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

The Blonde Bombshells: Grace Under Pressure

We’ve been slammed for the last couple of weeks preparing for the opening of this wonderful new exhibit called The Blonde Bombshells.  It turns out that we have a handful of artists who are fair-haired, paint exquisitely and whose paintings all work beautifully together. 

The Blonde Bombshells (top row left to right: Lorraine Christie, Melissa Payne Baker, Dawne Raulet.  Bottom row left to right: Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke, Aaron Whitehouse.  Missing: Liz Barber) 

We have had a great time with every aspect of this show: the advertising, marketing and public has been a blast; cataloging was relatively effortless and hanging the show was fun.  All in all, we loved the way it all fell into place as an exhibit.

We decided to preview the show with a private collectors’ evening, which meant we were expecting a smaller, more intimate gathering.  We hired Eric Hassel, our favorite piano player and we had the table groaning with delicious nibbles and Demaris manning the bar (champagne, wine and Guinness in honor of St. Paddy’s Day) By 6 p.m., the six bombshells were all present and accounted for, the gallery was gleaming and we were all ready for showtime. 

Lorraine Christie’s Small Day Tomorrow, 24 x 36, oil on canvas

Dawne Raulet’s Swan, 48 x 48, photography and mixed media

 

Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke’s Green 48 x 36 mixed media

Aaron Whitehouse’s super cool Ephipany, 60 x 48, mixed media and resin epoxy

 Liz Barber’s Water Reflections, 12 x 12, mixed media

Melissa Payne Baker’s Colorful Landscape, 24 x 36, mixed media 

 

And then disaster hit.

About five minutes before opening our little blue door to welcome our guests, there was a tremendous bang – followed by darkness.  No lights, no power, no air-conditioning.  The gallery was bathed in a lovely soft light from the setting sun…perfect for a romantic dinner date, but not so great for viewing art.

With no lights on, Lorraine’s painting glowed softly in the late afternoon sun.

We lit our feast with candles and everyone happily dug in.

We frantically ran downstairs to our icky mechanical room and started throwing switches but to no avail.  Our ex-flight attendant, Linda, took charge and sprinted over to the grocery store across the street to clean out their supply of flashlights.  We didn’t necessarily panic, but we had a new empathy for the poor captain of the Titanic when he realizes his ship is going down.

 

With flashlights in hand, our intrepid clients examined every painting.

Our Sarah, flashing the light on Lorraine’s gorgeous painting, “I Wish.”

It was beginning to feel like summer camp with all the flashlights.

Then we found out that someone had hit a utility pole nearby and the power was out in a mile square radius.  It was a small consolation that it wasn’t our fault, but it didn’t really help matters.

So, what do you in a situation like that?  Our lovely artists, the eternal optimists they are, carried on doing their thing and assured us confidently that somehow we’d fix the problem.  We were wowed by their grace under pressure and the seamless way they continued to meet guests, talk animatedly about their paintings and generally charm the pants off each and every one of us at the gallery.

We all absolutely made the best of it and between candlelight, flashlights, some chilled bubbly and good music, our lovely clients and artists mingled and had a great time. 

The lights finally came back on about an hour later and the party rolled on as if nothing had happened. 

And, as it turns out, our blondes are not only talented bombshells but also cool-headed and gracious when the going gets momentarily rough.   Bravo to one and all – and yes, they do really have more fun!

Ta ta …

HH

A Blonde Bombshell: At Home and In the Studio

Nothing makes a Huffington happier than to score an invite to visit an artist’s studio – his or her private inner sanctum where inspiration and creativity take physical shape. Some artists are extremely proprietary about this space and others are open and willing to share. We love it when they want to share (and, of course, respect them immensely when they don’t.)

Dawne Raulet, a relatively new artist for us and one of the stars of our Blonde Bombshells show (which opens on Friday, March 18^th) extended a warm invitation to us the other day. She works out of her home so it was a double treat for us Huffingtons.

We were there to view paintings that Dawne is submitting for the show – and those were no disappointment. Dawne paints with a combination of her own original photography and mixed media - and the results are dramatic and jaw-dropping. We knew she was a lover of all creatures because her subject matter usually involves something with four legs (or two with feathers…)

Elegantly Poised Horse, 30 x 40

We adore these paintings and love the way Dawne subtly imbues the painting with character and personality.

Caged Dove, 16 x 20

Baby Bull, 40 x 30

Heart-Shaped Nest, 47 x 47

Our hunch about the animals was right. When she greeted us at the door of her lovely home, her entourage (or menagerie) included two round and elderly chihuahuas, a delightfully tousled (and also rather round) shih-tzu and a fluffy Siamese cat.

All four followed us around until one of the chihuahuas had enough of art talk and decided to take a nap instead.

Just look at that face…

We went down to Dawne’s studio, which is large, sunlit terrace level space that opens onto her back lawn. It was wonderful to see her pieces in progress: she likes to paint big, so the panels are custom made for her.

