I'm Painting as Fast as I Can

The Art Fair at The Vineyard in Florence (Texas, that is) is on the 13th, and I've been painting everything I can get my hands on..


This oil painting was a struggle...She keeps turning out to look like Cher...I call it "Dreaming of Miguel"

These are "floorcloths", hand-painted canvas for your floors...love them on our stained concrete floors..they are practically bulletproof....

Watercolors...."Gathering Desert Storm"

Watercolor: "Coral Fish" (okay, I don't know if that's really a coral fish, but that's really coral.

Watercolor: "Of Course Their Yours" (referring to the roe - it's a joke, son")

Watercolor: "Aneome and Friend"

Watercolor: No title..any suggestions...I found these wonderful, iridescent watercolors..

There are fabulous glass paints, made by a French company - Pebeo...paint the glass, bake the glass, and they are permanent.
Off to paint some more...just one more week.....................

I Was A Centerfold-a House Centerfold, That is...

I told my husband I always wanted to be a "centerfold", but I didn't think it would be as a house..."Madison Magazine" introduced it's new "Habitat" magazine insert by featuring a house I had done from the ground up.

Certain challenges presented themselves along the way; as in the clients were combining furnishings from their two, previous homes...one in Arizona, which was "Southwestern", and the other, a very traditional Tudor style. He was oriental, and their existing furniture from the Tudor was Asian-influenced. She (who has become one of my dearest friends) loves "whimsey", Country French, and they both love lots of color. So, I was presented with the dilema of designing an Oriental, Southwestern, Country French house. Winters are long and dreary in Wisconsin, and fireplaces are pretty much a necessity...Lot's of color, lots of light, a fire buring, and did I mention that Wisconsin has the highest level of brandy consumption in the Country?

I have written previously about personally glazing their 1,000 square-foot gathering room and dining room. I've since done alot of glazing and faux finishes, but will never tackle that kind of project again...that's why God made assistants.

The kitchen is/was my favorite room in the house. My client and I sewed the window treatments...she with her sewing machine on one end of the trestle table, and I was at the other end with mine...we had bloody mary's in between...very nice sweat shop indeed.

Okay, maybe the powder room is my favorite...again, I had to be hands on, and gold leafed the ceiling, door, niche, and trim. The little oriental guy in the niche stood guard over the black toilet. I usually don't like to put black toilets in bathrooms, but in this room, it was appropriate.

So, there you have it....my centerfold story...I miss my friend(s) in Wisconsin, but not the winters....when I said I was moving to Texas, everyone said, "It's going to be hot", and my reply always was, "You don't have to shovel hot".......Want to read the article? Click on the images to enlarge them...

This Old House

Once upon a time, long, long ago, I was a Civil War widow....If you look at the older posts, you will be able to read about it....Actually, I was a Civil War Reinactment photographer...went on to have a gallery - "Widow Weeds" (the grieving attire of a Civil War widow). I came across this the other day, and thought it would be an appropriate photo to accompany the ones of a house in Louisiana that I was involved in restoring.

This house was built on a hill in a tiny town called Washington, Louisiana in 1830. It was built by a sea captain -de la Morandiare. The floors are hand-hewn planks, such as those used in ship building at the time, and the trim under the eaves is a "wave" pattern. This photo was taken in the 1920's. It had fallen into hands that didn't love it...in fact, painted the trim pink...poor house.

My clients live in Wisconsin, but bought the house and asked me to come to Washington and help with the restoration process.....I had a wonderful time, and found out the tiny town is chock a block full of fantastic antique stores...one of which brings over containers full of wonderful armoires.

The rotting porches were replaced with new, cypress planks (termites hate cypress), new plantation shutters were added, a new kitchen was built. Homes of that era, especially in the South, had kitchens that were separate from the main house...mainly because of the heat generated. Finally, painted and lovingly restored, my clients sold the home. Sad that they didn't keep it..

I wish I had bought it...sigh....