7.09.2009

Cafiero on Art (and the Migrating Concept)



If I had to hastily describe the Cafiero aesthetic on a pop quiz, I'd probably say, "proper East Coast boarding school feel with jolts of edgy mid-century style." Perhaps Cafiero would prefer I reverse the order to "modern with a thread of tradition." Either way, it's a signature combination.

The rooms David Cafiero designs and the elements in his shop have, to me at least, a great country-house-meets-city-apartment quality. And original art is a big part of the appeal.

For a while now I've been curious to learn more about Cafiero's eye for art and where he and his team enjoy hunting for it. The other day his design assistant, Keehnan Konyha, generously took time to fill me in.

He explains, "Though collecting totally varies depending on the client, our collections tend towards a mix of 19th century society portraiture, recent photography, East Coast water scenes, and mid-century abstract expressionism; David's affinity for the latter I would attribute to his long relationship with Provincetown and the style's history in New York and on Cape Cod. He definitely gravitates around pieces that are strong enough to stand alone, but become part of a larger work when grouped or layered with juxtaposing styles. As decorators, it's always interesting to mix a client's existing collection with new pieces we introduce."

He continues, "Sources are just as often flea markets and estate sales as they are auctions or galleries. One of the beautiful parts of living on this coast is the wealth of history to be found if one is willing to do a little legwork; treasure hunting should be half the fun! It also builds a more personal relationship with the artwork."

(Artists represented by Cafiero Select include: M.P. Landis, Mike Sanzone, Thom Lussier, Paul Wirhun, David Goodman and Matthew Sandager.)

"Where framing is concerned, I would say that while not every frame needs to be a bespoke job, an aging or dull frame can poorly contextualize what would otherwise be a beautiful work. It's often worth the investment, especially if a deal was found on the work itself, to have something reframed and matted in something more current, even if only a simple black frame and white mat," adds Keehnan.

"That said, often times, we find that not hanging a selection of works and leaving them free to migrate, from room to room, or to bookcase to the end of the bed can be a brilliant way to change things up on a whim."

All images courtesy Cafiero Select. Images three, seven and ten were photographed by Francois Halard.

7.08.2009

Day at the Museum

One reason I like museum lectures so much is that the speakers are terrific. Contrary to the dry sitcom stereotype, the curators who speak are usually very dynamic. And unlike handsomely paid politicians who go on the lecture circuit, they typically aren't hawking a book. Most often they have spent years passionately studying a specific subject and have something genuinely interesting to share. I rarely leave a museum lecture feeling as if I didn't learn anything.

There are still plenty of great lectures scheduled on the National Gallery of Art's summer calendar. All are free to the public and registration is not required. Here are just a few that grabbed my attention:

The Painter and the Photographer: Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz
July 19 at 2 p.m.

The Crucible of Viennese Modernism: Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, and Oskar Kokoschka
July 26 at 2 p.m.

Fomenting Revolution: Braque, Picasso, and Cubism
August 23 at 2 p.m.

Expatriate Rivals: James McNeill Whistler and John Singer Sargent
August 30 at 2 p.m.

The view of the NGA above is via Sorento66.

Something else worth noting: Picasso and the Allure of Language, an upcoming exhibition at the Nasher Museum of Art that explores the artist's deep relationship with writers and the impact of language on his work. (Interesting online site, too. Be sure to check out the talks.)

Speaking of Kid-Friendly Rooms...

Coastal Living has a fresh new look and the July-August issue is filled with colorful beach houses. Sister Parish fans won't want to miss designer Ramey Caulkins' recent restoration of a Maine cottage formerly done up by the legendary print-and-pattern-master.

Image above is cropped from a Tria Giovan photo. Beatty Coleman wrote the story and Heather Chadduck styled it.

If you like the dogs, visit Wisteria.

The Other Perspective

The previous post elicited strong responses, so I thought I should take a second to acknowledge an alternate perspective. Some people, including my mom, prefer the guideline "sofas are for sitting." She feels that it is best to simply teach kids this from the start.

