Weekend Getaway-Part 2-Antique Mall Shopping in Madison, GA; Christmas at Coteau in Louisiana

Madison, Georgia, is truly one of the most charming and picturesque small towns I have ever seen. Dating to 1809, named for U.S. President James Madison and, according to rumor, saved by Sherman because of its beauty, Madison is filled with incredible architecture and shops that beckon folks from all over the country. Only an hour from Atlanta, this is the perfect day trip destination or, for a relaxed weekend getaway, stay at the Ritz Carlton at Reynolds Plantation (an easy 30 minute drive away). Houses like the two shown in above photos fill the town as do wonderful antique shops. We hit quite a few of the shops but there were three stand-outs that I will visit again...soon!

My only regret is that I didn't have friend Eddie Ross with me! Eddie would have gone absolutely mad in these three....I can see the U-haul truck filled with goodies heading back to Connecticut now!

First stop.....the 20,000 square foot MADISON MARKETS with 75 great dealers. Furniture, art, new, old, accessories, books..you name it, it is at Madison Markets!

My love affair with candle sticks continues....single candlesticks make a great present!

19th Century English Brass Candlestick-$ 50

18th Century French Brass Candlestick-$ 58.50

I would love to see the two single candlesticks in a grouping (including the pair from Greensboro Antique Mall that I featured in last post) on a dining table like designer Steven Gambrel did on this modern table in his Sag Harbor cottage featuring various single candlesticks:

I have a client who needs bar accessories in her dining room...these decanters would be perfect!

Italian Decanters--left is $ 20, right is $ 30

Art always makes a perfect gift. I happen to love beach and nautical art so these pieces caught my eye. I am in LOVE with the Eva Blanche Whelan. From a little research I learned that Whelan was born in Los Angels in 1889, studied art at Stanford University and the Art Students League in New York and Los Angeles School or Art & Design, and died in Los Angeles in 1974.

Laguna Beach Rocks by Eva Blanche Whelan (1889-1974), California artist
$ 600 (normally $ 750)

Yacht Race 10" x 14" woodblock by Resseter--from The Peter Pelham Company, $300

And there is no better gift than books. Madison Markets had some of my favorite design books. I have all of these and highly recommend them for the design lovers on your list.

So Chic, glamorous lives, stylish spaces--from the pages of Elle Decor Magazine-this is my go to book when brainstorming and preparing for client presentations

Southern born, New York designer Charlotte Moss's beautiful book A Flair for Living

Top Atlanta designer Suzanne Kasler's book

my other go-to book: The Southern Cosmopolitan, sophisticated Southern style--by Susan Sully

a beautiful book by New Orleans & Breaux Bridge antiques dealer Patrick Dunne (more on his shop Lucullus in a blog post next week)

Next stop.....FLEAS An'TIQUES...I didn't make that up, I promise.

darn chic pair of vintage Vaseline Glass Candlesticks-$ 200

Another recent obsession is andirons. I can never seem to find ones that I actually love. I find them and they are ok, will work, suit the purpose. I feel about andirons the same as I do about candlesticks. They are the jewelry of the room but need to be architectural and handsome like the ones shown below in a project by the brilliant Atlanta native, New York designer Miles Redd, which are quite similar to my recent finds in Madison and in Atlanta (more on that in future blog posts)....

Here are two pairs that Fleas An'Tiques has...

23.5" tall, $ 450

these are some of the best looking I have ever seen and they will find a home in one of my projects!

21" tall, $ 110

and then these...oh my gosh..to die for! These are at MEIERE HOUSE ANTIQUES

, a wonderful shop in a beautiful old house....My three favorite finds at Meiere House Antiques:

INCREDIBLE pair of brass andirons..app. 15" high x 16" deep, $ 160 for the pair!
again, these ARE going to either our house or a client's ASAP!

another find for a Lafayette client--a charming leaf shaped aqua dish--perfect for a coffee or side table in their living room--and at $ 8, a steal!

Clementine Hunter framed Primitive Print
$ 125.00
For those of you from Louisiana, you know exactly what this is. For those of you who don't google Clementine Hunter or go to http://www.louisianaliving.com/product/clementine-hunter-art/clementine-hunter

Speaking of Louisiana. If you are there tomorrow or Saturday, the Christmas at Coteau festivities and art/goodies market is a must! On the grounds of historic Sacred Heart Academy, this year will be better than ever. Some of the participating artists and vendors are jewelers Simone Palmer, Kathy Prejean, and Janet Ullrich-Theriot; paper goods line Two in Faith by Elizabeth Hesterly and Renee Reaux; and artists Mark Rabalais and Trish Ransom. 

