Gold Leaf Love

We recently had the great pleasure of attending the West Coast Art & Framing Expo with a group of interior design tastemakers (including our girls Holly, Cathy & Vicki) all of whom had been invited by Steve & Jill McKenzie. In his former life, Steve was CEO of Larson Juhl, and he was asked by the WCAF founders to bring a few of his interior designer friends down to the Paris hotel in Las Vegas to increase interest and excitement about the framing industry and the tremendous creative opportunities that framing affords us... 

... and let us just tell you, we left extremely excited about so much of what we saw! Our brains are literally spinning with ideas of ways we can truly make our client's works of art shine. We'll have a few Journal posts in the coming weeks to recap our time in Vegas, but absolutely have to start by telling you about the two artisinal framing companies that made our hearts race.  

GOLDLEAF FRAMEMAKERS

First, Goldleaf Framemakers out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. There seriously are not be words to adequately describe how stunningly gorgeous the work of  is, but these pictures will help us convey our sentiments.

Marty Horowitz, the genius craftsman behind this company, literally wrote the book on gold leaf framemaking, as he's been well known in the gilding industry for many years, and his book "An Introduction to Water Guilding" has become the bible for guilders internationally. His work is un-be-lievable! 

He also happens to be a super cool guy, which makes the prospect of working with him on custom projects just darn fun. 

Go peruse the site for more inspiration in any number of distinct historical styles including Impressionist, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, French, Contemporary / Modernist, American & Concerto... and contact Marty directly for any wild hairbrained creative framing idea you may have. Custom is right up his alley and he's got the skills to make it happen.

RHONDA FEINMAN CUSTOM FRAMES

Second, the impeccable work of Rhonda Feinman. Just like Marty, Rhonda uses only genuine gold leaf on her handcrafted frames, and they are breathtaking. This pattern below, which we spied at her booth at WCAF, had us completely entranced. It's available in a wider version as well as a narrower version (shown here, nested together) - both amazing!

All of Rhonda's custom frames are made in their NY facility with the utmost respect for the legacy of centuries of craftsmanship in frame making. Artisans at the company hand carve, cast and apply decorative composition ornament, then guild with only genuine gold leaf to produce sensitive and faithful reproductions of fine antique frames. 

Also very well known for their repair and restoration work of antique frames, Rhonda Feinman is where it's at when it comes to recreating lost ornaments, cleaning and refinishing or even completely resizing or replicating original antique frames. 

More reports from our time at the WCAF show coming soon, but in the meantime we'd love to hear from you on your favorite framing resources, tips, ideas or questions. Leave a comment below.

IMAGE CREDITS // All photos taken by Krista & Tami of CLOTH & KIND except first image of the Paris Hotel and fifth image of a Goldleaf Framemakers frame which were taken by Holly Phillips of The English Room.  SOURCES // Goldleaf Framemakers & Rhonda Feinman Custom Frames.

Seema's Pinwheel

Our friend and talented textile designer, Seema Krish, has just unveiled her new line of solids in the most beautiful hues! The Pinwheel collection of Linen/Cotton blends comes in fourteen colors ranging from Goa Sand to Peacock Blue to Cherry Lane Red, all that perfectly match her vibrant patterns from past collections. 

Get inspired by following along on Seema's Instagram where she is highlighting the 14 colors in action over 14 days. You just might be the lucky winner of their giveaway - a signed edition of Pantone: The 20th Century in Color and a tote bag in one of Seema's signature patterns that we love so much.  

Fab Five: Cabana

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Ann Wood

In these gray days of January, a beautiful meadow ushers forth from the studio of artisan Ann Wood.  Ann creates fine, mixed media artwork from paper and wire of flowers and feathers, butterflies  and leaves.

 Her work is extremely delicate.  She manipulates the paper and wire, with drawing and by making very fine cuts with small embroidery scissors.  

Ann then hand sews her creations to wool and velvet backgrounds, framing her compositions in vintage frame stock. 