Part of my inspiration for yesterday's post came from reading a story about the impeccable Annette de la Renta. It seems that as a child she rode her horse right into her family's house. (Yes, her horse!) I thought it would be fun to hear some candid opinions from 21st-century moms with active boys and three graciously obliged. Everyone agrees that children need to learn not to walk on furniture, or eat on sofas, when visiting other people. But when it comes to their own homes, thoughts on what pets and kids can and can't do vary widely.

Two other areas of agreement: old leather and oriental rugs are infinitely child-friendly.

Rug photo from Allan Arthur on Bennett St. in Atlanta.

7.07.2009

Surfing Inside

It's hard to resist pictures like this. Nothing loosens up a room like a child or a dog. And, truth be told, for adults this is a not-so-subtle way of saying "My sofa looks kind of uptight but I'm a fun aunt," or "I'm a cool mom." Hence all the "bouncing on bed" photos in shelter magazines.

Personally, I do prefer not having to say "don't touch" very often. Smudges don't really bother me.

(Rebecca Vizard stockings used as boxing gloves.)

This battered old upholstered bench of mine is still the most used, kid-friendly piece I own because it's sturdy (at least so far), low to the ground, has relatively soft corners and sports a forgiving print that hides smudges.

I'm happy to see it enjoyed, but I wouldn't encourage skate board jumps from it. Aside from obvious safety issues, there's the concern of promoting a rock star mentality that says it's okay to trash other people's things.

I also wouldn't serve a birthday cake on it, but I don't mind cups with lids. (The bench is my coffee table.) Blurry boundaries, maybe. These days, when it comes to kids and furniture, everyone has different views on what is appropriate and what isn't.

When my parents were growing up, the "inside rules" were fairly strict and universal. Outside, though, they were free; allowed to climb tall trees and explore their neighborhood on bikes without adults around.

[Fast forward a couple of decades; Lisa Borgnes Giramonti's husband in the 1970s.]

Today, most of my friends teach their toddlers never to stand in tipsy dining chairs: "You have a choice, either kneel or sit." But they are much looser with sofas. I was curious to learn how designer-moms and tastemaker-moms handle things around the house. Here's what a few had to say.

Laura Casey is a North Carolina-based interior designer and mother of boys who cut her decorating teeth working with Victoria Hagan and Cullman and Kravis. She is an ace at offering her clients chic, attainable options that are always compatible with family life. (The tailored table skirt below solved one client's entry hall woes.)

About her own house Laura says, "The sofas in the family room get jumped on literally everyday. Just today Brooks [age three] put all of the cushions and pillows on the floor and told me he was building a rocket ship. My thought is pretend play is better than having the TV on all afternoon! Plus, how tiring to yell at boys all the time to sit down. Coleman [almost age two] follows right along. While I do let them do this there are rules about behaving at other people's houses. They know that these sofas are for jumping but that is not a universal rule."

And she adds, "A few months after Brooks was born, formula spilled all over sofas that I had just reupholstered. It was the first time that I had to think about what was ahead of me...I decided then not to sweat it and to keep to that [philosophy] going forward. Up on a mantle out of reach, there are a few things that are precious to me for sentimental reasons more than monetary value. "

Laura's kid-proofing tips:

1. Proseal the fabrics
2. Put eggshell on the walls
3. Use washable crayons
4. Keep Herend and crystal out of reach.

"Other than that, they can pretty much play 'pirates' all day long. I always think a house becomes a home when it is really lived in and my boys do just that!"

Mrs. Blandings, also the mother of three young boys, explains that no room is off limits in the dream house. However, "All food must stay in the kitchen (or dining room if we are eating there.) We have a shoe basket by our back door but it is for the ease of finding them rather than for cleanliness."

She does confess to coveting that low white Bill Sofield tusk table from Baker. Several years ago when she showed it to Mr. Blandings, he said, “Will you be mad if the boys jump off of it?”

And she replied, “Well, yes, it’s lacquer; it will scratch.”

“Then pass,” he advised. Today Mrs. Blandings says children understand limits, but "restraining from launching yourself off of a table with tusk legs might be too much to ask."

Lisa Borgnes Giramonti is mom to seven-year-old Luca.

