Fine art & antiques by Dr. Lori: Collecting house paintings

Today, we are experiencing a revival of one of art history’s longstanding trends — the painting, collecting, and preserving of the house or home portraits. Whether an artwork’s subject is your house or the Oldest House in America which is located in St. Augustine, Fla., images of homes have recently regained popular interest and have become a new gift idea for the new and old homeowners.

Helping to make house paintings or home portraits a popular art form and collecting category, numerous artists are offering the service of commissioned artwork based on a photograph of clients’ houses.

Like family portraits, portraits of homes are now making a splash in the decor of many new and not-so-new homes.

In addition, many of us are collecting images of our childhood homes, as well as vacation homes, in order to remember a beloved site where family gatherings took place in days gone by.

This strong art historical tradition of home portraiture was popular with the historic monarchies throughout Europe for centuries.

Of course, artists depicted some of the great buildings of history such as the Palace at Versailles, home of French monarchs Louis XIV and Louis XV.

Versailles attracted artists to it long after its completion, too. As late as the 19th century, circa 1818, American artist John Vanderlyn painted a famous circular, panoramic view of the Palace at Versailles, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.

Like the French site, Great Britain’s esteemed Windsor Castle, one of the Queen’s official residences, has been immortalized in fine and folk art many times since it was erected as a fortress and castle more than 900 years ago.

Today, Windsor Castle remains the largest occupied castle in the world.

While Windsor Castle houses the Royal Art Collection, including paintings by Hans Holbein, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck, fine tapestries, porcelain, sculpture, armor and more, the site itself has been the subject of numerous portraits detailing its impressive and breathtaking structure.

Here at home, the majestic White House has been similarly reproduced as paintings, prints and other works of art.

The president’s house was a major feature of L’Enfant’s plan for the city of Washington in 1791. Envisioning a vast palace for the president, the White House was depicted often.

We are familiar with the early presidential portraits on display in the White House, however, the prime interest in depicting the White House as a subject itself came of age after the burning in 1814 and rebuilding of the presidential home in 1817.

On Aug. 24, 1814, when British soldiers approached the nation’s capital, First Lady Dolley Madison insisted that Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of President George Washington be saved.

Of course, the Stuart portrait was saved, but the White House perished.

After 1817, the White House became a popular subject for American artists and their foreign colleagues.

One of the most famous images of the White House in our nation’s capital is an engraving by William Strickland from a watercolor by George Munger from the Library of Congress collection, dated 1814.

The idea of commissioning and collecting an original work of art or fine art print depicting your home, like that of the world’s historic homes, has sparked a new contemporary trend which recalls an old tradition.

Produced and immortalized in various media such as textile, tapestry, needlepoint, watercolor, prints and oil on canvas to name a few, many collectors are interested in adding an artwork of the home to an existing art collection on display within the home.

As seen on WNEP 16 TV, Comcast CN8 TV, Retirement Living TV and DirecTV, Dr. Lori is a certified appraiser with a doctorate degree in art history. For more information, visit www.DrLoriV.com or call (888) 431-1010.

New Market for African-American Art

With most of the art world’s high rollers in London this week for predicted record sales at Sotheby’s and Christie’s, a small auction in New York is calling attention to a group of artists who, some argue, have been unfairly excluded from the market’s gains.

Tomorrow afternoon, Swann Auction Galleries is holding a sale of over 200 works by African-American artists, arranged historically from the late 19th century to the present. The sale, which has an estimated value of $2 million to $3 million, is in all likelihood the first auction at a major auction house entirely devoted to African-American fine art.

“A lot of these artists are sold in galleries or are in museum collections, but at auction, the results are few and spotty,” the director of African-American Fine Art, Nigel Freeman, said. “Some of that is due to a lack of scholarship or information about the works; some is just because they were not heavily exposed during their lifetime.”

