Rose et Lis

Inspirations in the studio

2010-12-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

This week I am returning to my paints and textures, working on several projects. I am loving it! I don't know about you, but my work output is greatly increased when I am inspired and there is nothing like peeking into other artists' studios to motivate me!

There are as many studio variations as there are artists. Here are a few:

-a studio with an elegant Aubusson carpet sample in the planning

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-Studio of Carine de Marin in France

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-Various painters at work

Traditional Home

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-Jackson Pollock at work in his studio

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-Studios that are more organized or elegant

The World of Interiors

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Wow!

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-Paint palettes

Details

Then, there is my studio! OK, I admit it. It IS messy, especially right now, in the middle of projects. If I had to clean up after every session, I'd get nothing done!

my drying brushes

pigments and colors

my work and class area

For those of you who know me, I always have to have a few plants and flowers around! Above, you will find birds-of-paradise and jasmine vines. This is an oleander passing the winter indoors.

Tell me about your favorite place to work and be inspired!

Have the happiest of holidays!

2010-12-24T20:59:00.001-05:00

Sharing with you glimpses of our holiday decor this year. A few new baubles are added every year, but we prefer the traditional items for sentimental reasons. Some year we'll do something totally unexpected... and I suspect next year may be the year!

From the corner of the living room...

to the corner of the dining room...

to the Noble fir tree...

to the kitchen, where we hang out most of the time.

From the 50's lit stars and stephanotis vines...

to our carved wood, antique Santa (isn't he precious?)...

and his partner, the Man in the Moon...

to the vase of holiday greens...

Merry Christmas to my wonderful blogging friends all over the world!

Arguably my favorite artist ever, Marcia Myers

2010-12-19T23:25:00.001-05:00

When you see something for the first time and it speaks to your soul, you don't forget it. I'll never forget the first time that I saw a painting by an artist whom I had never heard of before. Was this painting a Rothko (my then current favorite)? It had such depth and character, but it wasn't quite his work. The colors were so vivid, the patina unmistakable. How was that achieved? Who was this artist? Luckily, Google came to the rescue and I discovered Marcia Myers. I soon owned the Hudson Hills Press publication named Marcia Myers Twenty Years: Paintings and Works on Paper 1982-2002 by Dr. Renee H. Shea. It is one gorgeous, oversized book that I refer to often.

Ventana XV, 1987

luma, metal dust, interference pigment and varnish on paper

Marcia Myers was best known as a fresco artist who painted abstract canvases that reflected her love of Pompeii, the frescoes of the Renaissance and contemporary abstract paintings. She loved to experiment and developed a layered technique of combining unorthodox mediums with the traditional to produce the textured frescoes.

Tabula Aes III, 1987

metal dust, luma and varnish on linen

After completing her MFA in painting at George Washington University and a Fulbright scholarship, Marcia began teaching Art History at the Madeira School in Virginia. She later credited her academic training, including classes on materials and methods, with giving her the confidence to push the limits with the mediums that she experimented with when creating her frescoes.

Marcia was deeply influenced by the ancient ruins in Pompeii and Herculaneum, making over thirty visits to study the frescoed walls. She strived to capture the incredibly rich colors and amazing textures, beginning with works on paper and later moving to large linen canvas.

Myers' own photo of Pompeii

Villa dei Misteri V, 1996

fresco on linen

Myers began painting with oils and pigments, layering thin layers of oil glazes and creating textures with paper and fabric. Works done by abstract painters, such as Mark Rothko and William Turner, were her early inspirations.

Memory III

fresco on linen

Myers continued to develop and refine her technique, using the raw, historical pigments favored by the Renaissance artists. She layered the pigments along with marble dust and clear acrylic varnish, combining many layers to achieve the luminous depths and vibrant colors that define her paintings.

in her studio

her working powder pigment collection

Myers started to paint in series, working on two or three canvases at one time, moving back and forth between them. These abstract diptychs and triptychs showed off her rich colors: burnished red-oranges, creamy whites, mustard yellows and cool turquoises and blues.

Padua, 2002

fresco on linen

Civitas 79 A.D., 1996

fresco on linen

Instead of layering the powder pigments into fresh plaster as in the frescoes of Pompeii and the Renaissance, she produced her frescoes by layering the pigments and marble dust on to clear varnishes and glazes, thus displaying a thoroughly modern take on the ancient medium. Using the powder pigments allowed her to make the most of each pigment's properties. While the ochres created a more opaque surface, the reds were more transparent. Lapis lazuli pigment stayed suspended in the medium, thus shimmering in light.

Frammento Del Muro LIX, 1998

fresco on linen

Frammento Del Muro I, 1996

fresco on linen

Marcia Myers' chipped and scraped surfaces continue to draw me in to contemplate and admire.

What is your favorite?

Scavi CXXVI, 1999

fresco on linen

Marcia Myers died an untimely death in 2008. For those of you lucky enough to live close to the Gail Severn Gallery in Ketchum, Idaho, the Gallery is presenting Riches of Remembrance, a collection of Marcia's work. From December 20, 2010 through January 31, 2011, the paintings to be shown are mainly from her own personal collection.

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Guest posting at Providence Ltd. today

2010-12-16T09:34:00.019-05:00

Providence Ltd.'s very talented designer, blogger and owner of a spectacular home (see it here), Mona Thompson, kindly invited me over to talk about holiday decorating.

Let's go visit...

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Holiday Gold in NYC

2010-12-12T10:12:00.001-05:00

The holiday season seems to be especially hectic this year. Between the trips here and there, holiday shopping and prepping, much less working, little time is left over to devote to blogging as I'd like to.

I often feel like this "scene" we caught on our trip to New York City last week:

Speaking of, we had the pleasure of visiting the new Fortuny showroom in the D and D Building. Designed by Barry Dixon, it was so fun to see the gorgeous fabrics that the Fortuny company continues to produce, closely honoring the designs and principles of Mariano Fortuny.

