Color Stories

The book jacket of the day is on a 1958 first edition of Balthazar, available at Paris Hotel Boutique. Love the orange-y red on hot pink.

[Mickey Smith's photograph of lushly colored bound books from her Nature pairing available at 20 x 200.]


[Screengrab from Masterpiece Classic's Emma 2009.]

Are you following Masterpiece Classic's latest adaptation of Emma on PBS? Richer colors that border on the vibrancy of Mickey Smith's photograph at top, and even J.Crew's wrap below, appear in this version. Although the pictures here don't do it justice, Mr. Woodhouse's emerald scarf is a standout.

The colors particularly pop in episode two. Listen to what the filmmakers have to say about the bolder hues here, and see what you think.

Christina Cole, who play's the oh-so-irritating wife of Mr. Elton, wears some of the brighter dresses.

[ J.Crew wrap.]

Related past post: Regency Redux
Related reading: Recycled Fashion

This commentary on PBS's Remotely Connected compares Emma with Vermeer's work.

Living with Art

[All interior design by Angie Hranowsky; photography by Squire Fox.]

It has now been a year since Charleston-based interior designer Angie Hranowsky gave us the scoop on her personal approach to collecting art. In the months that followed, she assembled some terrific regional art for Coastal Living's Idea Cottage and had Squire Fox photograph her adorable kids at home with her own pieces in their family's modern 1970s era house. (Yes, Angie uncovered something akin to a Mies van der Rohe in historic Charleston).

Her art collection is so personal and reflects what she loves; I think that, along with her brilliant use of color, is what brings warmth to the clean-lined rooms she tends to favor.

If you missed it on the first go round, read her thoughts on being open to art wherever you find it, then spend some time looking at her salon-style grouping at the top.

For fun, Angie also shared some of Squire's lifestyle shots with me. These offer a glimpse of her house's exterior.

Moving from the Lowcountry to Atlanta, how many of you recognize the spot below?

Halima Washington's cityscape, 7:30 p.m. pm in Virginia Highlands, is sold, but more of her urban scenes are available. I particularly like her use of impasto and her very small works.

[Halima Washington, Market St. Bus Parade, 2010, oil on board, 8 x 8 inches.]

[Halima Washington, Traffic Waltz, oil on cradled wood panel, 8 x 8 inches.]

Halima teaches at Callanwolde community arts center and is represented by Anne Irwin Fine Art. She also donated works for the 2010 Spotlight on Art market.

[Click here to watch videos.]

One more bit of Atlanta news: the High's debut event, Collectors' Evening 2010, was a big success. Guests cast votes for not just one but four favorite pieces that will become part of the museum's permanent collection. Click here to read all about it.

Daily Comparisons

[Detail view, Anthropologie's Sketched Palette dinner plate.]

I know at times it seems as if everything reminds me of the lahariya turbans in Joss Grahm's 2009 ad for his Waves of Color exhibit at last year's New York Arts of Pacific Asia Show, but I couldn't pass by Anthropologie's new chevron-patterned Sketched Palette dinner plates.

[Anthropologie's Sketched Palette dinner plate.]

See Anthro's February catalog for a pretty outdoor vignette that shows the plates layered. I really like the idea of mixing these with solid pieces of pottery.




Related past post: Not So New.

Weekend Viewing

[Screengrabs from a video about A Single Man]

My friend Alli just reminded me that A Single Man, Tom Ford's visually stunning adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's 1964 novel, is currently playing in Atlanta at the Tara on Cheshire Bridge Road. Read what NPR had to say about the film here, see a trailer here, and see some eye-catching stills here. Apart from the meaningful story, this is a must-see for anyone interested in 1960s aesthetics. I expect opportunities for sculptural sightings -- lamps and art, not just Julianne Moore's hair.

To explore other bold lamps and mid-century chinoiserie, click here.

I have seen the Bright Star DVD, and while I'm disappointed that the extras (the featurettes) about production and costume designer Janet Patterson are brief and essentially the same material offered on the film's website, it is a treat to be able to pause and linger over the many striking details we all noticed on the big screen.