She says, "Although he's learning to treat things with respect, 'Spills happen' is still my daily mantra. I have a newfound appreciation for scratches and stains; they season a home and give it character. My concern is more about safety. I try to curb Luca's impulse to careen at top speed down the stairs, for example. But kids still need to have fun. When it came to jumping on the daybed in the living room, instead of forbidding my son to do it, I enrolled him in a gymnastics trampoline class...and now he springs with infinitely more balance and control. He knows it's a special treat that can only be done at our house, with me looking on!"

Lisa's other kid-proofing rules:

1. Sticky fingers go on your napkin and not on the chair you're sitting on.
2. Food belongs in the kitchen, unless it's popcorn, which can be eaten anywhere.
3. Permanent markers are for grownups; washable markers are for everybody.

BTW: Lisa's family has something else that really loosens up a room: a guitar. Lately I've been noticing the instrument in so many of my saved magazine tears.

For the next round of pictures, I may have to borrow my nine-year-old neighbor's.

Bedroom design, last image, David Cafiero, of Cafiero Select, photography by Francois Halard. Laura Casey photographed by Dawn Kjeldsen Freeland. Mrs. Blandings photographed by Gary Fabro. Crayons via the Crayola Store.

7.06.2009

Moving Sale


Muffie Faith, aka the talent behind Elizabeth Stuart Design, is closing her King Street location in Charleston. The big moving sale starts Thursday, July 9. Click the image above to read Muffie's take on the upcoming changes. If you've never had the pleasure of visiting her beautiful shop in person, this past post offers a tiny peek.

Mississippi's First True Modernist

[Untitled oil on canvas by Dusti Bongé, 1938, Collection of Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Gift of the Dusti Bonge Foundation]

I was taking a second look at the spring posts over at Verso, the Ogden's blog, when I came across some interesting information about Biloxi-born artist Dusti Swetman Bongé, aka Eunice Lyle Swetman Bongé, (1903-1993). An actress-turned-painter, she is described as Mississippi's first true modernist. Pretty cool that women played a significant role in the development of Southern Modernism. So, as a follow up to this post, I'm sharing the Verso link.

Verso notes that Dusti married artist Archie Bongé in 1927. After his untimely death in the 30s, she began painting and ultimately exhibited her work alongside the leading Abstract Expressionists of the 50s in New York. There's more to learn at Gumtree Museum of Art.

[Biloxi Yacht Club, Dusti Bongé, oil pastel]

[Untitled, Dusti Bongé, Joss paper watercolors]

I even found these Bongé crab notecards at the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum.

Images one and two via Gumtree Museum of Art.

I've not asked Mallory Mathison about the origin of her painting (we were focused on her walnut bachelor's chest with fretwork detail) but wouldn't it be great to have a mid-century work from one of the trailblazing Southern women to juxtapose with a traditional piece like this?

Something from Dusti Bongé or Marie Hull? Shown directly above is Hull's mixed media Sunburst, circa 1955 via Charleston Renaissance Gallery.

(Just to refresh your memory about Mallory and her passion for art.)

Amanda Talley, a contemporary Southern woman, is currently offering her blog readers first dibs on small new works priced at $75 each.

Style Guides

Need to refresh your memory about motifs in Chinese ceramics or the elements of Palladianism? The V & A style guides may have what you are searching for. Actually the museum offers a wide range of online databases, but the well-illustrated Understanding Styles section is particularly helpful when only a quick introduction is needed. Topics range from major historical periods in the decorative arts to the influence of Japanese design on the West.

Oh, and by the way, there is a quiz at the end of each sub-section.

7.05.2009

SCAD Grads: Heather Leigh Young

Around the world Savannah is associated with the arts in large part because of the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design, founded in 1978, but the city's relationship with painting, sculpture and drawing goes much further back. Savannah is home to the oldest art museum in the South, the Telfair, which opened to the public in 1886 as both a school and a museum. Later, during the early 20th century, the Telfair was instrumental in bringing modernism to the South by purchasing modern paintings and offering classes.

In a way, Heather Leigh Young is connected to all of this; she comes from a multi-generational Savannah family and earned her B.F.A. in illustration from SCAD, graduating magna cum laude. And while her graceful pen and ink drawings of Savannah's famed parks may conjure up thoughts of laid-back living, Heather is no indolent woman of leisure. She entered SCAD with a distinguished scholarship and worked her way through school illustrating for local businesses and painting murals and portraits.