The walls and furniture, dressed with their lush fabrics, were beautiful. Fortuny also offers fabric-covered journals, address books and pillows- perfect for gift giving right now. You can see more pictures here.

I'll take the whole room!

My daughter treated us to an evening at the Metropolitan Opera to see Carmen. It was my first time at the Met Opera and it was a wow! evening. I admit that I am not an avid opera fan, but Carmen was amazing. However, the Met Opera House's gilded ceilings were my main attraction. (Figures, doesn't it?)

Not only were the soaring expanses covered with gold leaf,

seeing the gilded ceilings along with the Swarovski crystal chandeliers was a real treat. I kept on wondering how brave those artisans were to patiently apply each delicate gold leaf sheet while so high in the air.

We also went by the new Tamsen Z boutique on Madison Avenue, where I admired the perfect Venetian plaster walls.

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Look closely- do the chandeliers look familiar? Ann Ziff, the owner of Tamsen Z, had the Met Opera's crystal chandeliers duplicated for her shop.

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I think we walked most areas of the city in our few days there. We pounded the pavement and made good use our Metro cards.

Down in SoHo, the Sicis store is an immediate attraction. Gorgeous tiles.

Cool panels.

The gold and blue together are a gorgeous combination. Now that's quite the tub!

There is no place like New York City. It's a great place to visit and get inspired, but I don't know how the folks live there. I am always glad to return home!

The Brooklyn Flea (market, that is...)

2010-12-06T22:33:00.000-05:00

We just returned from a quick trip to New York City to visit my daughter and her husband. It's nice to have a "local" guide us around and we sure appreciated staying in their lovely place rather than a hotel.

We spent most of Saturday visiting the various neighborhoods of Brooklyn. We started off at the Brooklyn Flea Market, which is now held at One Hanson Place, the historic landmark formerly known as the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. Built in 1929, it has a 512 foot clocktower. It presently is home to 179 luxury residences on the upper floors and hosts the flea market every Saturday and Sunday.This is the main hall.

Here is a bit of a closeup of the 40-foot mosaic map of the Dutch colonies of New York on the back wall.

I seemed to zero in on the beauty of the building. Of course, the goods were everywhere and I scored a fabulous, vintage lambswool coat. The food was yummy; it would be worth it to go just for the food!

You can definitely see the Art Deco influence.

Love, love the mosaics!

There is the clock tower.

Bye, bye! We were leaving to go to see Carmen at the Met!

Ice Leaf

2010-12-01T23:37:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist showing you this!

The leaves are almost gone (except for the oaks) and a few just happened to land on the car windshield. And then it rained. And then it froze.

How can you beat Mother Nature?

Waxing Poetic: Encaustic painting

2010-11-28T09:43:00.010-05:00

Until you can touch it, actually rub your hands on it and admire its creamy, firm smoothness, one cannot truly appreciate encaustic painting. Although encaustic painting has been traced back to the Greco-Roman mummy portraits near the Faiyum oasis in Egypt one thousand years ago, it is not a well known medium in modern times. Let's go investigate.

Faiyum mummy portraits

The word encaustic originated from the Greek word, enkaustikos, which means "to burn in". The encaustic painting technique involves first creating the encaustic medium, applying it to a porous surface and then fusing it together with heat. The medium is a combination of wax and damar resin. Most often beeswax is used, but other waxes, such as carnauba, microcrystalline and paraffin, may be included. Beeswax is what we use, for its excellent light-reflecting quality and ability to combine well with pigments.

The beeswax combines with damar resin, a sap that is harvested from a tree found in Indonesia. It dries in crystals or lumps. Damar resin raises the melting point of the beeswax from 140 degrees to 160 degrees, allows the wax to cure and harden over time, resists dust and helps to add gloss and polish to the finished piece when buffed with a soft cloth. Each artist has a preferred recipe for the medium; we use 9 parts of beeswax to 2 parts of damar resin. Once the resin has completely dissolved in the beeswax, the mixture is filtered to eliminate unwanted particulates.

You can see how glossy and smooth the encaustic paintings become!

The wax mixture is applied to many types of surfaces, but each type must be both rigid and absorbent. Some examples are plywood, museum board, concrete, clay, Plexiglass, and even dried plant materials. Canvas, paper and fabric may be used, but must be backed by a firm board to prevent sagging.

Most of the examples here were created on birch plywood.

A key component of encaustic painting is proper ventilation. With the melting of the wax and resin, especially as the temperature of the wax rises, decomposition occurs and toxins are released. Adequate ventilation must be obtained to avoid untoward reactions, such as headache and nausea. Exposure to large concentrations of the toxins can lead to bronchitis and chemical pneumonia. In our home studio, there are windows on two sides of the room, so we open one window and have installed a powerful exhaust fan in the other window, directly above the work table to capture the fumes and send them outdoors.

Now comes the fun part! The studio has been assembled, with the exhaust system working, the encaustic medium melted and the birch plywood panel ready to go. The anodized aluminum palette we use has been specifically designed for encaustic painting by R and F Handmade Paints. We have also obtained our pigments from R and F to combine with the medium and give it the brilliant colors you see here. The pigments are in stick form and are a combination of linseed oil, beeswax, plant wax and pigment. Dry pigments may be used, but full safety precautions must be taken, as often they can be highly toxic. Oil paints may also be used, but the resulting encaustic paint can be less vibrant.

The panel should first be prepared by sizing it with the beeswax medium. The panel may also be sized with gesso or Venetian plaster. Most often, we use a natural bristle brush (no synthetics- they will melt) to apply the medium. After each layer is applied, it must be fused with a heat source. We employ a variety of sources: heat gun, propane torch and a small butane creme brulee torch. A household iron, heat lamp and even the sun may be used.