Mr. Freeman believes there’s a new generation of collectors interested in this art. “There’s a generation that’s been waiting for the prices to reflect their value,” he said.

For years, Swann has held sales of African Americana, which have included historical manuscripts from the time of slavery through the Civil Rights era, as well as works by fine artists like Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence. In the last year and a half, several prints by Mr. Bearden sold for over $100,000, and Swann decided there was sufficient interest to do a sale entirely of African-American art.

The material Mr. Freeman has brought together “starts with very scarce, early works by artists at the beginning of the century, when the opportunities were very few, to artists who started to get exposure during the Harlem Renaissance and the WPA, to the modern artists” like Bearden, Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, and Charles White, Mr. Freeman said. In addition, there are works by about a dozen contemporary artists, including Kara Walker and David Driskell.

The goal is to bring attention to these artists’ accomplishments and show that they can bring good prices at auction, Mr. Freeman said. “It’s comparable to a large museum exhibition,” he said. “It’s a whole review of the 20th-century black artists.”

Understandably, segregating African-American artists into their own market category doesn’t sit well with everyone. “I’m really split,” a dealer who has long been involved in the African-American art arena, Frank Maresca, said. “You have to ask yourself: Why is it being set apart?” he said. “It’s like you’re saying that these artists need an extra push. And people have been doing that and making those excuses for a long time, and I think you reach a point where you have to stop. Ultimately, things have to stand on their own merit.”

Others argue that evaluations of merit can’t even occur if the work of African-American artists isn’t represented at the major events in the business. Josh Wainwright, the founder and producer of the National Black Fine Art Show, which was held this weekend for the 10th year at the Puck Building, said he started the show because he was bothered that few African-American artists were represented in places like the Art Show and the various other art and antique fairs in New York. “These artists were not being given a window to the world,” Mr. Wainwright said. “We’re trying to bring the art to people who can make those decisions [of merit] for themselves.”

Mr. Wainwright said that most work by African-American artists is still undervalued. “One of the benefits of this auction is that a mainstream auction house will be helping to set sales standards and values for this work,” he said. “We applaud the efforts of anyone who’s going to try to bring this work to a mainstream audience.”

On Saturday afternoon, after mingling with potential clients who came for the sale exhibition, Mr. Freeman said he had heard no negative comments on the exclusive nature of the sale. “I think the overwhelming feeling is that these artists have been neglected and overlooked,” he said. “Everyone’s saying how great this is and how historic this is.”

Mr. Freeman said that he didn’t know why other auction houses hadn’t ventured into this market. “I don’t know if they didn’t want to take the risk, or the audience they want is different,” he said, “but there’s a growing market, and that’s reflected in the growing prices. There’s going to be million-dollar works sold by African-American artists.”

Source: www.nysun.com

Hue to show off craftsmanship

The central city of Hue will promote its rich cultural history by holding a traditional craft festival in early June.

The event aims to promote the appreciation of artisans and traditional crafts as tourist attractions.

The festival will feature gold and silver jewellery, bronze crafts and woodwork, said the Hue People’s Committee.

Traditional handicraft villages around the city have produced much of the work. Artisans will give live demonstrations and the festival will organise visits to temples memorialising the founders of some traditional crafts.

The event is Hue’s second traditional craft festival. The first was held in early 2005.

(VNA)

Hand-crafted furniture shop spurs imaginatio

Make no mistake, Interior Woodworking is no Pottery Barn.

Yes, both offer high-end furniture and home accessories, but when Jeff Chopp opens his high-end, custom furniture showroom and workshop to the public for the first time Saturday, customers will have a chance to see one-of-a-kind furniture handcrafted by artisans throughout Wisconsin.

“I searched the state to find people who do the quality work we want to showcase,” Chopp said. “And, ironically, they all seem to know each other somehow.”

The craftsmen’s work — everything from a cherry wood Mission-style bed to colonial cabinets to modern tables and sconces – provides a great variety of styles and feels to choose from in the showroom, which occupies the former Rogge’s building at 3978 State Highway 21.