Admission is $ 8.00 and the event is Friday from 9-4 and Saturday from 9-3

In addition to the daily activities during Christmas at Coteau, this beautiful Kelli Kaufman landscape will be auctioned off Saturday night at the Coteau Celebration cocktail party and dinner event. Tickets for the event can be purchase for $ 100 per person by calling 337 662 5275

Beloved Marsh by Kelli Kaufman, Oil on Canvas, 30" x 40", valued at $ 1,600.00

Enjoy your weekend! and remember...support artists, galleries, antiques dealers, and local/privately owned shops only this Holiday season.

RESOURCES:

Madison Markets---144 Academy Street, Madison, GA--706-342-8795--www.madisonmarkets.com

Fleas An'Tiques--184 South Main Street, Madison, GA--706 342 3009--http://www.j-and-k-enterprises.com

http://www.facebook.com/jkantiques

The Meiere House Antiques--270 South Main Street, Madison, GA--706 752 0009

Eddie Ross, stylist extraordinaire   www.eddieross.com

Kelli Kaufman, artist---www.kellikaufman.com

Weekend Getaway-Part 1--Antique Mall Shopping for Christmas Presents/Clients

Ritz Carlton at Reynolds Plantation all decked out in Christmas lights

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We spent a couple of days with my family at the Ritz Carlton at Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee in central Georgia. My parents have been several times but we had not. It is a gorgeous place. The hotel is as great as most Ritz Carlton's, the lake is beautiful and serene, and the location is perfect for an easy, relaxed getaway.

There is something for everyone here. Golf, tennis, kayaking, fishing, three great restaurants on the property, and a spa that is apparently one of the best in Georgia.


But this trip for us was about Thanksgiving and time with family. As dear friend Lue Svendson said about Thanksgiving, "it is the most honest holiday. No presents, no long preparations, no pretense. Just giving thanks and being together." I agree whole heartedly and that is exactly the kind of holiday we had. Dinner at the Georgia Grille in the hotel with dessert after at the house my parents rented for them (we stayed at the hotel!). It was a relaxed, easy, happy affair all around. One big excitement was the engagement of my nephew, Daniel, to the sweet Julie Holcomb! Daniel proposed (with a gorgeous ring I should add) on the Ritz Carlton grounds just before dinner. It was very sweet and as they are a wonderful couple, quite a special moment.

Here is my family post-dinner in front of the huge Christmas tree by the lake:

Tim, Jeffery, niece Ann, nephew Daniel, future niece-in-law Julie, brother Joey, Mom, Dad

On Friday, we explored the beautiful towns of Greensboro and Madison for a little holiday shopping. WOW! Both towns are about as charming as any I've ever seen and GREAT finds for Christmas gifts and client projects were everywhere. I couldn't believe how incredibly reasonable everything was. I scored some deals, was able to pick up a few gifts, and have lots of great items to present to clients. I found so much that I am breaking it up and doing two blog posts.

First up, here are a few of my favorite finds at Greensboro Antique Mall in Greensboro, GA, that would make excellent gifts for Christmas:

Mens Cufflinks--a great gift! These were $4/pair..yes, that's right, $4/pair! in the city they would be at least five times that price.

Vintage Blue Acrylic Ice Bucket or Wine Cooler--$6!!

I am having a love affair with brass candlesticks right now and think they make perfect presents. More on my favorite recent finds in next blog post. I like candlesticks that are handsome and architectural, not fussy and curlicued. These are just perfect. And at $ 39.95 for the pair, a great buy.

I love visiting antique malls during the holidays to find unique gifts for friends and clients. In addition to Greensboro Antique Mall, some of my favorites are:

GEORGIA:
14th Street Antiques Market in Atlanta; Peachtree Battle Antiques in Atlanta; Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta; The Stalls on Bennett Street in Atlanta; Interiors Market on Bennett Street in Atlanta; Oh Deco Where Art Thou in Lyons

LOUISIANA:
Lagniappe Antiques in Breaux Bridge

NEW YORK:
Center 44 in New York City

FLORIDA:
Antiques on Holiday in Destin

and the mother lode of them all, three antique malls/markets in gorgeous Madison, Georgia which will be tomorrow's post....