The pigment sticks are then melted, combined with the beeswax medium, and the artist layers and fuses away.

Texture is obtained by employing a wide variety of instruments: printmaking tools, dental tools, ceramics tools and whatever else the artist can think of to obtain the desired result. It's all part of the fun.

Many special effects may be obtained with encaustic painting. The wax medium is such a wonderful surface on which to create. The wax can be etched, scratched to reveal the underlying layer (sgraffito), inlaid (intarsia) with a different color, poured for a totally different effect, and the list goes on. Transfers and stencils can also be put to use. Many of these effects can be seen in all of the examples here.

Gold leaf has been added as the last layer in these examples.

Once the painting has cooled, it can be buffed with a smooth, clean cloth. It is fully cured after at least four weeks. If it loses its luster, the shine can be brought back by buffing again. Our preferred method is to simply buff with the pad of our hand, directly below the thumb.

All of the above paintings were created by Pieter Bouterse and myself.

Here are a few more examples created by artist Carolyn Holman.

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There are many wonderful resources available on the internet. Several excellent books are also a gold mine of information. If you would like more details, please email me.

Crystal leaves

2010-11-23T21:45:00.002-05:00

The magic of a frost: crystal maple leaves.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Our Roman Holiday

2010-11-21T23:31:00.002-05:00

Our visit to Rome began with one of the best ideas we had on the trip: ditch the rental car and walk everywhere. Because the streets can be narrow and the Italian drivers, while precise, have very little regard for other drivers, we decided to enjoy the city and not stress about having to drive anywhere. So, we turned the car in and put on our walking shoes. Once you get the lay of the land, Rome is an easy city to navigate. That said, we had perfect weather which was much more pleasant than the rain we endured during our last visit.

Rome has so many layers to it, both physically and in the variety of interesting places to see. Unless you have a good week in the city, you need to narrow your focus. We decided on visiting just a few museums and whatever else caught our fancy along the way.

Of course, Rome's stucco buildings and pockets of flowers and plants also caught my eye!

Purple bougainvillea

Lush ivies

One thing we did notice was an increase in the amount of graffitti. It was very sad to see. What a waste.

Hopefully, they'll be able to figure out how to curb it.

Many colorful buildings

Of course, excavations exist and leave lots to the imagination.

This is the courtyard of the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, in the heart of Roma , which houses an incredible collection of art. I am hoping to re-create these columns in a client's new home. This gallery seems to be a hidden gem.

Just a side of a building!

A visit to the Pantheon is a must! I am standing right outside of the entrance. It is also within a few minutes walk to Campo de' Fiori (and great pizza) and just around the corner from the fabulous chocolate shop, Moriondo e Gariglio, also a must visit.

This engineering marvel never ceases to amaze!

How did they ever do this two thousand years ago?

Trying to shoot this center took many attempts!

I was glad it wasn't raining as the center is open to the sky.

Not long after we left the Pantheon, we stumbled into a church (I haven't the foggiest idea what its name is) and I felt like it was deja vu.

This church, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, had an incredible sculpture created out of gilded ebony.

We also visited the Villa Farnesina, just over the Ponte Sisto bridge in the Trastevere section of Rome. It is also a hidden gem, easily accessible and crammed full of spectacular works of art, including stunning frescoes by Raphael and his followers.

One of Raphael's famous frescoes- in the Hall of Galathea.

These are in the Room of the Frieze. Talk about good trompe l'oeil!

We also visited the Museo Nazionale Romano, close to the train station.

To do it proper justice, you need to spend an entire day here.

It contains the sublime fresco of Livia's garden, removed from her villa at Prima Porta.

The museum also contains thousands of remnants of frescoes, plaster, mosaics and sculpture.

This last photo is of my favorite fresco, removed from the House of Farnesina, partially under the Villa Farnesina. If you look at the left side, it gives you a good idea of the smoothness of a lime plaster wall.

I invite you to hop over to the PlumSiena blog to see an amazing copper display in Arezzo and other inspiring images.

We will now return to our regularly scheduled art, design and nature lineups, with a special emphasis on the upcoming holidays.

How about a Ball Masque?

French Essence is a joy!

2010-11-17T22:30:00.003-05:00

I finally received my copy of Vicki Archer's new book, French Essence. If you haven't ordered it yet, do it now. You will be in for a stunning collection of visual treats that will make you want to schedule your next vacation in Provence.

Vicki weaves a warm story throughout, giving us little glimpses into the more laid back style of life with the locals. An Australian, Vicki and her family purchased their home, Mas de Berard, in 1999, where they spend a portion of the year; they spend the rest of the year in London. Vicki focuses on ambience: in her own home and in occasional forays into Saint-Remy-de-Provence and Avignon.

Carla Coulson's photos are both stunning and captivating. The book's large size qualifies it to become a coffee table book, but one that will certainly be earmarked with use.

One of Vicki's "exterior" rooms:

A little vignette:

Lovely objets combine with everyday items:

Le Chocolaterie de Puyricard's chocolates:

Christmas is a special celebration in the Archer home.

Gathered here are mercury glass ornaments:

A commode top in Mas de Berard's dining room:

Scenes from romantic Avignon begin with the
paint boxes in Cezanne's atelier, located nearby:

Shutters on a home in Avignon:

Vicki describes herself as an "interiors junkie". I am sure many of us can relate!

"As a nation France has chemistry, as individuals the French have spark."

French Essence can be purchased from Vicki Archer here.

Arezzo building closeups

2010-11-15T20:30:00.001-05:00

By request, here are some closeup shots of Arezzo's beautiful buildings. The designs and colors are still current, wouldn't you say?

Sorry that the shots are not in the best focus, but they'll certainly give you a good idea.

