NEW ELKINS CHAIR PRINT
I hope that everyone had a good weekend!
It's a new week and I am introducing a new version of my Elkins Chair - it's now available upholstered in a black and white floral fabric. Available here in my Etsy shop.
HAPPY WEEKEND!!
After a very busy week, this looks like a great place to spend a little time relaxing, doesn't it? I hope you all have a terrific weekend and I look forward to seeing you on Monday!
A NEW KIND OF REALITY SHOW
If you haven't seen this already, you may want to check it out. The Sundance Channel is featuring a program that follows Anthropologie buyer Keith Johnson as he traipses all over finding treasures for the stores. Watch a clip of "Man Shops Globe" above.
ARTIST'S PORTRAIT * KELLEY MACDONALD
Kelley MacDonald is a talented painter based in Tiverton, Rhode Island. I first caught sight of her pretty landscapes and colorful still lives as I was perusing the Daily Painters Website. As you all know, I am drawn like a magnet to COLOR and Kelley's brand of eye candy drew me in. I was soon transported to the beautiful seaside in New England and found myself leaving a comment on her blog. She responded with a great deal of warmth and seems like a very spunky and upbeat sort of person, both pluses in my book! She has a keen knack for capturing scenes and objects in a very textural and colorful way. She often paints in and around Cape Cod. I thought she would be a person I would definitely like to learn more about, and she has kindly obliged me with answering some of my questions about herself and her unique gift.
Where were you born? Falls River, MA, a tired old mill town in Southern Massachusetts.
What is your artistic background/training? I was an Art History major at Wheaton College, in Norton, MA, then I've been taking classes pretty much continuously for 30 (gasp!) years. Lately I've been taking workshops with artists who have reached a certain level of success, and are nationally known.
When did you first demonstrate artistic leanings? When I was about 4 years old my Nana and I used to sit on the front steps and wait for Papa to come home from work. She'd always bring a clean fresh pad of white paper and super sharp pencils for each of us. She taught me to draw houses (triple deckers) and birds in the air. She'd laugh hysterically if she were still alive to read that this is what got me 'juiced up' to become an artist! But once the bug bit it never let go, and despite family and school discouragement ("Artists can't make a living... choose something PRACTICAL.") in my heart I was always an artist.
For my 25th Anniversary, my husband took me to pick out a big easel. I was so thrilled. When I selected one, he said "Now the REAL present is that I figured a way to live without your income... you can quit your day job and just BE an artist!". I stood there and cried like a baby! It was better than any gift I ever received, and more validation than I ever hoped for. (sorry to go on about this, but for me it was HUGE)
What subject matter seems to inspire you most? Does living on the Coast influence you a great deal? Landscape and skyscapes are what first drew me in. The one wonderful thing about growing up in Fall River was that it is situated on a huge hill facing west, and going to see the sunset at the park was common, and pretty spectacular on a daily basis. The more I learned about painting the more I 'saw' - such as the reflected light on clouds, and the further reflection of light on the water. And for the past 5 years I've lived right on the water and have a sunset view which is spectacular - it's such a hook - every day, every hour of the day, a different view. I've always been partial, spiritually, to where the water meets the land. It seems holy, but I don't mean it in any particularly 'religious' way.
What about your family, tell us a bit about them? My husband and kids are very supportive. And my sister's support is important to me, too. They all turn out for Openings, and say really nice things about the work. Friends are super important, too, colleagues who are all pushing ahead with their art and willing to share. Fortunately for me, I have some really good ones!
Do particular locations inspire you? Location is not supposed to matter, but it does to me, and sometimes just a change of location gives me a jump start on the creative process. Like I'll go to Mexico and the colors leave me breathless, and I cannot wait to dip brush into color and translate what I see into a painting. I love both US coasts, and Europe, too, and Sedona... All these places inspire me to put 'my take' on them onto a canvas.
What do you feel is essential to your well-being and success as both a person and an artist? Well, for one thing, peace in my life. So I'm not stressing about this or that. So I try to let go of control over relationships and the people around me. It's easier to be happy that way, and people tend to live UP to your expectations, if you let them know you love them no matter what. And, this is probably revealing a shallow side, but I have to be in a place that 'moves' me visually. I used to live in Brighton in Boston right on the trolley line, with apartments and sidewalks as far as the eye could see. The trees were really struggling, I hardly consider them trees.. no grass or natural areas... I was depressed for the entire year we lived there. Since then we've been careful to live in areas where there was green...
You recently spent a while in Europe, painting. Where would you live if you were free to live anywhere? Oh, this is killing me! OK. Paris :), or Petaluma, CA. ... or Laguna. ...Sedona, or... Wellfleet, MA, on Cape Cod... maybe NYC... OR..... right here where I am, in the Tiverton, RI area. Sorry... this changes minute by minute - I have a gypsy soul!
What are the most challenging aspects of being an artists for you?