(You may have seen her work in Skirt! magazine.)

Heather's pen and inks are available though her Etsy shop, The Ink Lab, as well as Shop SCAD. She also accepts commissions to illustrate private and public gardens, houses, and other buildings.

I think any one of her drawings or prints would be a great jumping off point for a collection of black-and-white works.

Shown directly above, part of Windsor Smith's art collection photographed by Miguel Flores-Vianna for domino, August 2007. Click to better see the details.

The image of Heather Leigh Young is via Skirt! and all images of Heather's work are posted with permission from the artist. She holds the copyright to the illustrations shown here.

Related videos: Architectural Drawings at the V & A.

Past posts of interest:



BTW: According to Rick Stewart in Painting in the South: 1564 to 1980, artist Gari Melchers advised the Telfair on purchases of modern art early in the 20th century.

7.02.2009

Enjoy Your Weekend

Childe Hassam
detail: Allies Day, May 1917, 1917
Gift of Ethelyn McKinney in memory of her brother, Glenn Ford McKinney
1943.9.1
National Gallery of Art

To learn more about the American artist, Childe Hassam, who lived from 1859 to 1935 and painted numerous scenes with flags during World War I, visit the National Gallery of Art.

Textile of the Day

This isn't budget-friendly fabric, but Steven Sclaroff has some interesting examples of vintage Nigerian strip woven Yoruba cloth that are fun to explore. Remember how Michael Smith used African textiles in some recent projects? Click here for Hamill Gallery's glossary of textile terms.

Image via Steven Sclaroff

7.01.2009

Reflections

I just spent a happy day observing dinosaurs, science experiments and kids. Aside from the fantastic architecture of Graham and Gund, art and design weren't really the focus.

But snapping these pictures, I decided I'm content with the latest arrangement: one wall plain except for a large mirror that reflects the very densely covered wall opposite it. (I sort of have no choice but to be content as the other wall is now peppered with holes.)

Amelia Handegan used a beautiful mirror to reflect her wonderful art collection. Roo Way photographed this view for Charleston Magazine, March 2008 (sorry my image is grainy). As mentioned earlier, some of Handegan's collection is from Ann Long Fine Art and it includes Mario Robinson's work.

I think everyone remembers this one. Ruthie Sommers' design photographed by Stewart Shining for domino, April 2008.

Here's another loosely related example from Displaying Pictures, seen in a past post. Whatever the style of interior, art, or even frames, the timeless trick of using a mirror to reflect a rather complex grouping of pictures -- particularly in a small space -- works for me.

Now, back to kids, check out the second installment of Ellen's summer reading crafts. Great links are included.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Art But Were Afraid to Ask

Interested in learning more about fine art? The Orlando Museum of Art offers a summer course tailored for interior designers: “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Art But Were Afraid to Ask: Conservation, History, Framing, Aesthetics and the Pitfalls of Criticism.”

As the course title indicates, the class explores many aspects of fine art such as the history of painting, different printing techniques, and the art of framing. It concludes with a special visit to Flying Horse Press, a fine art press at the University of Central Florida.

The seminar is open to all, but ASID professionals who participate can earn 10 CEUs and satisfy Health, Safety, and Welfare Requirements.

Here are the 2009 dates:
August 28, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
August 29, 9 a.m. - 12 noon

Cost is $350 including lunch on Friday. For details or to register, contact Associate Curator Jan Clanton by email, jclanton@omart.org, or by phone (407) 896-4231 x 261. The deadline for registration is August 21, 2009.

Shown at top,
Morning on the St. Johns, Florida
Thomas Moran (American, 1837 - 1926)
ca. 1881
etching on paper
11 1/4 x 15 inches
Orlando Museum of Art

6.30.2009

Iron Man

[Photo by Peter Frank Edwards for Charleston Magazine]

The recent passing of master blacksmith Philip Simmons has received good coverage in Charleston and I don't want the month to end without sharing some of the interesting links. If you are not familiar with his work, you might enjoy exploring these:

Charleston Magazine's tribute by Stephanie Hunt

Philip Simmons Foundation

Remembering a Master on the Drayton Hall blog

The Post and Courier coverage

Daily Pairing


Anthropologie's latest Bertram chair sports menswear stripes from British fashion designer, Paul Smith. To accompany it, here is a previously posted link: the V & A video with Sir Paul Smith exploring the museum's collection, including a Cecil Beaton chair. (Click here if you have trouble with the first link.)