Left side:

Right side:

More...

For additional photos of excellent quality, see the book The Painted Facades of Florence, written by Eleonora Pecchioli and photographed by Antonio Quattrone. It is full of stunning photographs of Florence's exquisite sgraffito facades. As the book's introduction says: "This phenomenon, particularly in the case of sgraffiti, derived from the late fifteenth century discovery of frescoed underground rooms ('grottoes') in Rome, which were decorated with stuccowork motifs of flora, fauna and monstrous figures mostly dating from the Imperial Age; those found in the Domus Aurea, the splendid palace built for the Emperor Nero in the heart of Rome, attracted particular interest. Fascinated by this innovative vision of polychrome antiquity and by the imagination that it revealed, late fifteenth century artists were quick to imitate it, referring to their own decorative work influenced by those models, as 'grotesques'." (ie: grottesca) I will be posting on this favorite type of art in my upcoming post on our visit to Rome.

Here are a few peeks at the book's photos.

Theresa Cheeks, over at the Art's the Answer blog, just posted about her grottesca class with Carolina D'Ayala Valva, of the Artelier Studio in Rome. The class was held at the San Antonio studio of Leslie and Nicola Vigini. Both Carolina and Nicola are the best of the world class grottesca artists. (Can you tell how much I love it?)

Misc Italia / Tuscany and Umbria

2010-11-14T20:45:00.005-05:00

We decided that while we loved seeing the main sights in various cities, what we enjoyed the most on our trip to Italy was to spend time wandering in the smaller towns and interacting with townsfolk.

After leaving Venice, we drove to Roma via Arezzo, Assisi and Orvieto. The driving in the countryside is decidedly tamer than the cities, especially Rome. I think the Roman drivers are worse than in NYC and Boston!

Now grab your cup of tea, settle in and come with me. (And, again, please forgive the Ipod's not so great photos!) Shopping? Did you say shopping?

Hmmm, I'd like to see that architectural scrollwork on the floor and the candlestick in the back, please.

I also like the shield lampshades.

This is in a woodcarver's Assisi shop. It was so crammed in there that you really had to look slowly. A claw foot here, a bust there, wood everywhere. Would you like a drawer with that?

We finally decided on the acanthus leaf below. It is now in the process of being gilded in my studio. (I know- we were trying to pace ourselves. As I look at the pictures, I would have loved that frame surrounding the acanthus, along with 10 other items!)

I really like his stacks of boxes and containers.

(How many can I fit in my suitcase?....)

There were little goodies everywhere.

Need a cute set of mini steps?

Great club chair and angel and scrolls and table and pewter...

OK- back to the sights.

I thought this building's decorations rivaled those in Florence.

A more modest building, but still beautiful.

A casual peek into a door and this is what we saw!

A closer look at the fresco:

We enjoyed Assisi's beauty, but I honestly thought it was a bit "touristy". I did not gain any weight (even though we liberally consumed wine and had lots of chocolate), partly because we walked and walked. In Assisi, we walked to the top of the hillside town. What a view! Precisely as we reached the summit, a ferocious wind arrived and did not let up the rest of the visit.

It turned out that a storm was heading our way. Here is Assisi from the highway.

A quick stop in Orvieto:

And we were on our way south. Next week will be the last installment of my Italian series- our visit to Roma.
If you'd like to see more, visit PlumSiena blog here and here and for my favorite, here.

Creativity Hits the Wall

2010-11-10T10:23:00.000-05:00

As I was admiring Stephen Sills' latest home in Architectural Digest, I couldn't help but notice the walls in the library. A faded Ottoman pattern was executed on jute burlap and applied to the wall as one would apply wallpaper.

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Here is a closeup:

Nice! Great use of the pattern and color.

I researched further and found that the work is created by Particia Arnillas of CONTRaPOSTO, located in New York City. Patricia's background is in the fine arts and the fields of illustration and graphic design. Over the past fifteen years, she gradually moved into the the interior design field, specializing in murals, decorative textures and wall finishes. Her client list includes many renowned interior designers and architects.

I admire her use of patterns and texture. Creating them on burlap takes it one step further, allowing one to remove the finish at will and using it elsewhere down the road.

Here are some of her rooms:

glazed silver leaf

floral pattern on burlap

damask texture on burlap with hardware

closeup of damask texture

embossed craqueleure on canvas

closeup of the craqueleure

faded Greek pattern on burlap

Patricia also does the more traditional finishes, such as woodgraining and creating various textures.

graystone

limestone

woodgraining

Visit Patricia's website; you'll be in for a real treat!

All photos not credited above are courtesy of CONTRaPOSTO.

Venice through our eyes

2010-11-07T22:58:00.002-05:00

We arrived in Venice around six in the evening, after having secured our hotel in Mestre, a twenty minute bus or train ride outside of Venice. It was one of the best moves we made; we not only enjoyed the walk into Venice from the train station, but thoroughly enjoyed not having to lug our luggage through the crowds.

Arriving in Venice as the evening was beginning was absolutely magical. We strolled for an hour or so and decided to take the water bus down the canal to San Marco Square. Oops- what we thought would be a ten minute "express" ride turned out to be a thirty minute "tour" around the islands surrounding Venice (note to self- ~~read the signs~~ (don't know Italian) inquiringly motion to a local ;]). Actually, the ride was fascinating with the boat full of locals returning to their homes.

Here we are now...

With each glance, you caught a gorgeous picture.

Amazing architecture, canals everywhere...

Perfect for a postcard, eh?

We returned the next day, refreshed and ready to go. One can't help but be amazed at how much the water and canals influence the lives of the Venetians. Water is everywhere, seeping into doors and buildings.

