Old World Reflections: July 2017

Flowers!

The only way I can quickly express my love for flowers is to simply say that they make me happy. Flower shops, the floral department in the grocery store, nurseries, gardens, etc.... even the faux floral department at a craft store- they are my happy places.

I always look forward to that air of excitement in March when the world is beige and gray and I begin dreaming of the garden. Going to the nurseries, cleaning out the gardens, making room for the perennials that I hope and pray will make an appearance again, and making room for the splashy annuals that liven up the yard with their punchy colors.

Even though I know the terribly hot summer months of July and August are going to all but destroy my hard work accomplished in April and May, it's still worth it. There is something so therapeutic about tilling the soil and watching beautiful things grow.

One of my rose bushes in May 2016. This is always their best month when they burst into bloom.

I am not an expert gardener in any sense, in fact my garden is a tumble (my mother's wonderful word for a packed English cottage style garden). Mine is more of a mess, but I like "tumble" so we'll go with that. I try and try every year; I have some successes and many failures, but that's part of the fun. Three years ago I began planting David Austin English roses which are known for their many petals and heavenly fragrance. Much to my surprise, I seemed to have some luck and they grew and bloomed their hearts out for three years until last winter's wicked ice storm from out of nowhere whipped in and destroyed them....all. Try, try again.

My Tumble in September

Luckily with our trusty little cameras handily built in to our phones we can snap away and still enjoy the prettiness, long after the flowers are gone.
My favorite way to enjoy flowers (especially roses) is to go out and snip them and bring them into the house for a punch of color. It is amazing how much they add!

Little bouquet of English roses and pin cushion flowers

THIS is a David Austin 'Carding Mill' Rose.....THIS is why I love David Austin roses....

This was one of my favorite bouquets ever. This was the last of the cuttings from my autumn garden before the first hard freeze the following day.

Once the rose season has peaked and gone, there is a bit of a lull and I start heading to the grocery store for their selection of very affordable bunches of a dozen roses. I can't tell you how they liven up the house- especially in the cold winter months when Christmas decorations are down and everything is gloomy. Simple and elegant, snipped at the end and tossed into a vase- they are such a happy spot of the day:

From the Grocery Store!

These roses are form the grocery store!! $8.00!! I threw in some artificial palm fronds for a little tropical zest. A Week of Happy! $8!

When fresh flowers are not an option, it is amazing how wonderful artificial flowers have become!

Faux flowers from craft stores and even florist shops are getting better and better. Such a fun way to make a huge statement bouquet without worry about anything not lasting. This ivory and green bouquet I've had in my living room for two years now.

For my last solo exhibit at the Gallery XII I decided to dedicate the entire body of work to flowers and title the show, "A Year of Flora." I have to say this was one of the most fun and rewarding shows I had worked on and I was so excited to finally have my painted garden on the wall and fully in bloom!

This exhibit led me to one of my all time favorite commissions of a bouquet of tulips:

Parrot Tulips in Progress in my studio, 2017

What I was struck by, during the exhibit and after, was the number of people who I spoke to who absolutely love and adore flowers. It was so sweet to think these beautiful things resonating with so many and that joy that I feel from flowers is felt by many kindred spirits. I love that. Something that is so simple and has no connection to modernity and technology bringing fulfillment to everyone. 💗

If you need a bright spot added to your day, I strongly encourage you to go to the florist or grocery store and treat yourself to a bouquet of something pretty. I can't tell you how nice it is to have something in a room of the house our out in the garden that no matter what your mood is, it makes you smile. Put a little vase of flowers on your dining room table and have a sweet little summer supper complete with a candle. Flowers do the trick every time.

Thank you for Following along! Until Next Time!

For More Floral Happiness:

Just peruse the David Austin Website for the most swoon worthy roses:

http://www.davidaustinroses.com

ANY Carolyne Roehm Book!

