with anxiety. After all, everybody knows what to do with a painting, but how do you incorporate a three-dimensional artwork into a living space?

For the answer to this question, we turned to two of our favorite collectors, J.R. and Bernie Kelley of Arizona. The Kelleys have over 150 sculptures tucked into a trim condominium all while maintaining an open, inviting living space.

“Just buy what you like,” says Bernie. “If you love a piece, you can find a spot for it. Plus it will make you happy every time you see it.”

The Kelleys started their collection in the early 1990s while visiting Arizona. They bought one coffee mug-sized piece. From there, the Kelleys grew their collection, first by adding more small sculptures to their collection and then graduating to sizeable, intricate works.

Most of the flat surfaces in the Kelley home have a bronze treasure displayed: they keep pieces on bancos, coffeetables, and in the case of Craig’s Saloon Girls series, on top of an oak wine rack.

Although the Kelleys have focused on southwestern themes, they have successfully incorporated varying styles and subjects into their collection with no loss of continuity.

J.R.’s prize possession is a bronze showing the first wave of Marines landing at Iwo Jima in 1945. J.R. was in the first group of Marines to see the fierce fighting and later served as a model for one of the faces on the sculpture. Bernie fell in love with Lladro porcelain figurines when they lived in Florida, and has a substantial piece nestled next to a Native American bronze.

I asked Bernie if they ever tire of their sculpture. “Oh no, we never get tired of our collection,” she says. “We have only bought what we loved, so we enjoy it every day.”