Monday 4 July 2011

Carl Larsson

The use of stripes on both the couch and the chair is a great idea and not overpowering at all. Also look at the way the carpet folds over. Take away the pipe and this could be a room from many a house today.

One of his daughters watering flowers - look at the gorgeous print on the central chair and wall colours

Well, it seems to be all about illustration right now! The flavour of the week is Carl Larsson, another early 20th century artist from Sweden. He painted interiors of his gorgeous house as well as his children. His interiors are suprisly fresh, light and modern. Elements of Art Noveau in particular the artist Mucha are evident yet his style is very distinct.

Thursday 30 June 2011

Kate Greenaway and Henry Dager

Kate Greenaway

Henry Darger

Henry Darger

Kate Greenaway
You have to love Kate Greenaway's illustrations depicting children in early 1800's fashion (she was in fact Victorian born in 1846 - a generation after the fashions she illustrates). Her use of colour and the charming empire waist dresses (check out the haircuts too) are just too lovely! One also cannot help notice some similarities in her work and that of Henry Darger (1892 - 1973) and his Vivian Girls though of course there was no way this reclusive outsider artist could have been influenced by her. Greenaway's work is by no means meant to be dark and she participates actively in the creation of a new Victorian invention: the concept of childhood, this being said there is something awkward and strange in her work.

Monday 16 May 2011

Paule Marrot

Paule Marrot = WE LOVE







French engraver, painter, and textile artist Paule Marrot (1902-1987). Early in her career, Marrot shifted her emphasis from painting to textiles to create expressive patterns from the 1920s through the 1950s. Marrot's bold use of flowers, color and patterns reflect a compositionally modernist style classically associated with the Art Deco movement. Marrot's artistic influences include the expressive writings of Marcel Proust, as evident in her work Du coté de chez Swann, based on Proust's book In Search of Lost Time.


Paule Marrot (1902-1987)


Madame Marrot was the quintessential French textile artist. A painter, engraver, teacher, and ultimately an esteemed fabric designer, she met and was influenced by Impressionist master Auguste Renoir and Fauvist painter Raoul Dufy. She was admired by many famous personalities including the Ali Khan, the Shah of Iran, the British royal family, Billy Baldwin, Margaret Owen, and Jacqueline Kennedy who based the interior of an entire room of the White House on one of Marrot's spirited flower designs. In the world of interior decoration, Marrot's fresh, colorful, spontaneous designs have always been synonymous with a wonderful sense of joie de vivre.


Born in Bordeaux to a bohemian family headed by a musician father, Paule Marrot was first exposed to the creative world of artists and musicians at her family's salon gatherings. Her career as a decorative artist began at age 14 when she studied to be a painter and an engraver at the Studios of Sacred Art, founded by painter Maurice Denis. She then became a teacher and commenced to sell some of her original textile designs at which time she met Dufy who introduced her to Paul Poiret to whom she sold a dress design.


Marrot was barely making a living hand-printing her fabrics in her parent's dining room, when at age 22 she was admitted to the prestigious Societe des Artistes Decorateurs in 1924. In this year she married her childhood friend, Paul Angelloz, who became her business manager. In 1925 she won a gold medal at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes Paris, France.


With a grant, Marrot was able to buy herself a modest shop where she taught, painted, sold her creations and entertained her many artist friends. In 1932 her life took a dramatic turn when her work in the Salon des Artistes Decorateurs show came to the attention of Alsace textile manufacturer, Jean Schlumberger. He became her private printer and devoted friend for 30 years until his death in 1963. Their successful collaboration produced more than 320 designs for fabrics and dozens more for table linens. In the following years, Marrot enjoyed substantial success in the United States with her coterie of celebrity clients and interior design devotees.


"You paint with your heart the flowers of the fields, love, youth, the seasons, everything that is wonderful in life," Andre Arbus said to Paule Marrot when the designer was awarded the Legion d'Honneur. All her fabric and wallpaper designs had charming stories to tell and revealed her love of nature, art, travel, birds, gardens, animals and people.
from http://www.paulemarrot.com/

We saw the work of Paule Marrot last year at Highpoint Market in the booth of Natural Curiosities.  Her work is such an inspiration, a perfect balance of control and freedom, of decoration and thoughtfulness.  They make just about everything with her imagery:  from textiles for upholstery, fashion to painted furniture and wall art.  Hail Marrot!

just beautiful!

Remind you of something??  We could not believe how much our previous photo resembled this!

yes please!

And in fashion::



more geometry

Inspired by the many geometric prints in home decor and fashion, here are some new geometric paintings!


triptych, 30 inches by 40 inches each panel
By Manuela

yellow pattern, 48 inches by 36 inches
by Manuela
This is part of an ongoing series of paintings, more to come!

Monday 9 May 2011

Colour names - I want that job!

My personal favourite colour name is one of a red lipstick created by a company in the 50's called "postman's knock." From make-up, to cars to paint there are some amazing colour names out there. They range from the sublime to the ridulous. Here's an interesting link:
http://fourwheeldrift.wordpress.com/2006/09/30/color-me-crazy-%E2%80%93-the-best-and-worst-paint-color-names/

Tuesday 3 May 2011

More collage interior ideas - and 100 cut up magazines later


Is it wrong to love coral pink and orange?


That Delt pottery thang again


Oooo! Spoons


Monday 2 May 2011

A studio visit

We went visiting various small galleries in Montreal on Friday but our best experience by far was when we got to visit this artist's studio (we were given a tour by his assistant). As you can imagine everything else we saw paled after seeing these monumental and sensitive works.

Where it all happens


The artist paints famous people (usually French) once they are dead, using photographs of them as children.


Ooooo! Colours!


Layers upon layers of paper are used in combination with gauche, charcoal and occasionally gold-leaf


Cut and Paste



Today we have decided to cut out from a huge stack of decor magazines and create mood-board collages of our finds... Even Carey Mulligan is a decor inspiration in her vintage dress!

Inspiration board 1
Jewel tones, purples and rich greens
(magazine collage)
 

Inspiration board 2
Chartreuse / acid green as a accent colour
(magazine collage)
  


Inspiration board 3
Vintage and feathers
(magazine collage)
  

Tuesday 26 April 2011

geometry inspires

Things we are loving right now:

Ikat prints
Lattice and woven motifs
Triangles
Origami polyhedrons



love the mix of geometric and raw materials


Neiman Marcus set of prints


funky!


the dirty/clean that we love!


these look edible (on Etsy.com)


Ceramic with a twist, love it!



Neiman Marcus prints
 

polyhedrons are cool
 

Manuela's 9-panel painting



Encaustic lattice paintings on mirror frames by Manuela
 

pair of vertical pieces by Manuela


Rooftops of Montreal

Only years of training in the commercial art business will enable one to spot a Canadian Art Prints poster on the rooftop of an appartment building in Montreal...  see for yourself!

Meadowlands II, by Tandi Venter


Bell Expressvue satellite dish landscape

Charming, isn't it?


rooftop landscape street view


Monday 25 April 2011

Inspiration from Delft pottery


A painting by Kat - acrylic and wax

Printed material stretched as canvas then worked with wax
and gold transfer paper and acrylic.

Delft pottery comes from Delft in Holland. It's usually only blue and white and was made in proliferation in the 16th century. It was spread all over by the VOC (or Dutch East India Company).


Delft Pottery