Enjoy this wonderful time of year between Thanksgiving and New Year's and remember, shop local which for me mean's anywhere privately owned!

Candace Greer--Holiday Show, Perfect Gifts, Gallery Announcements

Today I am particularly grateful for my clients---both design clients and artists--who have each essentially entrusted me to lead them on the same journey. A journey filled with twists and turns that encourages them to study, experiment, grow, achieve beauty and success whether in their home or office or in the paintings they create. 

To my design, artist, and gallery clients: thank you for a busy and beautiful 2011!

Candace Greer is one of the artists that I serve as agent for and 2011's journey has been an exciting and eventful one for this very talented mixed media (primarily acrylic, oil pastels, and pencil on wood) artist who is now represented by galleries in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana. 

So wherever you are in your travels be sure to check out the wonderful small pieces by this painter which make wonderful one of a kind gifts. And remember that you can always call any of the galleries to purchase a piece and they will ship it to you (tax free if shipping out of state!). I have included contact info for each at the bottom of this post.

 If you are spending Thanksgiving down at the 30A beaches in Florida, stop by Rosemary Beach for the 2011 Holiday Market this Saturday from 9-5. Candace will be showing many great pieces perfect for presents.

Some of my favorite pieces by Candace are these fantastic little sketches which are studies for larger pieces. These are done on thin pieces of raw wood and the combo of acrylic paint and pencil gives great texture and depth. They are perfect on an easel in a table top vignette or simply propped against a stack of books the way I did in my office. They sell for $ 45.

A Candace Greer sketch study mixed with my favorite design books, a Sarah Stewart shell, and a Steve Martin wire sculpture.

While in Rosemary Beach, stop into Tracery Interiors where Candace is always represented. Tracery-Rosemary Beach has a couple of small pieces perfect for stocking stuffers and on "black Friday" (can't we call it a better color than black?), everything at Tracery is 25% off so now is the perfect time to buy!

Mikimoto Pearl

6" x 6"

$ 125.00 (Less 25% Friday, November 25th)

Pretty Oyster

6" x 6"

$ 125.00 (less 25% on Friday, November 25th)

Tracery used Pretty Oyster in a tabletop display in this past Summer's 30A Show House

If you aren't in Florida but will be in Birmingham, visit Tracery's beautiful shop in Mountain Brook Village where these two sailboat beauties are:

Sailboat II

8" x 8"

$ 250.00 (less 25% on Friday, November 25th)

Sailboat III

8" x 8"

$ 250.00 (less 25% on Friday, November 25th)

In Louisiana, both Gallery at City Club in Lafayette and Rue du Pont Galerie in Breaux Bridge have a nice selection of Candace Greer paintings. At Gallery at City Club, my two favorites are:

Summer Blues

8" x 8"

$ 250.00

Colorful Trio on the Bay

8"x 8"

$ 250.00

and at Lue Svendson's Rue du Pont Galerie:

No Fear

16" x 20"

$ 675.00

 over in Mississippi, View Gallery recently received a very nice selection of pieces by Candace. My favorites:

Docked Serenity

12" x 12"

$ 375.00

Triangular Solace

12" x 12"

$ 375.00

Wherever you are this Holiday weekend, shop artists, local, privately owned! Don't spend your time waiting in line at a check-out register in a fluorescent lit, no windowed place buying something that everyone else is. Visit a shop, gallery, or studio with charm and beauty and purchase a unique, one of a kind gift...for friends or family or even better, for yourself!

RESOURCES:

Candace Greer, artist    www.candacegreerart.com

Tracery Interiors, Rosemary Beach, FL   72 Main Street   850 231 6755   www.traceryinteriors.com

Tracery Interiors, Mountain Brook Village in Birmingham, AL   2405 Montevallo Road  205 414 6026

Gallery at City Club, Lafayette, LA    1100 Camellia Blvd    917 282 1880 for info

Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge, LA  123 E. Bridge Street   337 344 9207   www.luesvendson.com

View Gallery, Ridgeland, MS  1107 Highland Colony Pkwy  601 856 2001  www.viewgalleryart.com

Joy Gardner at Rue du Pont Galerie

A true artist is born an artist. Even when life decisions and paths lead in a different direction for a while, the artist inside will always be there, often just on the cusp, waiting to escape and lead the artist back to that place of fulfillment that an artist can only get from creating. Many painters have the ability to copy and put on canvas the literal interpretation of something (or another artist's work--a major flaw and detriment to the ultimate success of said copier) they have seen. A true artist is fed from deep inside and soulfully feels what they are painting. The interpretation is uniquely their own. Such is exactly the case with Joy Gardner who currently is the featured artist at Rue du Pont Galerie in Louisiana.