By far and away- time management. Sometimes procrastination is a huge issue, if I'm self doubting, I'll put off starting a project. Rejection comes with the territory, but when it first hits, my response is to be furious! Imagine them not wanting my work! But then, usually, I grit my teeth and go forward. Because I know in my heart that if I keep working, I'm going to get where I want with my art, and I really don't care deep deep down, if anyone else 'gets it'. :)
Thank you, Kelley, for sharing more on your life and work with us! Why don't you take this opportunity to check out one (or all!) of Kelley's sites??
Website is: http://www.kelleymaconald.com/
Daily Painting Blog: http://kelleymacdonalddailypaint.blogspot.com/
Studio work: http://welcometomyartworld.blogspot.com/
SOPHIE DAHY DESIGN GIVE-AWAY
Don't miss it! Verdigris Vie is hosting a Sophie Dahy Design give-away. The prize is your choice of a beautiful arrangement at a value of up to $300. Enter now through November 15th here!
NEW CHRISTMAS CARDS
I started a holiday tradition last year of debuting at least one new set of Christmas cards a year. My new "Merry Christmas" cards are available now in my store. The new card features a classic French chest topped with a marble bust, rose bouquet and gift packages. Above it, an old-fashioned banner reads "Merry Christmas".
They come blank inside, but custom printed messages are available for an additional fee. Contact me here for details.
Also available is last year's design that remains a classic Annechovie favorite. Both are available here.
I'd also like to thank my friend and fellow blogger, the ever-gracious Courtney Barnes for her mention and post last Friday.
CLAYTON GRAY HOME SALE!
OCTOBER DISCOUNT CODE
ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT
use 10october at checkout on all orders during the month of October and receive 10% off of your order total from Annechovie sponsor Clayton Gray Home
Have a safe and happy weekend!!
Have a safe and happy weekend!!
PROVENCE TERRACE
I apologize for the lighter posting lately as I have been trying to get a lot of work done as the holiday season approaches! This is a new print I've added to my store - Provence Terrace. It's available here.
FOOD FACES
ARTIST'S PORTRAIT * MARK HAMPTON
Mark in his Southampton rose garden
Mark Hampton - The Art of Friendship. A collection of Mark's watercolors.
Relaxing with his family; (L-R) wife Duane, Mark, daughters Alexa and Kate
Painting on the porch with daughter Alexa
The Hampton women hanging out together
Watercolor of the Melhado family's interior
A corner of designer Albert Hadley's apartment
Chiswick House, London, England
Courtyard of Samuel Reed's home in Hobe Sound, Florida
The late Mark Hampton is a man best known for being a world class interior designer and decorator, however, he excelled as an artist as well. I first saw his work as a young girl growing up in Michigan. My grandparents had proudly displayed a Christmas card from the President and Hampton's watercolor illustration of a room in the White House graced the front. I was captivated by the detail and overall beauty of his work and have maintained an interest in Mark and his career ever since.
The late Mark Hampton is a man best known for being a world class interior designer and decorator, however, he excelled as an artist as well. I first saw his work as a young girl growing up in Michigan. My grandparents had proudly displayed a Christmas card from the President and Hampton's watercolor illustration of a room in the White House graced the front. I was captivated by the detail and overall beauty of his work and have maintained an interest in Mark and his career ever since.
Mark, a Plainfield, Indiana native, was a man of many talents and a very diverse background. He attended DePauw University, with a junior year abroad at The London School of Economics. His time spent living there had a profound influence on his tastes and interests and he became a lifelong Anglophile. His keen artistic skills opened the door for a job with the very hip and legendary English decorator, David Hicks. He returned to DePauw to complete his history degree and then went on to University of Michigan Law School for a brief year until he decided to switch to Art History. From there, he went on to receive a master's degree in fine art from New York University. He was hired for a Summer job by Mrs. Henry (Sister) Parish, the legendary American decorator, and this was instrumental in feeding his already growing interest in the decorative arts. He was awarded a Ford Foundation fellowship upon graduation, which facilitated travel abroad and curatorial study at the Metropolitan Museum and Museum of Modern Art. Upon completion of his studies, he started out as an American representative for David Hicks, followed by a six year stint at the venerable American decorating firm McMillen. He finally started his own business in 1976, Mark Hampton, LLC, which continues to thrive to this day, headed by his daughter, Alexa Hampton, who has distinguished herself in her own right.
During his long and fruitful career, Mark painted countless watercolors, many of which are included in a book created by his wife, Duane, in a book titled "Mark Hampton, The Art of Friendship". On many occasions, Mark created personalized works of art, in the form of handpainted birthday cards, for family, clients and friends. Even though Mark counted presidents, politicians, celebrities and socialites as his clients and companions, he never lost his down-to-earth Midwestern values. These were most evident in his work ethic, his warmth and his devotion to his wife Duane, daughters Kate and Alexa and his scores of friends. His accomplishments, too vast to list here, are many and impressive. Perhaps he is best known for being the "First Decorator" for the senior Bushes when they moved into the White House in 1989, having already done their quarters at the residence of the Vice President. He also redecorated Blair House, the President's official guest house.