[Image courtesy The Long Thread.]

Love affairs with houses, albeit far less sophisticated ones. Did yours start with this? As soon as I saw the yellow elevator, a flood of memories came back. Read Ellen's post about what was for many people the original dream house. I'll leave it to you to dissect the pierced (trellis-like) functioning elevator and Adler-esque ironwork chairs.

Made Well 1868

[Styling by Carolyn Quartermaine, photo by Jacques Dirand from Carolyn Quatermaine Revealed, Rizzoli, 1997.]

Wendy Cook, curator at Worcester Porcelain Museum, has shed some light on the dessert plates Carolyn Quartermaine picked up years ago in Norfolk, England. In part using the markings on the back of the plates, she determined that they were made in 1868 (as a reader had estimated here). She also said they are very good quality English bone china with hand-painted botanical centers, probably made in Staffordshire.

Cook explained that Royal Worcester did make similar sets, but she would expect the antique plates to have had a factory mark and a handwritten design number on the back, which would enable her to trace the design. And although this type of plate was made by several different factories in the 19th century, the shape of the plates suggests they were not made by Worcester.

Mystery Plates

The plate that is part of a stylized composition in Carolyn Quartermaine's book, Carolyn Quatermaine Revealed, is from the artist's own collection. To her, the border color is the perfect turquoise.

[Styling by Carolyn Quartermaine, photo by Jacques Dirand from Carolyn Quatermaine Revealed, Rizzoli, 1997.]

She told me that she bought several of them in Norfolk, England at least 25 years ago but doesn't know anything about the manufacturer. We are posting an image of the back in hopes that someone might have a few guesses to share.

Please click the pictures above to enlarge.

[Carolyn Quartermaine, in Cote Sud France, photo by Martin Morrell.]

In the Spotlight

[Above, a detail view of a painting artist Annie Kammerer Butrus is bringing to Spotlight on Art, 2010. The full piece, 14" x 50", is shown below.]

In the January 2010 issue, Town & Country asks Kelly Wearstler how she likes to bring a sense of luxury to a room and she responds succinctly with,

Art. I've been collecting since I was eighteen, and I move pieces around the house or sometimes mix them together in a new way.

[A detail view of Kate and Andy Spade's art collection from a photo by Eric Morin.]

Art also brings to a room a personal -- some might say soulful -- dimension. On this blog we've been talking about that for a long time now. It's a great thing to be able to glance up at a piece on your wall and remember where you were when you found it. Even more rewarding is buying a work from an artist you've admired for years.

[Above, artist Jules Cozine and her work, Moonscape Terre, 40" x 30", courtesy Emily Amy Gallery.]

Whenever I'm drawn to a new artist, I do some research to see if he or she has small works in my price range. Often I'm pleasantly surprised to find that they do. Last year when I was browsing the artists market during Spotlight on Art, I discovered that contemporary painter Annie Butrus, whose acclaimed work has been exhibited at several museums across the U.S., had brought a few pastels and small studies to sell for the fundraiser. This is my long-winded way of reminding Atlantans (again) that Spotlight 2010 is just around the corner.

The opening night event takes place on Monday, February 15th and the Market is open daily Tuesday through Saturday, February 16th through 20th on the campus of Trinity School, 4301 Northside Parkway. Click here for specifics. (Trinity contributes a portion of the proceeds to Families First.)


Any hours that the Market is open, admission is free and open to the public. For moms with young kids, and anyone who works 9 to 5, it's a great early-morning stop after carpool drop-offs or before heading to the office.

One thing to keep in mind if you go: there is a vast array of original art for sale, 7,500 pieces in fact, from abstract to representational to folk. All of the works are displayed very closely together, due to space limitations. Some visitors feel energized by the selection while others can become overwhelmed. It's definitely worth it to persevere, though. Don't be thrown off by something that's not your cup of tea. I make sure to explore every nook and cranny. Even if you have no plans to purchase anything, the Market offers an opportunity to see diverse art up-close in a relaxed setting -- really educate your eye.