We headed over the the Palazzo Fortuny to visit the museum. The Fortuny collection was so exciting to see, but I had to exert much self control not to touch the fabrics. Seeing Mariano Fortuny's beautiful paintings was a delight. Not being able to take photos was a bummer, but I did pick up a wonderful book about Fortuny that I had not seen in the states.

We did sneak a few photos as we stepped outside on a third floor back veranda. If you look closely, you can see the canal in the next "block".

Here is a good example of the eroding condition of the buildings of Venice.

The Palazzo Fortuny's inner courtyard. The lower windows' roundels were lovely both indoors and out.

The Palazzo's exterior:

More neighborhood shots:

The stucco colors are so vivid!

Picture perfect, again!

Lots of spires and quatrefoils... and did I say water?

Toward the evening, the sun disappeared behind the clouds and it became windy and cold. Here, folks are beginning to scurry about to leave and take shelter.

Venice was just what you would expect... and more. I will return!

Next Sunday I'll show you around the Tuscan and Umbrian countryside.

Berlin's rough luxe

2010-11-05T22:49:00.000-04:00

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In a building almost destroyed in World War II, the Clarchens Ballhaus still attracts visitors from all over the world. It boasts a restaurant that was first opened in 1913, hosts concerts and theater groups and is a perfect place to enjoy views of Berlin from its garden. Its dance floor is the oldest in Berlin, with dancing Monday through Thursday evenings. Salsa anyone?

What first attracted me was its lack of pretense and pride in the building as it stood, rather than undergoing a major overhaul. I first came across the term "rough luxe" when used in reference to the London hotel, the Rough Luxe Hotel (see here). I would be much more inspired sitting in its history, viewing the peeling walls and cracked mirrors.

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I like it when you can experience the walls and floors as they have stood over time.

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Photo by Mai-Linh in Marie Claire Maison

Love the chandelier!

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What a place for the office holiday party!

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True Blue

2010-11-03T22:57:00.000-04:00

With all of the "natural" colors in design lately (grey, beige and greige variations), I find it refreshing to actually see color.

These gorgeous blue walls, paired with the classic white partner, create such an elegant space. Of course, the amazing moldings, fluted columns and paneling are the perfect complement to the intense blue color.

Above photos courtesy of Elegant Homes magazine. Photos by Timothy Bell.

The iconic John Stefanidis designed this dining room by interpreting the clear Egyptian blue in a layered manner. Offset by the white moldings, floor and accessories, it reads fresh and clean.

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And how could I leave without a tribute to Mark Rothko's blue composition. He was (and still is) the ultimate champion of color and nuance.

Mark Rothko's Untitled (Blue, Green and Brown), 1952
National Gallery of Art

On the road... beginnings

2010-10-31T22:52:00.000-04:00

Having recently returned from a road trip to Italy via Zurich, I thought I'd share some of our photos with you. For the next several Sundays, I'll present our impressions of the various areas that we visited.

After our visit to the chocolate factory near Brunner (first things first!), we found a hotel and ... with great excitement, went out to see the Alps. Guess what? Yep- fog. Until we came down out of the mountains, we were enveloped in it. Switzerland was still beautiful, though.

The homes were truly different than Italy (or France or the Netherlands, etc.), as you can see.

We did observe that most homes have a huge stash of firewood waiting to be used.

You can just see the outline of the mountains in the fog.

Early morning on the lake...

The water is so clear!

Seen in a little niche....

A stroll through the town revealed these charming frescoes.

Aahhh! Now we can see the Alps! On our way to Italia!

We've arrived in Lake Como, just over the border from Switzerland.

There was still a haze in the air. (Is this George's villa?)

Here's the turista!

Funny, throughout the trip we noticed that the government buldings were usually the most impressive.

My favorites- the cypress trees.

Here's my honey...

We had lunch in Brescia the next day. I thought it was a charming town. Here we are in the piazza.

Off to find lunch and check out the architecture.

See you in Venice next week!

You're in for a real treat.

Fall garden finale

2010-10-28T21:07:00.000-04:00

We are on borrowed time here as far as the first frost goes. Before that happens, I thought I'd better take a stroll through the garden for the fall finale look, both at home and at the studio.

Here's what I found:

The Pieter B rose keeps going

Along with the other late fall roses

And another rose

Beautiful hops at the studio

And the wonderful patina of the remaining hydrangeas

Don't you just love the luscious colors?

Here is the fall clematis (a very reliable bloomer that spreads slowly)

The osage oranges are beginning

Lauren Liess at Pure Home Style recently did a great post on the osage orange; see it here.

Last, but not least, here is one of my favorite colors of a dahlia nestled in the collection of very prolific, white dahlia blooms:

Thank you, Cindy, at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Op art at home?

2010-10-27T11:22:00.000-04:00

Photo by Eric Morin

The winning entry of The World of Interiors' design your own room competition was, as the saying goes, way out there! Capturing movement in an optical illusion, the art also managed to conceal the kitchen galley's doors.

Photo by Eric Morin

The winner, Parisian Xavier Fenouil, transformed the modest apartment into a work of art. As he said, "Like Alice falling into the White Rabbit's hole, the walls turn into ceiling, the ceiling expands down the walls..."

Photo by Eric Morin

I bet not many of us would dare to be so bold!

Doors of Italy

2010-10-24T11:48:00.003-04:00

We just returned from a driving trip through the northern half of Italy. We flew to Zurich, rented a car and started driving. No reservations or specific plans were made. It was a fun way to go for us; for those who require security and plans in order, hotel reservations or a tour would definitely be advised. It can be a bit harried at times.

Before I go any further, I need to get this off my chest. Why do we in the US call the cities in the rest of the world by different names than what their actual names are? Some examples: Roma (aka Rome), Firenze (aka Florence), Venezia (aka Venice), Munchen (aka Munich), Wien (aka Vienna), etc., etc. I've never been able to figure that out!