If you are not familiar, Carolyne Roehm is most incredible gardener, florist & designer and she creates the most immaculate, lush gardens you have ever seen, which then become the beautiful bouquets you have ever seen! Her books are just lovely. www.carolyneroehm.com

Here are a couple of favorites:

(Amazon Stock Photo)

https://www.amazon.com/At-Home-Garden-Carolyne-Roehm/dp/1101903570/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500399797&sr=8-1&keywords=carolyne+roehm

(Amazon Stock Photo)

https://www.amazon.com/Passion-Flowers-Carolyne-Roehm/dp/0067575137/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1500399797&sr=8-6&keywords=carolyne+roehm

INSPIRATION PART II:

RUSSIAN SPLENDORS

As I wrote last time, I mentioned that for this post on inspiration I would write about Russia. Not in the context of today's terrible news cycle, but in terms of it's beauty and history and inspiring art and architecture. I am not Russian nor have I ever been to Russia, but ever since I was a little girl there was something about it that fascinated me. It seemed so exotic and old world, rich with culture and history. It always seemed to me like a wilder Europe with many extremes. There were rulers that varied from Ivan the Terrible to Peter the Great; and architecture that ranges from Neoclassical palaces to spires topped with exotic onion domes. I always loved the fairytales and folk stories that my mother read to me from the illustrated books that always filled the shelves. Throughout my life it has been an unexpected influence that has permeated my life in many ways.

(Amazon Stock Photo)

Beautiful Book of Russian Fairytales by Lucy Maxym illustrated with traditional black lacquer box paintings

As a teenager I traveled with my parents to Dallas for the Catherine the Great exhibition which was absolutely breathtaking. Finally being able to see the gilded opulence of the Imperial carriage, and clothing and the beautiful enamel decorative arts for which Russian artisans are so famous....in short... it left a huge impression. Later on the mid-nineties I was able to see the Treasures of the Czars exhibit (twice) 😊 and again was so captivated by the decorative arts and the exquisite craftsmanship of all these treasures that had never before ventured out of their homeland.

My mother and I began collecting Matryoshka nesting dolls and Russian eggs about this time and loved the beautiful intricate patterns hand painted on the outside. My mother Caroline, had the most gorgeous little breakfast nook which she transformed into a magical place filled with Russian nesting dolls, black lacquered boxes and dollhouses. It was a fairytale room, filled with late nights of her teaching me to draw and make little treasures that would go into her Russian and Bavarian inspired dollhouses.

A corner in my mother's breakfast room with part of her collection of Russian nesting dolls

A few of my mother's incredible dollhouses

Russian egg display

My love of Russian arts and interiors has always stayed with me. in 2012 I had the opportunity to do a new solo exhibit and knew immediately I wanted to do a Russian inspired body of work. I think my recent purchase of the book, "The Private World of Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Berge" also played a roll in this, as there is a chapter on their gorgeous Russian Dacha (country house) that the two decorated that captures all the beauty and mystique of Russian art and architecture that I adore. As a lover of pattern and design, Russian colors and themes lent themselves perfectly for the borders that I always love to incorporate in my own work. The beautiful thing about Russian arts is their range of styles and how unique they are to the country. They range from simple lines of painted flowers found in wooden folk art to priceless jewels and enamel found in the Imperial treasures designed by Peter Carl Faberge in the 19th century for the aristocracy.

"Russian Snow Scene" from my exhibit, Russian Splendors in 2012

"Ural Moon" 2012

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Here is a link to the book! Private-World-Saint-Laurent-Pierre Berge

More paintings from my exhibit in 2012

That same year, I had a friend who was going to be traveling to Russia and my friend Carolyn and I decided to host a Russian themed dinner party in her honor, which was so much fun to plan! The menu consisted of blinis with caviar, cucumber salad, stroganoff (we took a little leeway with this) vodka cocktails and fruit tarts.

One of my favorite parts in the planning was making the place cards.

(Our names were in Cryllic and were probably all wrong, but they were such fun to make!)

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One of the quickest and easiest ways to find Russian inspiration either for a menu or interior is to peruse the website for the iconic restaurant, the Russian Tea Room in New York City. It is such a magical place and I am so happy its doors are still open!

http://www.russiantearoomnyc.com

Today it's easier than ever to incorporate Russian decorative arts in the house. With sources like Ebay, one has lacquer boxes, matryoshka dolls, icons, and Russian enamelware at their fingertips, and you don't have to wait for the next Catherine the Great exhibit to come to town!

If you love these things as much as I do you will have a wonderful time perusing these favorite books and sites that I have listed below.

Thank you again for stopping in!

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