Joy Gardner show at Rue du Pont Galerie-Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

"I began painting as a young child, taking classes throughout my youth, including as part of my high school and college curriculum."


A life of marriage, two children, and full-time employment as a paralegal for nearly 25 years left little time for painting. But the artist inside never ceased to speak. "I began painting seriously when I rented a studio space at St. Joan of Arc about four years ago. I had sold a few paintings through the years before that, but that was when I really began to work on painting a more serious body of work and to really develop my own style." A well-lived life filled with travel, time on the water, and exposure to the work of some of her favorite artists (Wolf Kahn, Ira Barkoff, Joan Mitchell, Bonnard, Monet, Matisse, and Mary Cassatt) serve as influences and inspiration for the pieces born in the large studio space which I have visited.

Inside Joy Gardner's studio at St. Joan of Arc in Mobile, Alabama

The artist path that Joy took from early studies to present has seen several chapters. When I asked Joy about the training she has had, she answered:

"After college, I began taking watercolor classes with a well-known and very talented Mobile artist, the late Bea Tucker.  I took classes and studied under Bea and she became a dear friend and a mentor for me.  She encouraged me to continue painting and I learned a great deal from her.  At some point I began painting in oils and Bea helped me learn about that medium."

And then you have the span of time (marriage, children, career) from post college to 2009:

"During the summer of 2009, I got to know another talented local artist and teacher, Wanda Sullivan.  I participated in a small group workshop which Wanda taught in my studio.  I consider that workshop a turning point in my artistic career.  It was at that point that I began to compile a cohesive body of paintings.  I consider Wanda a good friend and I continue to admire her work.

In the fall of 2009 I participated in a workshop taught by New Orleans artist, Karen Stastny.  That opportunity helped to influence my creativity and loosened my style as well as teaching me more about the possibilities of mixed media work."

A Stastny-inspried piece in the show at Rue du Pont GalerieAbstract Greensview, 24" x 25.5" (framed), $ 700.00

In just two years since her first gallery show at Robertson Gallery in Mobile, Gardner's work has appealed to many collectors and, more importantly, gallery owners and an art agent (yes, I serve as Joy Gardner's agent and am responsible for the show at Lue Svendson's Rue du Pont Galerie as well as 2010 showings at Tracery in Rosemary Beach, FL, and Gerilyn Lytal Roth Interiors in Lafayette, LA). Currently, in addition to Rue du Pont Galerie, Gallery at City Club, and Lounge Gallery all in the Lafayette area, Robertson Gallery in Mobile, View Gallery in Jackson, and Lyons Share Gallery in Fairhope have quite a nice selection of oil on canvas pieces by Gardner.

Here are three of my favorite pieces that are available at Rue du Pont Galerie:

Blue Thicket, 24" x 24, $ 700 (Framed)

Cypress Trees in Blues & Greens, 30" x 40", $ 1,200.00

Moore Creek Reflections I and II Diptych, 30" x 40" each, $ 2,300 for diptych

"I am inspired most by nature- by being outdoors feeling and observing the ever-changing landscape.  I am especially drawn to trees, foliage, flowers.  The water’s edge is a constant source of inspiration for me, whether the bank of Moore Creek which runs in front of my home, or the shore of Mobile Bay and its many other tributaries or the Gulf of Mexico."

Wolf Kahn said, "Keep the childlike vision and remain true to your ideas." Joy Gardner has listened to the artist within since childhood and is now, as a mature adult, able to truthfully explore and execute that vision.

Additional Images from show at Rue du Pont Galerie:

For inquiries about any of Joy Gardner's paintings, please contact me or Lue Svendson at Rue du Pont Galerie.

RESOURCES:

Joy Gardner, Mobile, AL            www.joygardner.weebly.com

Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge, LA   www.luesvendson.com

Robertson Gallery, Mobile, AL       www.robertsongallerymobile.com