Dawne’s sunny and enormous studio space

Her work involves layers and layers of medium over the photography (she still hasn’t quite revealed her secrets to us) so the space was a hodge-podge of medium, brushes, panels and all the other accoutrements an artist needs.

A painting in progress

Dawne’s a stockbroker-turned-artist and the flash point came a few years ago after a particularly stressful work week. In desperate need of a break from her job and two small infants at home, she attended a watercolor workshop. “I realized afterwards that for an entire two-hour period, I had been completely focused on that peaceful watercolor we were painting. It was then that art became my sanctuary and I’ve been obsessed ever since,” she told us.

We’re quite sure we can’t live without this painting for our Blonde Bombshell show.

After we talked and talked about the paintings and decided which ones we couldn’t live without (pretty much all of them), our attention turned to Dawne’s home which was also knocking our socks off.

We were sort of familiar with the interior because it used to belong to Atlanta’s leading empress of design, Suzanne Kasler and it’s featured prominently in her book.

Here’s the foyer when the home was owned by Suzanne Kasler.

Here’s Dawne’s version – we adore that painting.

Dawne’s interpretation of the home was completely different and we loved the easy-going, comfortable and welcoming vibes it gave off. One Huffington (me!) couldn’t get over the choice of upholstery for two sleek and Belgian-inspired sofas: cream chenille – the softest, yummiest cream chenille I’ve ever run my hand across. I wanted to bury myself in those sofas.

Dawne’s art taste runs the gamut so her groupings included crusty old oils picked up on trips to Europe, some edgy charcoaly figures and plenty of other pieces that had us ooohing and ahhing. Everything was bathed in sunshine and the rooms were filled with whites or linen colored upholstery. What made it so special were the small touches that Dawne had placed here there and everywhere. Her technique is very spontaneous, so nothing felt over-decorated or stuffy. It just felt amazingly comfortable, homey and welcoming – just the way a home should be.

The Blonde Bombshells (back row left to right: Lorraine Christie, Melissa Payne Baker and Dawne Raulet. Front row, left to right: Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke and Aaron Whitehouse. Missing: Liz Barber.)

If you’re local, be sure to come by and check out our new show, The Blonde Bombshells, debuting on Friday, March 18th from 6-8 p.m. at the gallery. Or check it out on our website beginning Thursday, March 17th.

Ta ta.

HH

Artist Inspiration : Jim Seitz

At the beginning of this year, all of us gallery gals were talking about how much we’ve enjoyed getting to know all of our artists and how it influences the way we view their work. Where they’re from, how they got started, what inspires them – all of these factors only serve to further enhance the artwork. It seems to come alive a little more when you know the creator.

At the beginning of the year, we asked each artist to write us a little note about what inspires them, in the hope that this would help our readers and clients get more of a feel for who they are, not just what they paint. We hope that you enjoy our new blog series, “Artist Inspiration.”  First up is Jim Seitz.

In Jim’s own words,

“I have traveled extensively throughout my lifetime.  My favorite painting was inspired by a river I crossed frequently to get to the oil fields near Agha Jari (Southern Iran).   I never took a photo of it, and always regretted that.  It was something I could never get off my mind.  

Several years ago, I took it upon myself to try to paint it as I remembered it.   This river was located in their lower plains area (very flat and you seemed to be able to see forever).   As you crossed the river and looked out over the plains, the river seemed to extend to eternity.   I wasn't sure how the painting would turn out, but gave it a try anyway.

Beyond Time, acrylic gold leaf, 30 x 30”

To my surprise, the painting was "free flowing" because it had been burned in my mind for so long.   The name is special as well.   Iran was a difficult place to live, but had so much history.. it is the "cradle of civilization" and dates back to the beginning of recorded time... therefore the name Beyond Time.  I believe someone from California now has it hanging on their wall.  My all time favorite for many reasons.”

Here are some other beautiful examples of Jim’s work that we have here at the gallery:

Essence of Autumn

Forever More

Golden Afternoon

~~~

Be on the lookout for more “Artist Inspiration” profiles over the next few months! Who are you interested in learning more about?

Tata!

HH

P.S. – We hope you have your calendar marked for our “Blonde Bombshells” show- Friday, March 18 at 6 p.m. It’s going to be a knockout!

Happy Birthday to Us – We’re Five Today

We simply can’t believe that it’s been five short years since, after sharing a bottle of wine at a local French restaurant and shaking hands (we barely knew each other!), we opened our little blue door…and life hasn’t quite been the same since.

Anis Restaurant in Buckhead. Where it all started…we shared a bottle of wine at lunch and decided to go into business together. Were we nuts?

In that crazy time, we've laughed, cried, thrown occasional temper tantrums, high-fived and basically loved every minute of it. Most of all, we've learned one big lesson: to happily run a business, you really have to follow your heart.

The event got us chatting about the zillions of highs (and a few not-so-highs) that have marked our one-twentieth of a century in this adorable cottage that now feels so much like home.

The Highs:

• Being the delighted recipients of our artists’ endless inspiration and talent. It doesn’t get any better than seeing a painting for the first time and having a mini-swoon.
  

Rubicon, by Doug Foltz, pretty much had us all swooning when we first saw it.

• Being named Best New Gallery in 2006 by Atlanta Magazine

• The countless openings we’ve had at the gallery…and the fun times we Huffingtons have had after the doors have closed, everyone has left and we get to have a party rehash.

And, speaking of Doug Foltz, here we are mugging with him last May

• Singing the French classic “Oh, Champs Elysees” at our first Bastille Day fete and exhibit – the wine was flowing, the music was jamming, the art was breathtaking and we all had a blast with French artist, Pascal Bouterin. We were happily caught up in a joie de vivre moment – priceless!

That’s Pascal on the drums and the rest of his cute band (the Huffingtons are in the corner singing at the top of our voices)

• The Hanging Mojo State of Mind: we’ve hung and rehung (and rehung some more) over the years and we’ve learned one thing: we have to have the hanging mojo going. Once we get it, it’s loads of fun and we love the Aha moment when it all comes together and the gallery is shining.

Ann (and Scurry) have the hanging mojo going.

• There’s nothing better than offering some direction to an artist – and then having new work sell out two days later


• The French Connection: thanks to our Madame, we all get to have a taste of our French fix.

Cataloguing new paintings…at Les Murets with a nice rose to keep us company. Surely this doesn’t count as work, does it?

• We love seeing our babies hanging beautifully on new walls and having happy clients (see next item)


• We get a gallery high when our clients (and artists!) are delighted enough to email us their appreciation

And…believe us, just because not every moment has been a glowing one…here are the Not So Highs:

• Theft at the gallery: one of our precious little Nepos is stolen out from under our noses at an opening – and we are bereft with sadness and simple disbelief (however, we have to say that the front page, below the fold, on the right hand side of the Atlanta Journal Constitution was not unwelcome!)

• Two days after we opened the gallery, one of the Huffingtons (nameless here) was cleaning out her wallet. Somehow, at least five rather sizeable checks (our very first sales!) got tossed in the trash, never to be seen again. We made some red-faced calls the next day to explain the debacle and that Huffington never took checks home in her wallet again.



• About two years ago we were feeling especially professional, savvy and smart. A nice looking, well-dressed and smart-talking advertising gentleman paid us a visit at the gallery and sold us (hook, line and sinker) for some publication he was financing. We excitedly wrote a rather sizeable check on the spot…and then never heard from him ever again. That episode is loving called The Scam Artist. Ouch.
  

  

• Not so long ago, the gallery was the location for a very fancy girls night out Christmas party. Champagne was flowing, the music was thumping, the food was gorgeous – and you should have seen the guests. Halfway through the party, we are tugged aside only to be told that the toilet was completely plugged up and spewing all over the floor. Imagine the sight of a couple determined and high-heeled ladies trying to plunge the darn thing! After frantic plunging, we admitted defeat and put a sign on the door that said: “If You Have to Go, You Have to Go.” Not our finest hostessing hour.

• And this one still happens every once in a while and continues to break our heart: we fall in love with a specific painting because of its very essence, its magnificent texture, its sublime composition and palette, its very perfection…and it hangs on the wall for days, weeks and even months without even one comment of admiration. Why does that happen? How can we so misread our clientele? If anyone has the answer, let us know. It breaks our heart and we take it so personally.


• Our final low is really a high: when the painting we’ve all lusted after in a very personal way (as in “wow, I could really see that in my bedroom/over the mantel/in the living room) sells before we could put a red dot on it.

This one got away from Meg

And, lessons we learned in our five short years:

• Always take the high road (even if it means a financial or emotional hit)


• Realize that no mistake is so gigantic that it can’t be fixed (usually by taking the high road)


• Treat your clients with the utmost respect and kindness (and always make good on your promises)


• Follow your heart – always.


• Have fun


• Believe in yourself

Finally, we have to admit that after five years, the Huff and the Harrington have officially become Huffingtons. We had a rather important meeting at the gallery the other day and we both showed up looking like this – simultaneously black, white and pink with virtually matching Hermes carres.

And take a look at our business card. Since we’ve basically morphed into a Huffington, we thought we’d just share a business card. It sure makes life easy.

To all of you who have supported us and believed in us over the last five years, we sincerely thank you. And to our wonderful Linda, Sarah and Sam, without whom gallery life would be dull and flat, our most heartfelt mercies.

Meg, Ann, Linda and Sarah…

and Sam

And finally, to the long-suffering Huffington Husbands…merci with our all hearts.

Here’s to the next five years!

Ta ta.