March 2018

Dear Clients, Supporters, Colleagues and Friends, We've recently returned from an extended visit to the South where we experienced all types of weather: a few days of sun, 72 degrees, and a huge winter storm! Winter continues here in Northwest PA, where it is snowing as we compile this newsletter. We had a wonderful time in Asheville, at the Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference --seeing clients and colleagues from around the country while connecting with fellow artists, designers and friends. We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came to our exterior painting and color workshops---and welcome to our newsletter, all of you who signed up at the conference!

After the Arts & Crafts conference, we stayed in Asheville a couple of extra days for meetings. We then took the opportunity for a little personal time in the mountains, enjoying some hiking and a little retreat at nearby Hot Springs, NC. After, we spent time with both Hurley and Pierce parents, taking care of a long list of needs for them — to be followed up by more! We've shared this with you before, but want to say, again, how grateful we are that you all have supported our need to be closer to aging family members. We are lucky and truly appreciate that we are able to work with you regardless of where we live.    Now we are back to the studio, busy designing for clients and getting ready for Spring art shows! Continue reading for information about a show next week, and if you are planning Spring and Summer projects on your home, now’s the time to start thinking about how we might be able to help you meet your goals. Remember, we work with both home and building owners across the country! Sincerely, Barbara and CJ

Craft Morristown

Share with your friends in the Northeast!

With the Arts & Crafts Conference at the historic Grove Park Inn over, it’s time to start moving into the Spring Exhibition Cycle. For us, it begins in NJ for the Craft Morristown fine art and craft show. 165 juried artists exhibit one-of-a-kind handcrafted objects, including: fine art, home décor, ceramics, glass, metal, wood, jewelry, photography, and clothing; as well as functional and sculptural works in mixed media and more!

Craft Morristown is in its 28 th year as one of the top events for showcasing fine handcrafted goods. Exhibiting artists and a selection of scheduled demonstrations are listed here . If you are planning to attend, you may request a free admission coupon at this link . Here is a selection of some of the work we will have on exhibit.

The Forest Path

Square Roses Flanked by Tulips

Cardinal

Exterior Color Consultations

Now is the time to schedule!

Barbara is already busy with color and design consultations for the upcoming exterior painting season! If you are planning to paint this year, now is a good time to let us know you need a color consultation. We are booking new projects into late spring and summer so reserve your space now! If you are in NW PA, you can attend a free educational presentation on exterior color on March 27th. This is an adaptation of the lecture Barbara did in Denver in January. Details here . We provide consultation and design services to home and building owners around the country!  Often our show, conference and travel schedules allow for us to meet onsite with homeowners throughout the country. However, we have an established track record providing remote consultations in a manner that our clients find comfortable, efficient and effective. Don't hesitate to contact us for help no matter where you live. Barbara will be happy to talk to you about our process and how we can work to meet your project goals.

We offer a flexible approach to color consultation that allows us to provide a range of services to meet your needs and budget . Our basic and affordable color consultation package addresses the architectural style and the setting of the home while meeting homeowner goals. For those needing more in-depth assistance, or for homes that require many colors and elaborate painting schemes, we offer a reasonable rate and exceptional personalized service.

Save The Date Houses, Landscapes, Flowers & Dreams

We are excited to share that we have received an Artist Project Grant through the Erie Arts and Culture Council. This Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts grant will allow us to have a solo exhibition of CJ’s art at the Graffiti Gallery in our new hometown of Oil City, PA.    If you live in, or are going to be in the region, mark your calendar for the  Friday, April 20 th  opening reception  of  Houses Landscapes Flowers & Dreams . This ongoing series of work continues to provide CJ with inspiration and opportunities to explore new territory in his painting. The exhibit will include a large body of work created since our relocation and will showcase inspirations from our new environment.    We'll share more details about the show, the new work created for it and related events in our next newsletter.  If you are interested in learning more now,  here is a link to an article about the exhibition from when it appeared at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gordon House .   Houses, Landscapes, Flowers & Dreams On Exhibit April 20 th – May 26 th , 2018 National Transit Building   Graffiti Gallery 210 Seneca St. Oil City, PA

William Morris: Designing an Earthly Paradise

In January, when we were speakers for the Colorado Arts and Crafts Society, we flew out of Cleveland, OH. On our return we took the opportunity to spend an extra day in the city to visit the wonderful Cleveland Art Museum. We’ve known this museum to have excellent exhibits long before living in the area, and now we always arrange air travel so we can fit in a show upon return!    Although we took in an over abundance of great art in several galleries, our recent visit was primarily to see William Morris: Designing an Earthly Paradise . The show was dedicated to two aspects of Morris’ work: textiles and bookmaking. It features textiles made at Morris’ Merton Abbey Mills and other sources, and the books made at Morris’ Kelmscott Press.

It was a small but impactful and informative exhibition – the setting was dimly lit which made it very quiet, warm and intimate. Morris & Co.’s Fruit wallpaper covered the walls, and a printed reproduction of Morris’ Bullerswood rug decorated the floor.   The exhibition primarily draws from the Cleveland Art Museum’s own holdings. They have a collection of some of Morris’ more iconic textiles, as well as a complete set of all 53 books printed by the Kelmscott Press.

Highlights of the textile portion of the show includes: a fabulous set of bed hangings embroidered by Morris’ daughter, May, her friends, and students from the Birmingham School of Art. Although there were a number of printed textiles, for us, it was the wovens that stole the show. Beautiful jacquards were represented by Violet & Columbine [1883] and Peacock & Dragon [1878]. A highlight of the printed fabric portion of the exhibition was the opportunity to see one of the hand-carved woodblocks used to print the Tulip pattern. Lastly, there was a segment dedicated to the natural dyes that Morris preferred to use in his textile work. The display showed actual plant and mineral samples, weld, cochineal & indigo, used to color fibers. Alongside, were samples of dyed yellow, red, and blue threads.

Highlights of the printed book segment were: The Works of Geoffry Chaucer illustrated by Edward Burne-Jones, and The Story of the Glittering Plain written by William Morris, and illustrated by Walter Crane. In an attempt to illustrate Morris’ quality over the work of his competitors, the exhibition contrasted Morris’ work with those of other printers and publishers, like Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. For us, it was a treat to see design concepts, sample proofs, and page layouts created before actually going to press.   See more photos from our visit here . Designing an Earthly Paradise is on view until 11/2018 if you want the opportunity to see it!

Fine Art Prints and Cards

Packages of our fine art notecards and matted prints are available on our website. Order Prints here

Cards available as packages of 5, 12, 25, and 40. Custom size packages available upon request. Order Cards here

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