You might not realize it at first glance but much of how a piece of art looks on the wall is actually due to the framing and matting! Clients are often surprised that we suggest keeping pieces they think are tired looking and simply reframing them. One lively solution for updating your art and prints is colored matting! It adds a whole new dimension to the pieces and gives them so much more presence. Plus I love to see color infused in unexpected places. If custom frames are out of the budget, a great solution is to get the framing shop to cut your matting for you but substitute Ikea or Target frames instead - they have some great looking options! 


I adore how the tomato red, gray, and black matted pieces look against that bold wall paper above! {via Lonny}

The pink unifies all the images even though they are different shapes and sizes {via}

So fun with the black and white images inside! {via Martha Stewart}

These framed drawings look so playful with the rainbow of colored matting. But of course its chic, its the bedroom of Andy and Kate Spade's little girl. {via The Selby}

Love how the matting echoes the colors of the upholstered chair! {via}

These prints would have disappeared in white mats - doesn't the choice of black add such drama! {via Southern Accents}

This is also a great reminder that frames and matting do not have to match to form a beautiful grouping! Hope this inspires you to mix it up! 

xo Allison

Spicer + Bank

Picasso & Las Meninas

After my recent travels in Spain and France it seems only fitting to pay a little attention to the iconic Pablo Picasso!  In Barcelona I visited the home of one of the most beautiful collections of his work – the Museu Picasso. The crown jewel of the museum is the full collection of Picasso’s Las Meninas series. Between August and December 1957 Picasso produced an astonishing 54 original oil paintings analyzing and exploring a single canvas by Diego Velázquez. Picasso first saw the masterpiece by Spanish artist Velázquez at the Prado in Madrid when he was only fourteen years old, but it clearly captivated  him. I loved the energy, searching, and imagination in Picasso’s Las Meninas canvases and particularly loved seeing his leaps from one study to the next. His work is so often reproduced but once you view them in comparison to the traditional original, you can really see his ingenuity and deep creativity. After experiencing this collection, I have no doubts that Picasso really was an immense genius and a truly original thinker! 

 Las Meninas, painted in 1656 by Diego Velázquez, is one of the most famous and widely analyzed works in Western art. The artist captures a scene in the palace of King Philip IV of Spain as the monarch sits for a portrait (you can see a glimpse of the royal couple in the mirror!). His young daughter, the Infanta Margarita, has come to visit her parents, accompanied by her entourage and Velázquez depicts himself working on the large canvas.

Las Meninas, above, dated 15/09/1957, pencil and oil on canvas. I love the use of all the shades of color! This was by far my favorite piece, I could look at this for days! 

Las Meninas dated 17/08/1957, oil on canvas. Here, Picasso avoids color altogether to focus on the forms - he was truly tireless!   

Las Meninas (Infanta Margarida Maria)  dated 14/09/1957. This is one of many close up studies Picasso did of the Infanta and other figures.


 The first image is Picasso's Las Meninas dated 18/09/1957, I think it is one of the most interesting pieces, simplying color and form in a captivating way! Please note: all images are from the Museu Picasso collection datebase.

An Imagination Run Wild

"At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since." -- Salvador Dali

Catalan artist Salvador Dali is best known for his pioneering Surrealist paintings – paired with his colorful and wild  behavior. While in Barcelona I paid a visit to the Real Circulo Artistico, which houses over 700 paintings, sculptures and photographs of the artists works. While I find Dali’s work very interesting, I certainly would not count them among my favorites, however I loved this particular show for its focus on the creative process of Dali. As opposed to his precise, completed paintings, the drawings, watercolors, and prepatory sketches on exhibit gave so much insight into his process behind the scenes. I was so inspired by his pure creativity! He clearly marched to his own drummer and his quotes and images remind me to have courage, self conviction and imagination! I bet a dinner party with Dali would have been quite an event!

Influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein, Dali painted perhaps his most famous work –The Persistance Of Memory in 1931.

A dramatic photograph taken by Carl Van Vechten in 1939 -  love the tiger cape!

A display of Dali's watercolor works, I was struck by how free and unstructured these were! and by the beautiful earthy colors he chose. 

So in the end, eccentricity might breed creativity! Don't be afraid to run a little wild!

Happy Weekend! 

Bali Chic . . . Part Deux

For me, one of the defining characteristics of Bali Chic is the graceful juxtaposition between the ornamental and the plain. Bali has a wonderful tradition of wood and stone carving but has also managed to embrace some modernist restraint and clean lines. This play of elaborate and simple spaces is shown particularly well in the new architecture in Bali. I call it a type of organic modernism! We were lucky enough to stay in a house, Villa Double N, for the weekend (Please don’t hate me, but it was amazing! And shockingly affordable in the off-season for sure!) I hope to return to Villa Double N again soon! 

 Villa Double N at night . . .  Beautiful! The architect was Jeghier Architecture, with offices in Bali and Malaysia, www.jeghierarchitect.com. 

 

The intricately carved wood and limestone gate marking the entrance to Villa Double N! What a welcome! (photos by Noe Rebull!)

 Close up of the wooden doors with decorative brass studs . . . 

Outdoor lounge furnished with bamboo shades and Balinese day beds. I especially love the sea green and soft peach they used for the upholstery. The small tables are also perfect!

A traditionally carved stone planter filled with water lilies on the grounds of the villa.

 View of the rice paddies from the top floor! 

The History of Bali Chic

After a weekend with friends in beautiful Bali, I have decided that the term Bali Chic could not be more true! I was so taken with the creative spirit and energy the Balinese devote to everything they do. The island is full of inspired and unique furniture, stone sculpture, architecture, accessories, fashion, restaurants, artist studios and galleries. Bali is one of the thousands of islands which make up Indonesia and since the 1920’s it has been a has been a haven for western tourists seeking to explore its distinct culture. The international attention began with the arrival of many western artists in the 1920’s, and Bali became an artist colony of sorts, the most notable being German painter Walter Spies and Dutch artist Rudolf Bonnet. In the 1930’s a stream of fashionable and famous visitors such as Charlie Chaplin and anthropologist Margaret Mead encouraged the artistic development of the island.

 
Artist Walter Spies in Bali in the 1950s with Gela Forster, the photo was taken by Rudolf Bonnet! Very dramatic!  

Bali Life by Rudolf Bonnet, dated 1950, done in pastels on paper. The piece was sold in 2007 at Christie's Hong Kong.

The majority of the population practices Balinese Hinduism which is a unique combination of local beliefs Hindu influences. The island is dotted with thousands of puras or temples and personal shrines, which adorn almost every home and business. They are all beautifully decorated with intricately folded palm leafs, traditional black and white fabric, flowers and small offerings of fruits and cookies. I snapped a few photos of ones I passed!

While all this sounds very official and serious, the spirit and vivacity of the culture is felt in all the design and art here! It’s a kind of effortless, breezy, inspired chic . . . Bali Chic!
I will post more inspirations from my time in Bali in the days to come! 


Please note: wikipedia, artnet.com, notablebiographies.com were referenced for this post! The photograph of Walter Spies is from the collection of the Tropenmuseum in Holland.