Chopp said the furniture all shares one common thread.

“We want the best of what’s out there,” he said. “We want to make it so people can come here and get everything they need from architectural fixtures to doors to anything else someone could want.”

Peggy Coniff, owner of Lakeview Interiors in Oshkosh, helped Chopp arrange the furniture and prepare for the grand opening. She said the pieces are better than most items she finds in furniture stores.

“They really show the creativity of people beyond what you see in furniture stores,” Coniff said. “These can become someone’s heirlooms. There’s very few companies that handcraft furniture any more. The quality is attractive not only to the high-end consumer, but to anyone who wants to spend a little more to have something that can last for the rest of their lives.”

Chopp scoured the state and found custom furniture producers Bob Kloes, of Seymour; Kyle Dallman, of Oshkosh; Tom Gallenberg, of White Lake; Dean Graber, of Madison; and Randy Rhoden, of Hortonville, to complement handmade pieces by Interior Woodworking’s own Charles Cain.

“This work is something you can invest your time and talents in so you’ve got something to show for it,” Cain said.

Some examples will be on display in Interior’s showroom at all times, but Chopp said they’re there to help spur the imaginations of the custom designers.

“Building a custom piece is not that hard,” he said. “You draw it out, bring it in and we’ll sketch it out so it fits your needs. … We want to get people to think outside the box, to realize there are alternatives.”

Chopp said interior designers like Coniff will play a key role in making a lot of the company’s sales, while Coniff said the shop offers as big a chance for her to flex her creative muscles as it does for the craftsmen themselves.

“I get excited because you can design something and then see it made,” she said. “I think it’s easy from my perspective because you can just make a drawing, pick your woods and order it while remaining competitive on price with the rest of the market.”

Source; www.thenorthwestern.com

Handy Craft: Former business manager finds joy in creating furniture that is also art

Bayley Wharton has built a furniture business out of his reverence for thoroughness and clean lines, and his ability to leave natural beauty alone.

When he works with wood, he uses no artificial stains and sparingly uses hand-rubbed oil and lacquer.

“I have a motto: ‘Let the wood speak for itself,’

” said Wharton, a maker of fine furniture whose company, Furniture by Design, produces tables, beds, cabinets, mirrors and benches.

Wharton, 45, who is a Winston-Salem native, recently moved from Raleigh to Mount Airy with his wife and son. The move brought them closer to family but also allowed Wharton to become a member of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild, which promotes crafts of the Appalachian Mountain area.

A few years after he graduated from N.C. State University, Wharton used his business-management degree during a short stint at a large furniture-maker. There, he learned a lot about the business of mass-producing furniture, but the management part of it left him feeling unsatisfied.

It gave him some ideas, though, he said.

At one point, he had access to a woodworking shop away from work.

“I liked doing it as a hobby … but I had no style,” Wharton said. “Then my sister gave me a book on the art of Japanese joinery.”

He eventually went to graduate school and studied design.

And in 1996, he started a furniture business that could marry craftsmanship with artistry. Wharton, who is also a member of the Piedmont Craftsmen in Winston-Salem, works alone in his shop and sells his pieces through juried crafts shows throughout the United States.

“You look at a lot of art and architecture … and you see conceptually something that seems simple. When you get up close and see the details, it becomes very intricate,” said Wharton, whose work is heavily influenced by Old World Japanese design.

Handmade items, including those made with tools in which the hand manipulates them, are the primary focus of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild, which has more than 900 members in North Carolina and eight other states.

The hope is that, by promoting the artists and their pieces, these crafts will continue for generations to come, said Rebecca Orr, who works for the guild in Asheville.

“We do feel that in our mechanical-minded technology world that the hand element is fading,” Orr said. “And, of course, we have so many imports to compete with. That is a hard thing. We had an instance a few years back of quilts coming from China…. When you consider the time put into making quilts by hand, we couldn’t compete.”

