A Tribute to Two Plein Air Artists

 

Bill Davidson, painting en plein air, during his workshop in France.

While we were in France on a painting trip with Bill Davidson’s artist workshop, Bill got the news that his jewel of a painting, “Changes, 10 x 20″  had been selected for the Oil Painters of America show and in fact had already sold off the wall of the show. Bill, who along with Nancy Franke from our gallery, is a Signature member of OPA, was thrilled to hear this and we celebrated un peu with the artists from the workshop.

 Bill Davidson's OPA selection, "Changes" 10" x 20"

Bill loved this scene so much that he painted a larger version which we featured today in an email that went out to our Huff Harrington Home and Huff Harrington Fine Art clients as part of a father’s day email. Judging by the responses that are pouring in from the email, the OPA (and we) are not the only ones who love this painting. Congrats to Bill!

 

 Bill Davidson, Winter's Delight, 36 x 24. We don't sell a lot of

snow scenes in Atlanta, and what a pity that is! This is one of

Bill's masterpieces with beautiful composition and a great

balance of warms and cools, which is so hard to do with snow.

We’ve already talked about how much we love doing  the painting workshops in France and how inspirational it is to be with a group of committed plein-air artists, who are there to capture their scenes on canvas just as the light, shadows, wind and rain often swirl unpredictably around them.

By the time we bid our adieus, after a wonderful week together, I had “plein air” on my mind and an increased appetite for more.  So the  icing on the cake was a quick stop through Paris on the way home to attend the much acclaimed  Eugene Boudin retrospective at the Musee Jacquemart-Andre.

Eugene Boudin and I go way back.  In fact, ever since I saw my first Boudin painting at the National Gallery in Washington DC, I have been enamored with this artist, known as the precursor of Impressionism and the one who most influenced Monet, against his wishes, to get out of the studio and paint nature outside. I grew up with a Boudin print in my bedroom, and to this day, I think it’s my favorite painting ever.

Boudin, The Beach of Villerville (National Gallery Washington DC)

and the image I grew up with (although my memory of the print was that it was

softer in color). If this were painted by one of our artists, we'd probably tell them to 

tone it down (see what they have to put up with?!).

So all I could think of, coming from the plein-air workshop to this wonderful hidden little Paris museum, was what fun to see all the similarities between Eugene Boudin and the plein-airism espoused during Bill Davidson’s workshop.  As I walked through the museum, it also occurred to me that there were many similarities between the two painters, Bill Davidson and Eugene Boudin, which I’m sure they would both be delighted about!  Like, both Bill and Eugene started painting later in life, after successful careers in other fields. They both have loved to paint outdoors – and pretty much hate being in a studio. They both have embraced time to travel and feel that it is essential in the growth of their work. They’ve both been enamored with water scenes and have loved to play with the variations of light on water. And they’re  both known for their love of (and extraordinary rendition of) skies.

One of Boudin's early and very popular beach scenes, for which 

he became renowned and highly commissioned, much to his regret,

since he preferred being less "commercial" and painting in a 

looser and more spontaneous style. Courtesy, Musee Jacquemart-Andre.

 Ahh.. the Boudin we know and love. We would tell our artists "You nailed 

the palette on this one!" Courtesy of eugeneboudin.org.

 Another beauty from Boudin and the kind of painting he loved to

paint, outdoors. Look at all the fine nuances of color on the water 

and the play of water, smoke & sky. Courtesy Musee Jacquemart-Andre.

 

 I can imagine that Boudin loved painting this and that people were aghast. 

We, of course, think it is simply magical, and completely ahead of its time.

He loved to travel and was especially influenced by northern European 

scenery and light.

Eugene Boudin (1824-1898) was so ahead of his time, not only with his influence on Monet and Impressionism, but also in terms of the looseness that he aspired to in all of his paintings. It reminded me of Bill Davidson’s mantra to his students everyday: “Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!”

Isn’t it ironic that the most sophisticated paintings are often the simplest? We are often asked, at the gallery, how long an artist spent working on a painting, and our answer is usually: “About five minutes and 35 years.”  The greatest painters always make it look so easy.

Ta ta ..

HH

PS:  If you end up going to Paris before July 22nd, you must visit the magnificent exhibit (make sure to get the headphones).  The extra treat is the gorgeous building that houses the exhibit and the beautiful hardware on all the doors.  If you’ve been reading these blogs, you know that we are equally obsessed with beautiful skies and handsome hardware.  Hmmm… a new store in our future:  Huff Harrington Hardware?  What do you think?