6.29.2009

Paintboxes


After looking at Tim Hussey's photographs of Jill Hooper's studio with all of its handsome, well-worn art supplies, I started daydreaming about antique and vintage tools that could be used today, either as originally intended or in an entirely new way.


Paintboxes came to mind first. Old Reeves paintboxes ranging from vintage metal examples to one of the company's distinguished 18th-century boxes with original watercolors given by General George Washington to Nelly Custis* may turn up at Christies or on eBay. The detail images at the top show an eBay find, and pictured third is Turner's 19th-century box from the Tate archives. On its site, Winsor & Newton has other examples along with paint history.

*Christies auction highlight reported in Maine Antique Digest, March 2004.

Summer Study

Recently I received some nice emails from readers who are planning trips to Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia and hope to do a bit of gallery hopping. If you also plan to visit in person, or simply want to learn something new, Ann Long Fine Art offers a helpful online archive of in-depth articles.

Gallery artists such as Jill Hooper have been the subject of numerous features in both art periodicals and general lifestyle mags. Diving into the articles is a great way to better understand why this young painter is so passionate about classical old-school realism, and to appreciate her years of intensive training in Italy. For Charleston Magazine, September 2008, Stephanie Hunt did an interesting piece about Hooper's laborious process which includes mixing her own inks as Rembrandt and Velazquez did. (In the previous post I neglected to mention that Hooper is is the youngest living artist ever to be represented in the Gibbes' collection.)

And, yes, some of the publications geared toward collectors offer price guides for various artists' work.

Here's Tara Guerard at home, photographed by Roo Way for Charleston Magazine, March 2008; Hooper's work hangs in the background. Visit interior designer Angie Hranowsky's site for more views of the house.

Image at top: Jill Hooper working. Below are vignettes in her studio. All photographed by Tim Hussey for Charleston Magazine, September 2008.

6.27.2009

Wall of the Day: Jill Hooper

Tim Hussey photographed artist Jill Hooper in her home for Charleston Magazine, September 2008. Hooper is among the younger classically trained realist painters represented by Ann Long Fine Art, and her work is included in the preview for the upcoming Young Collectors' Show. You can also see Hooper's work in the permanent collection of the Gibbes Museum of Art. Private collectors who are fans include Charleston tastemaker Tara Guerard.

Reminder: Young Collectors' Sale

The annual Young Collectors' Sale at Ann Long Fine Art takes place Friday, July 10th in Charleston, SC. All works will be priced between $300 and $3,000.

Both paintings shown here are by Jura Bedic. From the top, Bloody Mary, oil on panel, 9¾" x 9¾", followed by Apricote, oil on panel, 6" x 10". Contact the gallery for details.

BTW: I noticed that Mario Robinson's work will be featured in the show. Robinson is very skilled in working with pastels, and Amelia Handegan appreciates his style.


Images © 2009 Ann Long Fine Art

6.26.2009

Enjoy Your Weekend

One of my goals for the weekend is to finish reading some exhibition catalogs from The Morris Museum of Art, in particular the essays that accompanied the Will Henry Stevens show. Curator Estill Curtis Pennington says that Stevens' works on paper, such as the abstract 1938 pastel above, suggest he was much more than a "mildly accomplished artist with some mystical relationship to nature," as certain critics may have thought in the past. Pennington observes that Stevens was "inspired to subtle experimentation with a rather delicate, indeed somewhat illusive medium." If you find yourself in or around Augusta, Georgia this summer, be sure to explore The Morris' mid-century holdings. Below, Stevens is shown in his Newcomb College studio, 1941.

And of course I also have more art to hang. For an unframed Molinelli print that I purchased from Coleen and Co., I was inspired by the simple masculine frames on Mallory Mathison's wall. I took my cues from the wooden beams in the picture and juxtaposed very dark brown with the candy-pink, but a gilt frame would have been another striking option. The second piece is a modest vintage store find that I reinvented with a burnished gold frame.

