Tuesday, August 14, 2012

STROKE OF GENIUS: PAINTERS TO WATCH AND COLLECT

If you love your color like I do, then you toil and research artwork for your home with the same gusto you would a thesis paper. Art makes a huge impact on a home, bringing it personality, individuality, interest and flair. Bearing this in mind, I have done a mini-roundup of artists that should be on your radar. If they weren't before, they are now. Whether you begin your scheme with the art on your walls or it is the final phase of your installation, here are some great paintings that will surely get your attention.

Photos courtesy of Robert Spellman
Robert Spellman, a hip Des Moines, Iowa-based painter, was brought to my attention by my interior designer sister, Amanda Reynal.  His thick, impasto oil and acrylic layered canvases have a real impact on a space, as their scale and kicking color combinations make a room come alive. His work is going to be included in my upcoming One Kings Lane Blogger Sale, August 23rd at 6pm EST. Be there to click it and score some of his fabulous paintings at a great price. 

Cadmium Sun,  an enormous 39 x 39 framed oil on canvas for a real wow effect.

Another highly impactful piece, Lady in Hat, a framed oil on Canvas measures 60 x 60

If you like stripes then you are in luck! With vertical lines in an array of blue hues, Prussia Cobalt and Coral is 30 x 40.

Shades of Green, oil on canvas is also 30 x 40,  for those that love this hugely popular color.

Sky Blue and Orange, a 36 x 48 canvas in oil is super striking.

Pinks and reds unite in Cadmium Red Rose, oil on 24 x 48 canvas. It's hot.

Prussian Blue Sky makes every day a blue sky day. 24 x 48 canvas.

Tangerine Orange and Blue would be my pick to work with a myriad of design schemes, it measures 24 x 48.

 Photos courtesy of Michelle Armas
Michelle Armas, a young Atlanta-based painter works in acrylic and oil. She got her start in graphic design in NYC, then made the leap to full-time painter. Her abstract canvases are punchy, peppy and full of life.  She has legions of blogger fans, and can be found at J. Pocker.

 Antonia framed print,  20 x 20"

 Tattoo Painting, framed 49 1/4 x 49 1/4"

Mimi, a multi-hued blue green 20 x 20 print

Payton, a blue yellow and green print, 20 x 20

Wisemath, a red, pink and white print, 20 x 20

Clementine Painting, framed 19 1/2 x 19 1/2

Photos courtesy of Mallory Page
Creating her abstract water-inspired canvases, Southern painter Mallory Page calls New Orleans home. Designers Phoebe Howard and Suzanne Kasler  are fans of her work, as is Eddie Ross, who uses her work in his magazine styling work.  Art consultant Jeffrey McCullough can help guide you through the collecting process by introducing you to new artists and working with your  palette and space. He's an interior designer, so he's good with that sort of thing.

Mallory Page's Moon Movement, mixed media on canvas, 30 x 40

Prima IV, framed mixed media on canvas, 24 x 30

A Steadfast Downpour, 48 x 60 mixed media on wood panel

 Photos courtesy of Perry Burns/ARC
A bit of whimsy never hurts, when a painting is titled Cotton Candy Twister, you can't help but smile. Created by painter Perry Burns in 2007, he is represented by ARC Fine Art, owned by private art dealer  Fairfield, Connecticut- based Adrienne Ruger Conzelman. She works with 19th and early 20th century American artists, and has been advising since 2009. She seriously knows her stuff, and her entire family has the creative gene; her brother is photographer Charles Ruger.

Seismic Butterfly, 2010, mixed Media on paper, 20 x 20 is an explosion of color captured in two egg shapes wings turned on their side. Burns, who is based in East Hampton,  is interested in the way we see things, from politics, to how we interpret an image and what truth is. Heady stuff indeed, but worth pondering for sure.

Stretching heavenward like the rays of the setting sun Aurora 18 x 24, in mixed media on paper 2010 by Perry Burns.

Photos courtesy of J. Pocker
I have had my eye on this little bucolic leafy landscape all summer. It is a print  by French artist Charles Lapicque, an instrumental part of The New School of Paris who worked in the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's.

A psychedelically colored 21x29 Charles Lapicque print of a landscape of the French countryside has the juiciest colors around.

Another goody Lapicque 3 with a pink sky is 25x18

Olive trees dominate in Lapicque 4, a 19 x 24 print

Photos courtesy of Julia Schwadron
Brooklyn-based artist Julia Schwadron works with words, nature and abstractions of both. Her work is shown on a global scale, and her 2009 show Self Help featured renditions of psychology books that pushed the boundaries of abstraction and repetition. She is standing by a work from her You Are Here collection that shares her perspectives on life abroad and foreign travel.

Turning Points, oil, acrylic, and charcoal on canvas over board 52 x 42 cm
What's Left Over in Gold by Julia Schwadron

 Artist Julia Schwadron lived in Chang Mai for a year, which is when she painted Golden Shower Tree, 52 x 42 cm in oil and acrylic through J. Pocker.

A limited edition 21 x 30 floral still life lithograph by Storauovich from J. Pocker.