I was particularly struck by the fabulous doors we saw (among other things) everywhere and thought I'd share them with you. Big and small, old and older. (Please excuse the photo quality of some of the pictures; I had to use my Ipod for a day.)

Here they are:

Last, but not least, here is a set of doors in Venezia. The doors in Venice deserve their own book!

Postcard from....

2010-10-17T17:48:00.000-04:00

Venice! I'll be back soon!

In the meantime, visit PlumSiena for more sneak peeks.

Checking in

2010-10-10T17:11:00.000-04:00

Hello! How are you all doing?

Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian neighbors!

I have returned for a day or two before I take another blog break. I have been keeping up with all of your blog happenings, but truly miss our interaction. We've been enjoying a few gorgeous autumn days here after 6 straight days of rain.

Here is a quick peek at one of the parties I've been helping with. This was a bi-annual celebration of life and benefit that the client gives to raise money for cancer research in honor of their son. The 600 or so guests partied until well into the night. I managed to snap a few pictures right before the doors opened to the guests.

This was a 100' x 170' tent (huge) and it rained the whole day. Thank goodness there were no leaks!

The evening's theme was the sixties and most guests arrived in full costumes. Good costumes. So good, they were probably pulled from various relatives' attics instead of costume stores! The guests dropped their cars at the valet and walked in here.

Inside, it was happenin'! As always, the lighting in the tent was one of the keys to success with the show. Here is the view from the raised "lounge" area.

The "soft seating" (aka: benches) was custom created for Pieter's company and are so versatile. They can even form a couch by being pushed together. The dessert station's sign is on the left: "Not your mother's brownies".

This is the other end of the tent. I loved the restroom sign in the upper corner.

One of the components of the sixties theme was daisies. Here you can see that even the light fixture truss over the dance floor was a big daisy. The small guest tables were covered with deep purple, floor length linens and each sported a vase of gerbera daisies.

The dancers are practicing on the 27' x 30' dance floor. The dance floor was made up of 3' squares of vulcanized neoprene (the flooring that ballet dancers dance on when on stage) that were topped with a holographic film.

Even the band got into the dancing (with their Afro hair!). See the cages on each side of the stage? They were meant for the dancers, but were taken over by the guests the entire evening. I wonder how many remembered the next day!

There's nothing like a good party with lots of dancing for a good cause!

Taking a break

2010-09-24T21:32:00.002-04:00

I am taking a bit of a blogging break. Off to pursue new projects and go on new adventures!

I'll be checking in to occasionally visit your lovely blogs.

See you soon!

Harvest moon flower

2010-09-22T21:55:00.001-04:00

Here's to the harvest moon on this first day of fall.

The neighbor's moon flowers smelled great and awaited the moon's rise.

Before the moon arrived, we were treated to a lovely evening sky (with extras like the overhead wires)!

Then the moon did its thing:

The funny thing is, summer is back for three days with the highs in the 90's.

It's all in the nose

2010-09-21T08:33:00.005-04:00

Scent Bar

As many of you know, my main passions are for flowers and paint. Anything to do with them interests me. It is time that I own up to my other passion: perfume. Scent. Fragrance. Mmmmmm.

Rarely do I purchase fragrances at the mall or box stores. In fact, I cannot remember when I did last! I have been spoiled by the internet. Shop around, click a few times and, within days, the new treat arrives on my doorstep. Splenderosa's Marsha loves fashion. I go for the latest scent creations instead.

My favorite go to source is Lucky Scent. I know it as an online store, but they also have a physical store in LA called Scent Bar. It will certainly be a must-see when I next visit LA, along with Giannetti Home, the shop of Velvet and Linen's Brooke Giannetti.

Scent Bar

At LuckyScent.com, boutique fragrances are available from around the world. If you choose, you can be notified by email of the latest additions to their offerings. Each perfume has a wonderfully written description. If I could compose thoughts like they do, I'd have a best seller for sure.

One of my favorite things about the site is that each scent also has reviews posted by customers. Some are hysterical, most are sincere and helpful.

Bath, body and skin care products are offered, along with scented candles, diffusers and room sprays.

And, no, they did not ask me to write this! I just wanted to share with you and urge you to check out their website.

I always purchase samples first at a very moderate price. How else can you tell? Often I am surprised at the combinations that I am drawn to.

My latest finds were honeysuckle and jasmine scents. No wonder- they are beautiful summer scents. I am now in the market for a fall / winter perfume.

I would love to know- what scents are your favorites? Do you know of any fabulous perfume stores?

In the moment

2010-09-19T11:16:00.004-04:00

Yesterday's wedding was a blur of activity. The ceremony, cocktail hour and dinner / dancing all took place in a very long tent that was partitioned into three distinct areas. The goal was to create an elegant woodland setting totally lit by candlelight, except for the dance floor.

The table linens were a gorgeous purple, set on rectangular tables. The centerpieces consisted of various sized containers and candles, all covered with moss, so that one only saw the flowers and the candle glow. The overhead lighting was created with nine circular frames, covered with branches, moss, flowers and hanging votive candles.

A beautiful night... which was very hard to photograph in a hurry. I leave you with a few tempting bits and pieces.

Some of the garden roses...

Isn't this a great color for a rose? A taupey, blush rose color.

This bucket of roses is full of scent. The darker red is called The Prince and smells heavenly; one of my favorite rose scents.

The guests were pampered by these lovely pashminas to ward off any chill in the air.

Have a lovely Sunday!

From tiny to gigantic

2010-09-16T22:05:00.001-04:00

That is how my garden grows this year.