I hope this weekend you find something interesting in your corner of the world, too.

Images one and two are from The Morris' publication, Will Henry Stevens: An Eye Transformed, A Hand Transforming (July 15–December 31, 1993).

BTW: Some of the reading I've already done has led me to artist Josephine Marien Crawford, a Southerner who studied cubism with André Lhote in Paris in the late 1920s. Click here to learn about a free related exhibition on view in NOLA through August 29. A book by North Carolinian Louise C. Hoffman accompanies the show. Crawford's work is also included in Women Artists in Louisiana, 1825–1965: A Place of Their Own, on view through September 13 at NOMA.

6.25.2009

Find of the Day


In stock at the moment at Binders' Buckhead location are large sheets of luscious marbleized paper. Shot through the pretty sorbet shades is a rich grown-up gold. When I saw the huge roll, several DIY projects came to mind.

One was Nick Olsen's oft-blogged IKEA coffee table covered with similar glued-on marbleized paper, shown above in Paul Costello's photo for domino, November 2006. But on a smaller scale there was Charlotte Moss' idea to line old boxes with decorative papers, as told to Southern Accents here. Lining a child's chest of drawers or a medicine cabinet, or covering the exterior of a box are other possibilities that I'm sure you've already thought of.

The simplest option, though, would be to wrap summer birthday or shower presents with it. A cluster of marbled packages on a sideboard and swirled ice cream in clear glasses would equal instant decoration. Here's a favorite related past post with a great database suggested by Janet Blyberg. There is a detailed essay, too.

Ice cream courtesy Yuichi Sakuraba.

Not edible, but similar and fun: recycled crayons via Ellen Baker and Make and Takes.

On a more scholarly note, antiquarian dealer, The Veatchs Arts of the Book, offers rare titles on marbling and papermaking such as the 19th-century book, On Improvements in Marbling the Edges of Books and Paper, and James Sumner's The Mysterious Marbler.

Marbleized balloons via Zesmerelda.

And Even More Spade

Not every print, drawing or painting in the Spade apartment is framed with cream matting. When Eric Morin photographed the kitchen several years ago, butterflies surrounded by punchy spring-green mats were displayed in the kitchen.


To learn about Séguy butterflies and prints available through The New York Public Library archives see this related past post.

Image via NYPL Digital.

6.24.2009

Buying Local (and a Little More Spade)

If it seems that I've been mentioning Emily Amy Gallery a lot lately, it is because the gallery's calendar currently features so many events of interest to beginning collectors. For example, the upcoming opening reception for the group show, Buy Local, is scheduled for Friday, July 10th from 7 to 10 p.m. On view will be works from emerging artists including Zuzka Vaclavik, Kristina Bailey, Holly Golson Bryan, Whitney Stansell, Meta Gary, and Will Kay. Shown at top is Vaclavik's watercolor, Delicious Rhythms. Stansell will be participating as a guest artist; learn more about her over at Timothy Tew.

Contact EAG to RSVP for the reception.

Haskell, aka Belle Decor, just jogged my memory about some older images I had on file. This is the Spade weekend house as seen on Oprah a few years ago. Sadly, I don't think I have the staircase that Haskell remembers from H & G, but it's still great to see the art here.


I do see Goodbye Picasso on the coffee table.

The Apartment

These cool blue porch ceilings look so inviting on a day like today. Do you recognize the Crescent Avenue apartment building in Atlanta? Our city has few remaining old structures like this, and I love any excuse to share a pretty painted porch ceiling.

This is the current home of The Literary Center, but in the 1920s author Margaret Mitchell lived here. Today the Center hosts and promotes very diverse contemporary writers including Alice Walker, Pat Conroy, Tom Wolfe, Jon Meacham, and Marilynne Robinson. Also offered are numerous writing workshops for adults and young students.

Additionally, the site serves as the midtown campus of the Atlanta History Center and it has recently been modified to offer visitors a more historically accurate experience. One change included moving a fence that previously blocked this side of the building. Next time you are in the neighborhood, stop by and explore the 21st century happenings.