Monday, August 13, 2012

DETAIL ORIENTED: THE 2012 HAMPTON DESIGNER SHOWHOUSE

Showhouses provide us the opportunity to pick up on creative details. Collectively, there were some interesting teachable moments in this year's Traditional Home - sponsored  Hampton Designer Showhouse, from how to display objects on bookshelves, coffee tables and mantels, to hanging and working with art, to making a space flow. A general trend of excellent modern artwork and more - livability - less shock value make today's metro area showhouses a treat. Designers worked with Pratt and Lambert paints so if any inspire you, ask me and I can let you know what they are. The Watermill house is open till Labor Day so be sure to stop in when you are out East.
Here are this year's big moments.

GALLERY STYLE ART:

A den by Kate Singer Home features artwork hung gallery style. A variety of blue hues take from the sea and the sky, with artwork by artist Gretchen Fuss.

A design force based in Lexington, Kentucky, Lee W. Robinson created an entry hall based on equine inspiration, hanging wide, horizontal stripes on the high walls. A horse triptych dominates the dining room wall.

In a guest bedroom by Birmingham-based Tammy Connor, shadow boxes filled with butterflies in a charming English-inspired space.

LA and New York-based Katie Leede champions the work of emerging and established artists. A Nancy Lorenz lacquer panel hangs above the upholstered bed.

Aware of the everlasting style traditional design provides, Palm Beach interior designer Stephen Mooney based his scheme around a classic Scalamandre Chinoiserie print. Scenic landscapes and still life artwork are arranged to work on a wall that houses the TV set.

Black Crow Studio's swirly adhesive wallpaper sets the stage in Robert Passal's grand master bedroom. To balance out the chartreuse and salmon, he chose to include black and white photos.

Pasadena-based Tamara Kaye - Honey of House of Honey found these whimsical paintings of a young girl at play at a garage sale. Leaving them in an unframed state, they hang pinned to a wall in the nursery she created.

Creating a powder room that is "like being on the inside of a beach ball," New York-based interior designer Timothy Brown used bright yellow and pale blue Stark Wallpaper on the walls. A killer collection of artwork and installation pieces by emerging artists gave his bath a personal gallery edge.

A rainbow blot print hangs adjacent to black butterflies made out of soot.

Turquoise abstract pieces in a row look strong against the yellow wall.

Fusing modern touches with traditional, East Hampton-based Greg McKenzie used Crezana Wallcoverings in a coral and white square pattern for just the right dose of color in the neutral living room. Crackled paint canvases in aqua and black are a nice foil for the neutrals.

Blue egg shaped cut-outs arranged to fit in a square by Idoline Duke don a wall area that needed a little oomph.

A rocky beach landscape in a gilt frame.

Libby Langdon transformed a huge lower level windowless space to great effect. In this neutral vignette, a black and white piece by Mark Humphrey hangs above a chair of her own design for Braxton Culler.

TABLESCAPES:

Lee W. Robinson filled an English hall table with a pair of blue lamps, flowers, and small framed artwork.

Katie Leede used a translucent glass desk surface to showcase art books, ethnic jewelry, and personal mementos.

Busy walls covered in her signature fabric called for uncluttered nightstands in Katie Leede's bedroom.

Personal photos and flowers on a side table in Stephen Mooney's sitting room.

A cool blue Murano glass nut bowl, books and white sculpture on an amoeba - shaped table in Robert Passal's bedroom.

By floating the velvet bed in the room, the view to the garden can be appreciated. Matching linear white nightstands with white Christopher Spitzmiller lamps are just the thing to play off the powerful color of the walls.

A bone-inlaid Indian dresser holds a Christopher Spitzmiller lamp, photos and a small sculpture.

A bit of greenery, a sculpture and dishes on the upper level keep things clean; a lower level holds reading materials.

Passal got creative with his bedtime snacks tray, filling it with fresh fruit, vodka and Redi Whip.

A study in white, the mantel has just enough going on.

A modern lacquer chair holds books, providing another surface to accessorize.

A shimmering stone table top glimmers with silver objets.

Luxe upholstery in Patrick Lonn's equestrian sitting room is surrounded by small, round tables dotted with matte, tonal  pottery.

A summery red, white and blue escape by Jennifer McConnell of Pearson Furniture. She bunched metal, stone-topped tables and added a cloche with rustic rope, an art book and hydrangeas, the unofficial signature flower of the showhouse.

A space for the little one's in Kaye-Honey's nursery combines vintage brass touches and turquoise Moroccan poufs.

Proving it is never too early to get glam, she used her Nursery Works collection of vintage-inspired nursery pieces.

A little art appreciation in the form of colorful mid-century pottery.

The surface of a  malachite painted dresser in McKenzie's lower level space has minimal touches that play off the color in the space.
A sweet French chair holds a few books.

A bar, neatly arranged in a mirrored tray.

Need a spot for a drink? A zigzag table with mirror top sits between cozy chairs.

More books perched on chairs.

A glass coffee table in Langdon's room captures the essence of her exotic voyage theme with horns, an inlaid box and leather wrapped hurricanes.

Providing endless storage next to a pool table, a pine bookcase houses bird artwork, decorative boxes and more.

Artfully arranged bookshelves in Skye Kirby's Lillian August space really pop against the white.

Need a simple chic way to store logs? Here it is.

 Chrome hurricanes are the centerpiece on a vast, low faux-shagreen coffee table in Lilian August's living room. It's the perfect surface for an easily accessible library of design tomes.

A pair of accessory and book-laden matching etageres in Mabley Handler's dining room work off the blue and white palette.

White coral, blue bottles, an aged white lamp and hydrangeas are pretty as a picture in Kate Singer's space.