The roses are making a small comeback and sending out a few new blooms. Here is a new coral rose in formation:

When you are choosing your plants for the home next spring, I highly encourage you to consider a plant that has never failed me. It not only lives through drought and rain, warmth and coolness, it blooms all summer and fall. Check out the angel wing begonia. I place it in partial shade and water daily (as all container plants) and then watch it explode. My front door is partially blocked at this point in the season by these wonderful shiny, green leaves and red blossoms.

On a lark, I decided to try planting elephant ears this summer in a few areas of the yard. They must have loved the heat, because they really took off. They are 5 feet tall and the leaves are amazing.

What veining!

Last, but not least, I thought I'd share the view out of my kitchen window. The passion flower vine is taking over! I chuckle every time I look out. Actually, I like the privacy it gives us, as we rarely close any curtains.

A big congratulations to Crystal and Anne over at Rue magazine for their online debut today! Pick up a glass of wine and enjoy!

Linking up with Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
and
with Jessica, at A Few of My Favorite Things, for Favorite Things Friday.

Would you do the color pink?

2010-09-15T07:30:00.005-04:00

Although usually thought of as a feminine color, the color pink is being seen frequently as a color of note for 2011. Fortunately, it is not just the conventional girly pink that is being presented. Many shades of pink abound, including salmon, fuschia, coral, blush and rose. Of course, a pink ribbon is the international symbol for breast cancer awareness.

Pink can be thought of as energetic and sexy. Combined with bold colors, it demands attention. Presented like this, it can raise the blood pressure and heart rate. It can even have the same high energy as red.

Pink and orange, an unconventional pairing.

Architectural Digest Photo by Paul Warchol

Pink and green, a traditional combination. Both are strong and confident.

Architectural Digest Photo by Paul Warchol

Becoming softer, this pink leans towards blue. This tone-on tone damask looks fresh and clean with the light trim.

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Here, the pink wall is dusty and mottled. This wonderful room was painted by decorative painter, Kris Kuchavik. The wall finish is a result of layers of custom-colored acrylic waxes over a deep red basecoat.

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This combination of pale blush and deep raspberry (with the green, of course) projects a cheerful environment.

Color Made Easy

Pink can also be considered a calm, soothing color. In the bedroom, it can present a serene environment.

Colors For Your Home by House Beautiful

In Europe, pink has long been a color associated with both men and women. Farrow and Ball has many wonderful shades of pink to choose from, with all being subtle and complex. The pink is made more masculine with the deep, rich, saturated hues. Here is Farrow and Ball's Architectural Pink.

Farrow and Ball Paint and Color in Decoration

Farrow and Ball's Viceroy Pink leans a bit more toward the browns.

Farrow and Ball Paint and Color in Decoration

Farrow and Ball's Pink Ground was the color chosen for their master bath by Brooke and Steve Giannetti (of the Velvet and Linen blog).

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I have been using this lovely tablecloth's combination of a subdued pink and silver combination as an inspiration for an upcoming wall finish for a client's master bath. I think it is so elegant.

Dwellings by Stephen Sills and James Huniford Photo by Michael Moran

This gorgeous piece of silk taffeta would be fabulous as a window treatment or toss pillow.

Harlequin fabric by Christopher Hyland as seen in Veranda Magazine

This circa 1900 Oushak carpet pretty much reads as a delicate, neutral tone-on-tone underfoot.

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This wonderfully patinaed stucco exterior presents a perfect backdrop for the almost gaudy hydrangea colors.

French Style at Home by Sebastien Siraudeau

Carolyn Quartermaine, Maison et Objet's Designer of the Year in 2008, showcases pink in a clear and feminine manner. Her pinks are clean and happy.

Carolyn Quartermaine Revealed

This pink looks fab with the gold accents.

Carolyn Quartermaine Revealed

Even the pink splotches on the floor look good!

Carolyn Quartermaine Revealed

Wouldn't you love to have this corner of the room all to yourself? Or, it would make a great setting for a cocktail party. I'll take both canvases, please. And the chandelier!

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Designer's Guild offers many fabrics and accessories in pink. They combine the lively colors in a striking way.

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If pink is too much as an overall room color, you can always add accessories in pink's numerous shades.

Have you used pink in your own home? In a client's home?

Corn chowder and a painted canvas

2010-09-12T15:53:00.000-04:00

My favorite image this week was this vignette at The Urban Seed in San Diego. I spotted it on Katie Denham's blog, Katiedid. I fell in love with this obviously well-loved, painted canvas. The colors, the cracks, its patina and shine- mmmm.

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I also would like to share this corn chowder recipe with you while the fresh sweet corn is still available. If you would like a corn chowder that actually tastes like corn (not bacon or red peppers) and is lower in fat than most chowders, this is for you. However, lower in fat does not mean lower in flavor. It calls for a tasty broth as its base, rather than milk or cream. I use my own chicken broth, which I occasionally make in big batches and then freeze in quart size freezer bags for use down the road.

Corn Chowder

4 ears sweet corn

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and sliced thinly
2 medium sweet onions, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh basil
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cups chicken broth
4 new potatoes, finely diced

   Cook the ears of corn in whatever manner you prefer: grill, broil, boil or microwave. (I prefer to microwave the corn by placing the ears, unshucked, into the microwave, cook on high for 2 minutes per ear, turning the ears over to the opposite side and cooking on high again for two more minutes. It's fast and easy and never fails.) Cool the cobs. Cut kernels off cobs, then set aside both the corn and the cobs.

   Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the leeks, onions & celery, then saute a few minutes before adding the garlic. Continue sauteing until softened, about ten minutes. Add bay leaves, thyme and basil sprigs and corn cobs. Reduce heat, cover and cook gently for ten minutes. Add chicken broth. Simmer partially covered for ten minutes. Add potatoes and simmer, partially covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves, thyme and basil sprigs and corn cobs. Add reserved corn and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

   Serve immediately. This chowder can also be frozen, after cooling, to savor later. It seems to taste even better when it is cold and dreary outside!
   Serves 4-6.