In her book, Duane Hampton quotes Adele Chatfield-Taylor, president of The American Academy in Rome, as she observed that "Mark was routinely described as a Renaissance man, because [in addition to being a decorator] he was a considerable art historian, a builder, a reader, a writer, a gardener, a painter, a musician, an avid traveler, a man of wildly high spirits and IQ and a screamingly funny, champion friend." His work is detailed, personal, witty, beautiful and is never without an aspect he highly prized - coziness. The Art of Friendship is just one of several books by or about Mark, all of which I am certain you would enjoy!
Images are from the book Mark Hampton - The Art of Friendship and House Beautiful - January 1991
7 LITTLE KNOWN FACTS
I want to thank Karen of Art by Karena and the girls at Chic Coles Design for awarding me the "Kreative Blogger Award". I have been pretty busy lately, so it's taken me a while to get to respond and I apologize for the delay, ladies! Part of the award involves listing 7 little-known facts about yourself and posting a link to the blogs who awarded you. Everyone I know has been awarded lately, so I will spare tagging anyone else right now. I am going to sign off a little early this week, since I have a ton that I need to accomplish, so thanks so much for reading and I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!! See you on Monday!
I love to cook and, right now, eggrolls are my specialty
I am a germaphobe
I enjoy hitting the driving range
My hair is very curly - I use a straightening iron 2-3 times a week
I hate politics and the endless wrangling associated with them
I am part Native American
My favorite thing about Fall is caramel apples and roasted chestnuts with lots of butter!
AUSTRALIAN VOGUE LIVING BY PROXY
A very sincere, but somewhat belated congratulations to my blogging friend Anna Spiro whose gorgeous home was featured in Australian Vogue Living recently. The September/October issue just arrived in my local bookstore and it was a lot of fun to see one of my prints in a photo of her office. As most of you already know, Anna has her own umistakable style that she is well known and loved for, well beyond the confines of Australia. Australian Vogue Living is pure eye candy and one of my favorite design magazines. I have a special affection for all of my wonderful Aussie friends, clients and fellow bloggers who have been tremendously kind to me and supportive of my work. I can certainly see why Australians have the reputation they do for possessing an extreme like-ability factor. You can see more photos and read Anna's post here.
CAFFEINE FOR KIDS
No, this is not an ad for Starbucks and I am not receiving any compensation other than a smile. This is my nephew Sam enjoying his coffee - a treat for him. I hope that you take a minute for a break this weekend, whether it's with coffee or something else you enjoy......after all, it's the little things that keep you going! Have a terrific weekend.
MORE THANK-YOU'S
Thanks to Sarah of "Flourish Design & Style" in Northern California
Thanks to Susan Schneider, friend, artist and fellow blogger in Millerton, NY
Vaness O'Sullivan of Australian blog "Gelati Art"
and Cristin of San Francisco blog "The Simplified Bee"
I am so grateful for such amazing support in the blog and design community! Here's a few thank you's for mentions within the last week. Take a minute to check out these great blogs if you haven't already.
WHAT'S NEW AT PIXIE DUST DECOR?
Pixie Dust Decor sent me their new look book and it was chock-full of great new crib ensembles, adorable fabrics and wonderful new items like these kid's aprons. If you are a mom, grandma or just someone in search of a unique baby or children's gift, please check out Pixie Dust Decor. The owner, Stacy McCallum, is not only immensely talented, but wonderful to deal with as well, providing excellent and personal service. Everything is made here in the USA, down to the very fabrics she designs, and those are so cute, you might even be tempted to steal them from the kids!
ENVIROSAX GIVE-AWAY WINNERS!
The winners of last weeks Envirosax give-away were Jacqueline and Anne! Congratulations to you both!! Please contact me with your mailing address here so we can get your prizes sent off to you. I apologize for being late with the announcement - I have been so swamped lately that I forgot about it! Thanks to everyone who entered and especially to Envirosax for sponsoring the give-away.
HOLIDAY SPARKLE
THANK YOU, HOUSE BEAUTIFUL!
A BIG thanks to the editors at House Beautiful for featuring my Chair Collection Note Cards in their Holiday Gift Guide. They are available here.
I hope everyone had a good weekend! We were having record highs - even for Florida - in the mid 90's, but my weekend was enjoyable and productive. I got a chance to clean out/organize my closet. I was operating by the adage "if you haven't used it, lose it". Cleaning and organizing get me high. Sounds strange, I know, but it's cheap and harmless, at least. How was your weekend?
EVER FEEL THIS WAY?
Enough said. Sometimes in life there are, shall we say, "very difficult" people who might benefit from a friendly "reminder" tinged with humor. Art can be a way of expressing emotions in a healthy context, no?
Just sayin'.......
This is another addition to my dessert quote posters that features my painting of an English Trifle with the pun "Do Not Trifle With Me". Also available in a greeting card set of 4(above)
OR
on a mug as well (wink, wink).
OR
on a mug as well (wink, wink).
You can find the print and cards here OR click on link directly above for mug.
Thanks to all of my great readers and customers who brighten my days. I hope you all have a great weekend and don't let the "mean cats" in your life get you down!
Thanks to all of my great readers and customers who brighten my days. I hope you all have a great weekend and don't let the "mean cats" in your life get you down!