Ann's exquisitely detailed work is fanciful, yet realistic.  She explains that she is directly inspired by historical botanicals, and long ago craftsmanship.  

When I first saw her art, I was instantly reminded of the glorious botanicals created in the 18th century by Mary Delany:  

Delany also fashioned her flowers from paper using small embroidery scissors. While Delany's depiction of botanical specimens was scientifically accurate down to the precise color, size, leaf,  and stamen, Ann imagines a more dreamlike garden.

How wonderful that we can turn to the artwork of Ann Wood and find a perpetual spring, even in the depth of winter. 

EDITOR // This post was penned by our friend and guest editor Lynn Byrne.

IMAGE CREDITS // All images of Ann Wood's artwork from her website.   Image of Mary Delany's artwork from the book Mrs Delaney, Her life and Her Flowers by Ruth Hayden.

Hue: Rose Quartz & Serenity

This Hue post was inspired by Pantone's 2016 Colors of the Year, Rose Quartz & Serenity.

FABRIC // Alex in Blush from Ferrick Mason // Pillow // Mug // Painting // Sofa // Kelly Wearstler Interior

EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Molly Velte

Brian Paquette Textiles

We're grooving on our friend Brian Paquette's new European inspired textile line. He just recently introduced three bold geometric patterns - Brussels, Saint Malo & Edinburgh - and each one comes to life with a sophisticated yet unpretentious air in their muted hues of gray, black and white. 

Brian tells us about his inspiration behind each design...

BRUSSELS (Above) // ' Geometric and solid, these angles embrace. Set between sprawling Paris and intimate Amsterdam, the eclectic home of Magritte captured my attention. The city's proud art and architecture impresses. A similar pattern appeared prominently in the King of the Belgians' museum-like home.' 

SAINT MALO (Above) // 'Woven and light, these lines are delicate. En route to Normandy we stopped in this seaside city encircled by mighty stone walls. Having rushed to the top of its breezy ramparts to witness the setting of the sun before dinner, floors in the tiny restaurant we happened upon inspired this pattern.'

EDINBURGH (Above) // 'Ordered and bright, these diamonds glisten. Following a hike up the damp green peak of Arthur's Seat, a visit to the Queen's storied Palace of Holyroodhouse revealed the unexpected parquet that inspired this pattern. I've never felt more at home abroad than in this enchanting city.' - Brian Paquette

For more information, or to purchase yardage, contact Brian Paquette Interiors directly. You'll find these and many other gorgeous textiles for the home that have been curated by CLOTH & KIND in our Textile Files on Pinterest. 

Tracey Tubb's Origami Wallpaper

Tracey Tubb's origami wallpaper stopped me in my tracks as I rounded the aisles at last fall's Tent London, during the London Design Festival.  A graduate of Britain's Royal College of Art, Tracey is a perfectionist.  She designs and creates her origami wallpaper in single strips that she folds by hand  "with meticulous attention to detail that borders on obsession." 

Tracey's wallpaper is available as single drops to be used as art, or as a whole wall installation. She welcomes bespoke commissions.   

To view more wallpaper - like Tracey's - that's loved by Krista & Tami of CLOTH & KIND, check out their curated Textile Files on Pinterest, especially the Wallpaper board. 

IMAGE CREDITS //  Photo of framed wall panel and header  by Lynn Byrne.   Other images and quote from Tracey Tubb's website.

EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Lynn Byrne.

Fab Five: Scandinavian Love

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Molly Velte.

Flora Crockett

That last name sounds familiar.  We associate it with a man who had an adventurous and independent spirit: Davy Crockett.  Turns out that Davy's trailblazing qualities have traveled the generations and were imbued in his ancestor, artist Flora Crockett.

Never heard of Flora Crockett?   Well it's time you did.  The paintings by this forgotten artist were recently lauded by leading art critic, Roberta Smith, for the  New York Times as " a body of work that could hold its own in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art or the Museum of Modern Art and in the history of abstract painting." Roberta's "first sighting" of this extraordinary work took place at  an exhibition mounted by Meredith Ward at her New York City gallery.  The very day Roberta published her discovery, I hurried uptown to see the works for myself. 