For more information about upcoming events, click here or call 404.249.7015. Images courtesy Margaret Mitchell House.

Keeping it Simple

Kate and Andy Spade have a really terrific art collection. Nothing needs any extra embellishment, and in keeping with their personal style all of the works are framed in an understated way. I thought it would be interesting to zoom in on some of the pieces, to contrast with the approaches shown in the previous post. That said, as long as matting doesn't detract from the art, it's hard to say one way is better than another.

Click pictures to better see the details. All images cropped from Eric Morin photographs.


Just to further illustrate all the options out there, below are two exceptional modern pieces purposely framed by an Atlanta woman in a traditional style to mingle with her Continental antiques. A bit more embellishment has been added, but the framing is still very reserved and the art is not overshadowed.

6.23.2009

Fillet v. Double Matting

The term "fillet," as it is used by framers, may not crop up in most people's casual conversations but everyone has probably seen quite a few of these decorative elements without thinking much about them. Their point, after all, is to draw the eye in and sharpen the focus on a work of art. Basically a fillet is a thin strip of molding commonly placed between the art and the matting, as shown above and below. It's like a second "inner frame."


Typically made of wood, a fillet may be gilded,

painted, or stained depending on the style of frame chosen.


Classically fillets are used with watercolors to bring a bit of weight to something delicate, or to literally add depth. But the decision to use one is rather subjective; some eyes prefer to rest on a cleaner, more minimal picture. In the example of Hollyhock's framed Regency-era needlework shown at the top, a decision was made to go all out. The diminutive piece is anchored with a gilt fillet, hand-painted matting, and a gilt frame.

Double matting, in contrast, is the layering of two mats commonly made with paper, linen, or silk. Some drawings, documents, paintings, and prints are triple matted.

Credits: image one via Hollyhock and 1stdibs; photo four was taken by Amanda Talley, and all others are mine. Painting in image two by Vicky Molinelli.

6.22.2009

Made in the Shade

If you were reading this blog last summer, you've already seen my snapshot of the Italianate steps on the grounds of Cator Woolford Gardens. Perhaps less iconic than the steps that lead to architect Philip Trammell Shutze's 1920s Swan House, these are nonetheless a lovely and welcoming site on a steamy day. Today CW gardens are rented for private parties and weddings to help support The Frazer Center, but in the early 20th century this was home to Cator and Charlotte Woolford. (Cator Woolford was one of the principle founders of Retail Credit, which became Equifax Credit Services.)

Apart from days when events are scheduled, the extensive Druid Hills gardens are open to the public and the steps in particular are a popular site for photography. With the moss that has grown on them over time, and the leafy green canopy, the steps do feel like something out of the movie A Midsummer Night's Dream -- at least a Georgia version.

Photo my own

BTW: Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed the park-like neighborhood Druid Hills. To learn more about Olmsted, click here.

Sweet Home Alabama

Would you guess that the Birmingham Museum of Art is home to one of the most respected and comprehensive collections of Asian art in the United States, including the finest collection of Vietnamese ceramics in the country? It is, and the Museum's galleries of Japanese and Chinese works are scheduled to reopen on June 28. Additionally, new installations are planned for the Indian sculpture gallery and the Southeast Asian ceramic gallery.

Image: Detail, Sakyamuni as an Ascetic, Circa 1300, China, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), wood, lacquer, hemp, pigment, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William M. Spencer III, 1979.316. Courtesy the Birmingham Museum of Art.

Artist of the Day: Amy Dixon

I first became acquainted with Amy Dixon's work at an Atlanta gallery about seven years ago. Why it's taken me so long to mention her here, I don't know. Anyone with a penchant for paintings of interiors will appreciate Dixon's style and enjoy looking at rooms through her eyes. You'll notice that chairs are often a focal point for her.

A graduate of Newcomb College, Dixon grew up in Monroe, Louisiana and currently resides in Colorado. Gallerist Ann Connelly represents her in Baton Rouge.


Credits from the top:

Modifications, Mixed Media on Canvas

Cocktail Mood, Mixed Media on Canvas
Seduction of French Sunlight, Mixed Media on Canvas
Petite Salon, Acrylic on Canvas

All
Amy Dixon, all courtesy Ann Connelly

Related reading: Jeremiah: A Romantic Vision

Above, Classically Luculus. Click here to visit Dixon's site.

