Holiday Hoopla

Truth be told, we’re always scrambling when holiday time rolls around. Here at the gallery, we’re thankfully busy with our day-to-day goings-on and, somehow, for all our good planning, it never fails that Thanksgiving (and the crazy holiday season) sneaks up on us. We find ourselves frantically dashing around ordering ribbon, wrapping papers, gift bags and other holiday necessities.

Luckily, one of our favorite shows to curate and hang is our annual Little Jewels exhibit. It’s the perfect kick start for the holidays and motivates us to go across the street to the tree lot, pick out an elegant little tree, lug it back to the gallery and festoon it with dozens of little sparkling lights. We don’t ever do decorations on our gallery tree and the simplicity of the white lights and the aromatic green boughs is magical.

We love the look of the elegant and delightfully simple tree (and room, too!) This would fit right in at the gallery. From Michelle Stewart Designs, Southern Accents.

Our Christmas tree lot across the street doesn’t quite look like this.

We switch from our fun little Frenchy playlist to Christmas music -- and that encompasses classical, Christmas standards and pop renditions of everyone’s favorite tunes.

Sam comes to the rescue and usually makes some spectacular bows for our wreaths (we admit, they are fake but they look cute once Sam has her way with them.)

This burlap-bowed wreath would fit right in at the gallery and Scurry could stand in for that yellow lab. Sam would approve. From Southern Living.

Hmmmm, this has the gallery written all over it. From Southern Living.

We also put in an order for our wonderful scented candles that are made just for us by French style and design icon, Edith Mezard. Their delicate tea scent is positively addictive and we sell them like crazy. They usually arrive via FedEx, who comes screeching in on two wheels. This year, we’re donating $5.00 for every candle sold to the Atlanta-based Genesis Shelter.

Edith Mezard’s deliciously scented candles

Back to our Little Jewels show. After we hang the show, our walls take on a festive flair with the dozens of diminutive gems that hang for the holidays. Our artists get in the spirit and send us boxes full of tiny landscapes, still lifes, abstracts and florals. Framed and lit, they pack a huge visual punch and we especially love mixing them up with larger pieces.

This gorgeous still life from Nancy Franke is heavenly. You Gotta Have Heart, 6 x 12 oil on board. (Nancy will be here on Saturday, December 4th, from 1-3 p.m. with her paints and easel. If you love Nancy’s work and you’re local, we hope you’ll stop by. We’ve even persuaded a dear friend and client to entertain us with seasonal tunes on the piano while Nancy’s painting…)

Joyous, full of life and energy and bursting with color. My Pleasure, 12 x 12, acrylic on board by Amy Dixon.

We love it when clients come in, searching for that perfect something for that someone in their life…and the solution is art. We can’t think of a better gift to slide under the tree for the young collector just starting out (think a young college graduate in that first apartment) or maybe a newly married couple celebrating their first Christmas in a new home. Or, the individual or couple who have been collecting for years.

Liz Barber’s soft abstracts have a loyal following. Rise to the Surface 1, 11 x 14, mixed media

Even the younger set seem to love to receive art on December 25th – there is never a shortage of moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas buying one or two of Melissa Payne Baker’s beautifully painted abstracted angels and crosses for the pre-teens or teens on their lists (or for themselves!)

Melissa Payne Baker’s Petite Angel II, 8 x 8, mixed media

Noah Desmond’s Sheep is a perfect little jewel for a small space. Oil on board, 6 x 8

Green Glow from Brigitte Curt. So elegant and painterly. Oil on board, 12 x 6.

A new painting for a collection can be like a straight shot of energy, passion, color and form. (A couple years ago, we had a delightful gentleman who came in to specifically buy a wonderfully romantic Lorraine Christie painting for his wife. We heard later that she was thrilled and the painting remains the cornerstone of their collection.)

Lorraine Christie’s gloriously romantic Into the Paris Night II. Who wouldn’t want this under their tree? Oil on canvas, 24 x 18.

We guess that even in its most elemental form, art has a miraculous power to connect us in the most wonderful way – especially right now when giving, not receiving, means the most.

Aaron Whitehouse’s Gothica Maria, mixed media and resin on panel, 34 x 24.

Ta Ta!

M.