One of the many door handles that had me gasping over the hardware 

at the Musee Jacquemart-Andre in Paris.

 

I just want to paint!

Six lucky, lovely and very talented artists, crying out, "I just want to paint!"

 

This is music to our ears, when we host a group of artists to Provence.  And it’s what we heard, over and over this past week, during Bill Davidson’s excellent week-long workshop held at Les Murets, our home away from home overlooking the Luberon valley in Gordes, France.

 

 

Our little internal fight over who gets to go on the trip!

 

We had a gentle little fist fight at the gallery about who got to accompany the repeat  group of delightful artists this year, and it went something like this:  (Me)  Hey, I know I got to go with them last  year, and I really don’t deserve to get to go again, but I really really like them and am dying to do it again this year, so please, can I go?  (Meg and Linda) Oh OK, if you insist.  (Me) I do! (That’s how we fight, at Huff Harrington Fine Art!)

 

Le eminent professeur, Bill Davidson, on location in Provence

 

So I happily got to accompany this avid group of plein-air painters and their eminent professeur, Bill Davidson, back to France for a repeat performance of last year’s trip.  What I really love about this group of artists is that, a) they are all serious about painting, b) they are supportive of each other, c) although they’re accomplished artists, they’re all hungry to learn more, and d) they like to have fun too.  But painting always comes first, which means getting up early, dressing for the elements, painting for several hours in the morning, taking a break for lunch, painting for several hours in the afternoon, and then enjoying a long, leisurely dinner “at home” where the main subject of the conversation, interspersed with a few glasses of wine, is all about art. For artists, it’s a rigorous week that is challenging both mentally and physically.  For me, it’s pure heaven.   And if for some reason this great group suggested another year, I’d be the first to jump on the bandwagon, again.

 

Why is it challenging?  Because painting in “plein air” is one of the most difficult things an artist can do.  Although many of these artists actually prefer studio painting, they practice plein air because it stretches them in ways that studio does not.  Outside, they have to deal with the elements of light that are always changing.  They have to make decisions quickly, before the atmosphere changes.  They have to identify the key shapes and then design their painting.  Unlike a still life, or a live figure drawing, where the elements are either posing or all laid out, in plein air, they have to edit the painting on the spot, deciding quickly which elements to keep and reinventing other areas to fill in the gaps. It’s like charting new territory, all the while quickly mixing a palette that reflects the true colors of nature … and doing it all with no bathroom breaks!

 

Every night, after cleaning their palettes and setting their paintings out to dry, we would sit down to a long leisurely and delicious meal and talk about, among other things, art topics.  One night, after a particularly challenging day painting the rooftops of Gordes, the topic was:  What was your take-away from today?  Here are some of their responses, by artist.  Instead of identifying them by their photos, we’ve chosen to display their works in progress. Although the topic was Gordes, the paintings here are of Les Murets.

 

Elizabeth: "I learned to simplify... and not get lost in the buildings and the rooftops." 

 

Carol: "I've heard it a million times but I finally understood that I can turn

a 'nothing sky' into something beautiful, with or without the clouds."

 

 

Tei: "Walk away! Come back with fresh eyes! I heard it last year but

I was finally able to really do it."

 

Sydney: "I struggled with architecture and trying to

make it softer along the edges."

 

Debbie: "I learned you can't mix colors with your sunglasses on! I also

learned to connect the darks to ground the buildings so that they don't appear to be floating."

 

Leslie: "I kept asking myself, what would Bill (Davidson) do? He would

connect all the shadows and then put some lights in, abstractly designing first,

and then adding the highlights and building tops."

 

My take away that night?  How much I love being with artists because they are always observing, seeing and recording.  In fact, on the last morning we woke up to amazing cloud cover over the Luberon Valley.  These artists all rushed out to grab their cameras, knowing that they wouldn’t have time to capture it in paint on their last day.  Observing, recording, creating and loving all the wonders of nature, every minute of the day!

 

Our artists, doing what they love best!

 

Would I go back again?  In a heartbeat!  Afterall, there is nothing better for us gallery owners than to be around artists who “just want to paint.”

 

Ta ta!