Gerrie B's, Amy Dixon© 2009

BTW: In Atlanta, Dixon is represented by Huff Harrington.

6.21.2009

Modernism in the South

When the conversation turns to 20th-century literary masters, famous Southerners are quickly mentioned: Harper Lee, Eudora Welty, William Faulkner.

Yet, when the topic shifts to early and mid-20th-century visual artists with strong ties to the American South, there is more confusion. Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly certainly have Southern connections. Eudora Welty is also known for her photography, and North Carolina-born collagist and painter, Romare Bearden, has received acclaim for work related to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, as well as to New York. Still, other artists whose work truly reflects Southern modernism are not household names.

This is starting to change, though. In recent years museums including The Morris, the Gibbes, and The Ogden have turned the spotlight on innovative artists who were greatly influenced by modernism and abstraction but, at the same time, were inspired by the Southern landscape.

Unlike William Halsey or Andrew Bucci, Will Henry Stevens (1881 -1949) was not a native Southerner. He hailed from Indiana, studied as a young man in Ohio and New York, and in the 1920s accepted a teaching position at Sophie Newcomb College. As he continued to live, travel and work below the Mason-Dixon, both the Appalachian mountains and the Louisiana bayou impacted his art along with Klee and Kandinsky. Today scholars describe Stevens as an important pioneer and a prolific modern master.

The Morris has an extensive collection of Stevens' work, and a small exhibition catalog, Will Henry Stevens: An Eye Transformed, A Hand Transforming (July 15–December 31, 1993) is available for purchase online. The Ogden also owns numerous examples of the artist's works on paper, such as the pastels shown above. Personally, I'm always curious to learn if any of the sketches or paintings by these modern masters are still attainable (a relative term). For Stevens, a good place to start is Asheville's Blue Spiral 1.

Credits: all pastels shown above, Will Henry Stevens via The Ogden Museum of Southern Art; exhibition catalogs via The Morris Museum of Art. The largest public collection of Romare Bearden's works belongs to the Mint Museum of Art.

In case you missed this earlier in the month, Nick has great tips for using picture lights to enhance whatever style of art you own.

6.19.2009

Children's Art

In January I mentioned something about saving kids' artwork. It can be a challenge to find space to store all of it, or to determine whether or not every single piece should be kept. But everyone seems to agree that framing select paintings or drawings makes a child feel great.

Long before Amanda Talley's work was selected to hang in law offices and banks, her mom valued it and often framed it. Amanda tells me that when her mother placed the art on the wall, it felt real. Shown here are samples done around the time she was in the sixth and seventh grades.

As a young girl in Louisiana, Amanda was fortunate to study in the attic studio of Libby Johnson and Michael Crespo. She began by drawing from still life set up by Libby, and by copying old master paintings. The work above was a study of an Edward Hopper.

If you're still struggling with where to put all the paintings that won't end up on a wall, Amanda Gordon Miller has a good tip about utilizing a salvaged old desk for vertical storage. I think her ideas could be interpreted to suit a variety of tastes.

All images except the storage box are courtesy Amanda Talley and her mother; storage system via Amanda Gordon Miller.

BTW: Today on her blog Louisiana Amanda has a link you might enjoy: Susan Woodward Watercolors. Above is Susan's inspiration board.

It's the Little Things

What's the old expression? Children learn from what you do, not what you say? I don't remember my parents ever telling me to offer the UPS man a to-go cup of ice on a steamy June day, or to ask a mason toiling in the hot sun if he would care for a Coke, but I've seen them do it year after year and now I try never to forget to do the same.

It's funny how few people do this even though in theory kitchens are sleeker and more efficient than ever before. Sometimes it's all about the gesture. As an appreciative FedEx driver recently explained to my mom, bathroom breaks are a challenge on her route, so she has to decline a glass of water, but from now on Mom's packages are placed at the door a little more carefully than her neighbor's.

Photo above by Simon Upton, design by Miles Redd. Note the art in the kitchen! Elle Decor, November 2006.

Ice bucket available at Pieces.