Artist Amy Dixon Pays the Huffingtons a Visit

One of our favorite painters, the exuberant and lively Amy Dixon, called us a few months ago to tell us she was coming to town.

Amy in her studio (with assistant)

She had graciously donated one of her iconic wine bottle paintings to the High Museum Wine Auction, which is a huge fundraiser for the museum and a really big deal around here. She was planning on flying in to attend the auction and shindig.

Amy’s well-known for her loose and luscious portrayals of wine bottles, beer bottles, martini glasses and steins…she donated this painting to the High Museum of Art Wine Auction.

Amy has lots of friends and fans here in Atlanta, and she agreed to our idea of having a painting demo here at the gallery. We love doing painting demos: it’s so fun to watch the artist get into their special place - and learning about techniques and tricks is invaluable if you’re a painter.

Sure enough, we had a full house of artists and we all hung on Amy’s every word. Amy brings an entertainment value to the whole demo concept: she dons her painting outfit (which consists of paint-spattered jeans and a top that are so cool and edgy that she’s often stopped by people asking her if she bought them at Neimans…)

She’s also lots of fun and chats away the whole time she’s painting. She welcomes questions and shares plenty of little tips. We loved watching her mix her palette and, with deft strokes, create little masterpieces.

She’s a very painterly painter, and we have always loved the texture, drips, layers and light she incorporates into her work.

New Horizons, 36 x 36

My Pleasure, 12 x 12

Lost Love, 10 x 10

Amy’s also got a great sense of humor, which we think translates beautifully into her work. Her renditions of our fave bubbly had us all salivating:

Vive La Veuve, 20 x 10

Check these out, too:

Overflowing, 14 x 11

Oatmeal Stout, 24 x 12

Amy also paints the most delicate and ethereal figures that are barely there on the canvas.

Standing Tall, 60 x 36

By The Window, 36 x 48

After about two hours of hard painting, Amy packed up her brushes and paints and dashed off to the auction, leaving behind some very happy people. Amy’s joie de vivre is contagious and we all think we caught a little of it last Friday. Thank you, Amy.

Tata!

HH

High Time: Viva la Veuve

(or, as Dom Perignon said, “I’m Drinking the Stars!”)

Vive le Veuve by Amy Dixon

It’s no secret around here at the gallery that all us of Huffingtons are addicted to the delicious bubbles of Veuve Cliquot. We are all so addicted to it that Linda gave us biographies of la Veuve Cliquot (quite a shrewd little bird she was) for Christmas one year.

Madame Veuve herself

Think about the whole magical process of pouring a glass of Veuve. First, the bottle, which is simple but soundly constructed from heavy dark green glass. It’s heavy and sometimes requires two hands to maneuver. The label, in that gorgeous orangey-yellow with its timeless typeface, seems so French and is completely elegant, sort of like a drinkable Hermes box. (Have the French trademarked that color? Just asking.) The cork is wrapped tightly in matte gold foil and the wire surrounding it usually requires a little picking and prying. It’s just like opening a present.

(And have you seen the charming little jackets that come with the bottles now? So stylish with top stitching and leather accents. Impossibly chic.)

What all the best dressed bottles are wearing

We all learned a long time ago (probably from some frustrated French boyfriend/waiter/host family, whatever) how to properly open a bottle of champagne. This involves the removal of the said wire and gold wrapping to reveal the nice and tight cork. We like to grab a kitchen towel and very gently rotate the cork until it quietly pops out with a whisper of fizz.

And then, your troubles begin to magically disappear as the clear and frothy liquid spills into a flute (Reidels rank among the favorite, but so do Madame’s “test tube” glasses that we Huffingtons recently got her as a housewarming gift).

Flute #1 by Amy Dixon

At this point, you’ve got delicate glasswear in your hands filled with this aromatic and lively concoction of fermented grapes, yeast and carbon dioxide. Brut, or super dry, is the best -- and the taste sensation in the mouth is cool, bubbly, dry with lingering aftertastes of all things wonderful and delish. And don’t even get us started on rose champagne, which is pink, festive and fun as well as all the other superlatives.

Sadly, we find that one glass is never enough, which can lead to problems. And, food to accompany this elixir? Anything and everything!

Sante…Ta ta..

M.

BTW, apparently, the whole concept of champagne resulted from a mixup in the fermentation process (thanks, Dom Perignon) but we all agree, what a wonderful mistake.