I do not have a photo of the chowder as we ate it before I remembered to take the picture! Maybe next time...

Saturday in Bay

2010-09-11T15:14:00.004-04:00

Saturday morning seemed to be a good time to practice my photography skills, so I decided to visit my garden. In the next month or so, we will need to move the many containers into the unheated warehouse, where they will overwinter in front of large windows.

In the meantime, here are a few items in my garden that are still thriving and one that is not.

We've slowly been collecting fruit trees. This is our grapefruit. The fruits are so large, they are funny. I don't think they will ripen outdoors, so we'll have to check them weekly in the warehouse to reap our harvest.

We also have Meyer lemons and a few varieties of orange trees. This is the Meyer lemon, which you can glimpse over to the left. At the base of the topiary, we are temporarily housing some orchid plants that thrive here, but would not be so happy inside of our home. This orchid is a Grammatophyllum orchid.

Here is a slightly different pattern:

Four weeks ago, we decided to try to prolong the basil season. We sowed these seeds, which are progressing nicely. We cut the tips off for salads.

When the basil grows up, here is what they will look like. These are the Italian seeds (Basilico bolloso napoletano from Franchi Sementi), which have rippled leaves and are sweeter than the usual basil. You can see that we are sure to cut the flowering tips off; leaving the flowers on to maturity means the basil leaves start to become bitter and the plants will go to seed and stop producing new leaves.

A buddleia bloom past its peak. The butterflies have been frequent visitors to this bush.

The poor lily of the valley has totally dried out. The heat and lack of rain did them in until next spring. Have you been hit with dry conditions like we have?

I leave you with two stars in our dahlia plantings this year.

In remembrance of those who died nine years ago today in New York City and their families.

Fall color combos

2010-09-09T20:32:00.004-04:00

As we stroll into fall, my color preferences often lean towards the more robust shades. I like to feature the colors in accessories, leaving me the option to replace them at a whim. My walls and main pieces of furniture are more neutral.

I am an aqua girl (way before this "year of turquoise"), so I fell in love with this great tile mask at first sight. It is from the Teotihuacan archaeological site in Mexico, c.450.

Veranda Magazine via the Museo Nacional de Antroplogia in Mexico

Just beautiful! The orange complements it nicely.

Veranda Magazine via the Museo Nacional de Antroplogia in Mexico

I thought that this was a lovely melange of colors.

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Back to that aqua family- you cannot go wrong with turquoise accented with gold in a refined damask pattern.This is Designers Guild's Almaviva Turquoise fabric.

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The chair's luscious red velvet fabric and gold frame are striking against the raw concrete, gray walls. They set each other off.

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The concrete walls (with hints of blue in them) also make a nice foil to the blue plaster walls. I have seen these walls used in a few advertisements. I assume it must be a rental location.

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I had a client present me with a photo of a rug which she used as an inspiration starting point for her library. The blue and olive colors are almost a neutral- neither feminine or masculine. But they sure look good together.

Marais from Niba Rugs

Here is the finish I came up with- a custom colored, blue metallic plaster done in a raw silk texture background and a damask pattern with a custom olive plaster. What do you think? Did I interpret it close enough? I love the challenge of figuring out the steps to a finish and the more inspiration photos you can present your designer or painter with, the better.

A similar colorway is used in this classic urn.

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One really cannot compete with Mother Nature's color combinations. We picked these flowers on Tuesday to use in floral arrangements. Dahlias, buddleia and one white with pink geranium stem for good measure; yes, you can use geraniums in a vase of flowers as long as the stems are conditioned.

What other color combinations do you like?

Thank you, Cindy, at My Romantic Home, for Show and Tell Friday.

I am also linking up to Terrell's Fabulous Friday Finds over at Frou Frou Decor. Check out all of the ideas!

Two weddings

2010-09-07T20:08:00.002-04:00

I had the pleasure of assisting with two weddings this past weekend. They were very different: one was indoors, one was outdoors. One was more casual, one more formal. However, both included the color yellow. Yellow has been a popular accent and feature color this year, the first time in many years that I can recall.

Let's take a peak. Literally- I only managed to snatch photos here and there. And, of course, my camera battery died, so these are from my cell phone.

This is the indoor wedding ceremony structure called a chuppa (there are many spellings of this word). The wrought iron structure was custom made for Pieter Bouterse Studio and is a gorgeous piece on its own. A wrought iron chandelier was hung in the center. Its candles had special bulbs that flickered as a real candle would.

We are almost done with its decor here.

Here are a few closeups. Some of the flowers we used included garden roses, hanging amaranth, bittersweet vines and hydrangea. The brighter yellow flower spikes hanging toward the bottom are oncidium orchids.

Yellow snapdragons were used to mimic the wrought iron shafts radiating from the center.

The attendant bouquets were made of deep burgundy / purple dahlias and calla lilies, with a collar of yellow gloriosa lilies. The handles were wrapped with a deep burgundy leaf. Unfortunately, I was not able to photograph the bridal bouquet.

The outdoor wedding was very fortunate to have perfect weather. The late afternoon was about 70 degrees and sunny.

Here is the bridal bouquet. You are looking at roses, hydrangea, dahlias, gloriosa lilies and gardenias. Aren't the colors fabulous? I love it when a bride is a bit more daring.

The attendant bouquets featured cymbidium orchids, kangaroo paws, roses, calla lilies and calcinia.

The ceremony took place outdoors, down by the pond at the bride's home. The dinner and dance tent was set up close by. Here is a slightly out-of-focus glimpse of the gorgeous, midnight blue sky and tent with clear sides.

The tables were squares and rectangles, the flowers were set in clear cubes and votive candles twinkled from numerous sources on many levels.

A magical evening!