My first hand view did not disappoint.  Crockett's paintings are sparkling.  Her color sense  is joyous.  Hues of complimentary colors of orange and blue, red and mint green, yellow and lavender are brushed on loosely in biomorphic and  geometric shapes.  

In later works, Crockett further defines shapes, and speaks to negative space, by delineating her canvases with bright, tangled lines.

Crockett paints with a knowing hand.  One can see the influence of famous artists like Leger, Miro, and Kandinsky. But Crockett has a signature, crisp, beaming color palette and her free-flowing compositions are unique.  Take a look at this painting by Crockett on the left and  Kandinsky on the right to compare:

Crockett's artwork also reflects the time that it was painted.  This body of work was completed between 1965 to 1973 when Crockett was in her seventies.  It was just after the Color Field paintings of artists such as Rothko and Frankenthaler re-invigorated the use of color by making it the point of their work. This painting by Crockett in particular recalls the blocks of color employed by those artists.

By now, you are likely wondering why you never heard of Flora Crockett before.  It is a classic tale of a struggling artist working hard to support herself while trying to save money so she could take time off to paint.  Sadly the pressures of putting food on the table seemed to impinge on Crockett's artistic creation.  A graduate of Oberlin College with a major in art and mathematics,   Crockett was employed in the fields of art education, design, sales and engineering during her life.  This left time for only 3 solo art shows in her lifetime, the last one in 1946.  

Yet her efforts to further her own art education show that her art remained very important to her.  In 1918, she married an Italian sculptor and, in 1924, they moved to Paris.  There, Crockett found work directing a school for orphans.  Somehow she also was able to continue her education at the Sorbonne, the Louvre and Leger's  Acadamie Moderne, where she eventually became the director.  

After her marriage failed, she returned to New York in 1937, and in 1940, she rented an apartment on 14th street. She lived and painted there for the rest of her life, holding down a variety of jobs to make ends meet. Her last art show was a group exhibition in New York's Overseas Press Club of America in 1965 when Crockett was 73.  Interestingly, all of the paintings so celebrated by the New York Times  (and seen in this post), were painted after that show. 

What sparked this late-in-life creative explosion?  Meredith Ward explained to me that by the time Crockett reached her seventies, she was able to retire and finally could devote her days to her passion, ushering in her most productive artistic period.  Flora Crockett painted solely for her own pleasure, in her little 14th street apartment, which, in part, explains the paintings' modest size (most are only 24" wide).  According to Meredith, at this stage Crockett would not even let her family see her work, turning canvases around to face the wall whenever someone came to the apartment.  It's fascinating.  Given the freedom of leisure, Crockett's creative genius finally and exuberantly burst forth.  And, with the confidence of age,  she kept it all to herself, not needing the affirmation of others.

After Crockett's death in 1979, her nephew, Austin Hart Emery, inherited her paintings.  He stored them in a barn in Albany.  Meredith Ward told me she heard of the works through a friend, who then introduced Meredith to Emery's daughter Mary Emery Lacoursiere, an artist and designer living in Nantucket.  

When Meredith Ward saw photographs of the paintings, she was immediately intrigued by this forgotten artist and began the process of cleaning the paintings and mounting the current exhibition.  She hinted that there may be more works by Crockett still in storage. How fabulous.  

Will the Whitney or MOMA heed Roberta Smith's advice and purchase a Flora Crockett? I hope so.  It would be sad if these dynamic and happy paintings were hidden away in private collections.  The world should finally be able to appreciate the art of Flora Crockett.

PHOTO CREDITS // Except for the painting by Kandinsky from Bloomberg.com, and the image of Flora Crockett from Meredith Ward, all images of paintings by Flora Crockett are by Lynn Byrne.

EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Lynn Byrne.

Hue: Midnight

FABRIC // Dashes in Midnight from Rebecca Atwood // Chair // Art // Pillow // Cutting board // Interior

EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Molly Velte