[Another detail view of a painting artist Annie Kammerer Butrus is bringing to Spotlight on Art, 2010.]

Annie told me the works she has chosen for Spotlight 2010 include the painting shown at top, some pastels, and two or three pieces from her UAB exhibition. Another participating Southern artist is Jules Cozine, although the painting shown here courtesy Emily Amy Gallery is just meant to be an example of her work.

FYI: Transitive Geographies, an exhibition of related interest, opens January 28th at GCSU in Milledgeville, Georgia. Click here for a sneak peek. And visit the curator's blog to see behind the scenes shots of the installation.

And speaking of petite paintings, I was looking at this slideshow of Amanda's carriage house when a small abstract landscape caught my eye. Amanda told me the artist is Jill Tauzin Broussard and it was the first real piece of art she ever bought. Shown above is a different example of Jill's small works. Visit her site to see more.

Regency Redux

[Screengrab from Masterpiece Classic's Emma 2009. Squerryes Court serves as Hartfield, Emma's digs, in this adaptation.]

[Screengrab from Masterpiece Classic's Emma 2009.]

[© 1995-Paramount Pictures via IMDB.]

Nearly four years ago, I posted a question about the set decor in Amy Heckerling's Clueless. Since her screenplay was based on Jane Austen's Regency-era Emma, and her late-20th-century lead character, Cher Horowitz, lives in Beverly Hills (or is it Bel Air?), I thought it was ironic that the 1995 movie missed the Kelly Wearstler-and-Jonathan Adler-driven Hollywood Regency design revival by less than a decade.

[Clueless screengrab from Cinemagia.]

[Image from HB's June 2001 story about the KWID bungalow. Photography by Jonn Coolidge.]

The clothes in Clueless are considered innovative and memorable, with a few subtle nods to Austen's Regency.

[Screengrab from Clueless. Note the Empire waist dress.]

But do you remember much about the rooms? I wondered how the interiors in the movie might have changed if it had been filmed in 2005 when Hollywood Regency style was taking L.A. by storm. On my second attempt to introduce the topic I turned to our favorite Regency expert, Emily Evans Eeerdmans.

[Check out the table in this still from Emma © 1996 Miramax.]

[Screengrab from Masterpiece Classic's Emma 2009.]

I asked Emily if she thinks Clueless' 1990s Califoria decor, what I hastily described as Barbie-Dream-House-meets-McMansion, best suits Heckerling's story after all. Or would Hollywood Regency interiors have upped the aesthetic punch?

She said: "Although I've seen Clueless several times, I can't remember the sets at all -- which of course just goes to prove your point."

Emily stressed that Emma and all of Jane Austen's novels are set in the highly stylized Regency period. "Pomp and pageantry was the order of the day whether it was the flashing epaulets on a soldier's uniform or the gleam of ormolu mounts on a center table."

She added, "Emma Woodhouse is a character we all fantasize about being -- rich with a high rank in society (which was just as important as having lots of dough), young and beautiful-- and without an annoying Mama to cramp her style. Her house should be just as aspirational and here is where Clueless' Cher lets us down. If my memory serves me right, Cher's mansion (with the exception of her closet) is an upscale version of a Raymour and Flannigan store -- instantly forgettable. The mannered glamour of Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler would have popped and sizzled and made the privileged life of Cher that much more fairy tale-like."

What's your take?

Related reading:

Remotely Connected

Emma and Claydon House

Clueless/Emma Parallels

Jane Austen's World

Emma and Clueless

Historic Houses in Emma 2009

[Screengrab from Clueless. The pool at Cher's house.]

Update: 1.27.10
Fiona left a great comment below that reminds us all to take another look at Clueless. She remembers, for example, bold Claes Oldenburg sculptures and the dramatic area around Cher's pool. So maybe this weekend we should all watch it again with a special eye out for art. Thanks Fiona!