 

HH

 

PS:  Come see the finished versions of these little jewels during our annual Bastille Day show this year, which will feature the works of these artists along with those who studied with Nancy Franke last fall.  Save the date of July 13th, 2013, and stay tuned for more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Container Love and Lust

We were at the store at the crack of dawn the other day, loaded up with Starbucks and jumping up and down with excitement.  It was Container Day and we couldn’t wait to see the fruits of our hard shopping labor finally arrive at Huff Harrington. We hired Ninh, our adorable photographer, to also arrive at the crack of dawn to photograph the pieces as they were unloaded.

 

The first piece comes off the container. We can hardly stand it, we're so excited.

The container is always a really big deal for us.  We get to fly to France and hit antique fairs and markets, ooohing and aaahing the whole time, negotiating politely and of course finishing the morning with a glass of bubbly.  Honestly, it’s the best perk of having the store and we thank our lucky stars everytime we find ourselves chatting with a nice vendor in the freezing cold at 7 a.m. in some exhibition hall or a field in the middle of nowhere.

Of course, we’re like kids in a candy store – and who wouldn’t be tempted with treats like these:

The ideal outdoor table; already beautifully weathered & patina-ed to perfection.

And, here it is in the store, proudly displaying our Laduree collection:

Safely arrived and on floor...

 

We absolutely couldn't resist these darling little Italianate chairs.

..or crunchy gold candlesticks.

And see how wonderful they are in their new home:

 

Perched daintily on a faux-bois table.

Ann found these funny little plaster manniquins from the 1930s. She was smitten, so she picked out three that we think have quite a resemblance to some of us here at the store:

Do these look like Huffingtons?

What about this one?

 

We think she's very sporty in her French Legionnaire's hat.

The fun of the fairs is that you see everything: from gorgeous 18th century fruitwood buffets to pristine and shimmering Louis VXI mirrors and even the odd relic from Napoleon’s days:

These got away... and we'll never stop missing them.Camp chairs that date

 from one of Napoleon's campaigns.

But we stumbled on these, which we are delighted with.  The only problem is they missed the deadline for this container so it will be a while before they arrive at their new Atlanta home.

Even though they missed the boat, we can't wait to have these..

We have a soft spot for fine old pieces that gleam with a patina that only age and use can give.  Feast your eyes on these:

 

This 18th century walnut buffet is just about perfect.

And then there's this beauty: an 18th century French

oak buffet. We just died when we saw this...

Et voila:

Here's the lovely buffet paired with a Louis XVI mirror, our

favorite modern wing chair and two gorgeous grisaille canvases we just got.

A dainty little Parisian Louis table with sexy legs finds a new home:

 

From the streets of Paris to the streets of Atlanta..

Two little Louis tables are perfect for an HHH vignette.

We’re often get asked what exactly it is that we’re looking for and that’s a hard question to answer.  Anything crusty, crunchy, patina-ed, whimsical, practical and just plain different will catch our eye.  And if there’s a good story, even better.

Gorgeous peeling containers that got snapped up one 

second before we arrived...

Love these!

 

And these..especially with their little iron baskets.

Crunchy & crusty always gets our attention.

 

These clocks made the cut for the container & are now at the store.

We think they're perfect for a family room, porch or media room. And,

they've got a good story: they're from a church in France near the Swiss border.

 We also have a slight table fetish going right now.   We like them rough and rustic, elegant and refined, painted and gilded – and we had lots of them on the container:

This is a 19th century console used for washing.

We just had to have this tres elegant glass and gold three-piece coffee table.It's

new but we are crazy about it.

And how were we supposed to leave this faux bois piece behind?

We couldn't!

We’re all about pairing the old with the new, the crusty with the sleek and the humble with the high-falutin’.  It’s always the mix that makes life so interesting.

We love a collected look. This is a perfect use for

a crunchy old bureau paired with a simple lamp & 

an interesting painting. From My Country French Home.

A splendid fruitwood buffet and a glowering portrait.

This is so European looking. From House and Home blog.

We also gave our walls a thought and fell in love with a gorgeous set of framed wildflower botanicals that date to the early 19th century:

Funnily enough, one of our very favorite blogs, Things That Inspire, just did a post on framed sets and botanicals  so we guess we’re not the only ones drawn to the elegant and organic personality of these.  We loved this image from the blog:

 

A glorious set of botanicals from Things that Inspire.

 And, at the end of long day, there’s always the wonderful reward:

This adorable monsieur was pouring bubbly at 11:30 a.m.

so we actually didn't have to wait all day.

This topped everything off:

The most delectable dessert was the perfect end to the day.

And…not to worry.  We’re already planning the next shopping expedition…

Ta ta.