Wharton said that most of his customers come from the juried craft shows that he travels to, and those people are often looking for items that have a handmade quality to them.

He often uses curly maple as well as cherry and other hardwoods.

“There are no two boards alike. They are like snowflakes,” Wharton said.

He has thought about adding employees to the business and expanding, but it always leads him to think about the things that he might have to give up. “I constantly debate that subject in my mind,” said Wharton, who plans to keep it small. “I would become a manager again, and I would be running the business and never get my hands in the sawdust.”

Source: www.journalnow.com

Indonesians eye ‘union’ with RP furniture sector

INDONESIA found Cebu-made furniture displayed at Asean summit venues “impressive.”

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 Director Asteria Caberte said the sentiment caused Indonesian officials, who attended the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit, to propose the integration of Indonesia’s raw materials supply sector with Philippine furniture makers.

“Indonesia is strong on raw materials (supply) while the Philippines is strong in craftsmanship. That is why they have plans to integrate with us,” Caberte told Sun.Star Cebu.

She commended the 24 members of the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. (CFIF) for lending P25 million worth of furniture pieces to furnish the rooms and lounges of the different Asean summit venues.

“I extend full appreciation to CFIF and the business community for the support. It is a great mileage for the sector,” she said.
Earlier, CFIF president Michael Basubas said industry players are hoping to capture a good market in the Asean region following Cebu’s “successful” hosting of the summit.

Caberte said apart from local furniture, foliage, coconut and marine products from Capiz province are drawing “bright” prospects especially in the Chinese market.

She said Central Visayas products like mangoes and guitars from Cebu, and peanut kisses from Bohol will have a stronger demand in the Asean region and in China.

One of the highlights of the summit was the economic cooperation agreement between Asean and China that aims to open market access in the agriculture and service sectors.

Caberte said even the country’s bio-fuel industry will soon be an attractive investment.

Meanwhile, Caberte said spouses of the different ministers and heads of state were also “amazed” at the Cebuanos’ display of hospitality throughout the summit’s duration.

She said that during the spouses’ tour, local residents lined up the ceremonial routes leading to Magellan’s Cross and Colon St., Cebu City to greet the spouses of Asean heads of state.

“The spouses were really impressed by the heritage sites, festival presentations, the tokens they received, and most especially the warmth of the Cebuanos,” said Caberte, who heads the committee on gifts and souvenirs for the Asean summit.

Cebuano delicacies like dried and fresh mangoes, Bohol’s peanut kisses and kalamay, piña barongs from Kalibo, mother of pearl caviar sets, fashion accessories and table items, were among the tokens given to Asean delegates.

According to Caberte, the January summit proved to be a great opportunity for Cebu to establish its presence in the global community.

She said the adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Abe described it as the “best summit, so far.”

Source: www.sunstar.com.ph

Azad invites envoys to Kashmir handicraft expo

Kashmir’s famed handicrafts were on display when envoys of several countries visited the Kashmir handicraft expo in the capital at the invitation of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Exquisite carpets, beautiful shawls and several other items are on display at the expo at Connaught Place here and the exhibition will be on till the end of February.

Azad went around with various envoys — including those from Egypt, Kuwait and Jordan — who admired the handicrafts and carpets on display.

Later, talking to reporters, Azad said his government was trying its best to take exports of handicrafts to Rs 1,000 crore during this fiscal, Rs 300 crore more than the figure for the last financial year.

He said the handicraft industry too was a victim of militancy along with tourism, and many Kashmiris earned a livelihood by exporting these items to European markets.

“We are trying to eye the Middle East and CIS markets and that was the purpose of calling these envoys and showing them the exquisite work of Kashmir,” Azad said.

Some of the envoys were left spellbound by the intricate work on shawls and wood carvings of walnut wood.

© Copyright PTI. All rights reserved.