To Market, To Market....2011

Re-purpose, Re-use and Re-cycle was definitely the green theme of the June 2011 market held at the World Trade Center in Dallas, Texas.

I attended the home and gift show to see the trends influencing the next year.

Natural materials re-cycled and re-used in organic designs were the themes of many showrooms.

Etched mirrors  mimicking salvaged materials were strong last year and the techniques are even better this time! Stenciled designs are etched in and antiqued.

Graphics are still strong, antique prints are scanned and used in trays, lampshades and other re-purposed ways.

The designs give the feel of heritage and antiquity.

 Salvaged canvas  with stenciled graphics is even stronger this year. Seen in pillows, satchels and bedding, this once commercial look is now interpreted for home use.

The influence of a lean economy has taught us all to re-use, re-purpose and re-think our purchasing practices. Finding a new way to use an old item in our environment is now the chic thing to do!

Stuckmarmor...

Stuckmarmor is the German version of what many know as scagliola. Stuckmarmor is a mixture of plaster, pigment and ingenuity.

Look familiar? This starts just like scagliola, a very hands on procedure mixing in the pigments with the plaster.

Colors are blended and then shaped into loaves or  balls and can be mixed to make the imitation of veins in marbles. This photo shows a restoration of a profile at the base of a column. The stuckmarmor is applied to the damaged area, filling in and giving the illusion of marble.

What starts out as this....

Turns into this when different clumps of color are mixed, sliced thin and polished to perfection.



My friend Gina of Art and Alfalfa did a wonderful blog post on stuckmarmor.
She shows the complete process and some wonderfully detailed columns.

Photo from Art and Alfalfa

So, whatever, you call it, Stuckmarmor or scagliola, many cultures have embraced the art of plasterwork and elevated it to the wonderful art form.

Malachite!...I'm green with envy!

Hermitage  St. Petersburg

How much more classic can you get than malachite in decorating?

  Tony Duquette Inc., makes this fabulously decadent malachite fabric printed on cotton(and offers other precious mineral interpretations) ....

 Tony Duquette collection Malachite chair

... this is also the fabric used for the malachite chair.

Cole-and-Son offers this malachite wallpaper for interiors.

Dawnridge-Duquette photo

Tony Duquette understood the power of malachite in interior settings mixing with other classic elements.

Brimfield/Brimfield 

This decorative piece by Brimfield and Brimfield adds  just a touch of malachite to give any room richness.

Dawnridge-Duquette photo

The deep green mineral has been mimicked in design for decades. This was photographed at Dawnridge and also features a screen with Duquette fabrics through Jim Thompson. As you can see, it packs a large punch!

The Grand Canal

This photo is from a private residence on the grand canal in Venice...Zuber wallpaper combined with faux malachite pilasters and trim....perfection!

From Soup to Nuts.....

Scott Marr photo

"Chameleon"
Pyrography, eucalypt bark wash, ochres, liquid chlorophyll, coriopsis flower and plane tree charcoal wash.
23 by 33cm


Scott Marr is a nature based artist that combines pyrography with washes of natural pigments gathered from the Australian bush.

"Scott boils barks, leaves and mosses to leach organic dyes. He crushes native berries to produce an array of watery washes and grinds and boils sap to form thick syrups and diluted tints. In the kitchen he makes beetroot juice and coffee washes for his works on paper. He does it all from soup to nuts...*"

"There is no me"  Self Portrait
Pyrography eucalypt bark wash, liquid chlorophyll, eucalypt sap, ochres, charcoal, mineral pigments and coriopsis flower wash.
65 by 101cm

Born in 1976 in St Leonards, Sydney, Australia, Scott Marr uses natural pigments collected from the bush and farmlands including ochres, bark, charcoal, sap, flowers, berries, and the medium of fire to burn drawings (pyrography) onto paper and wood.  Based on a love for drawing, Marr’s artwork looks into the world of what he calls “bio metamorphics” symbiosis, energy, or the “alchemy of nature".

Worker Ant  Scott Marr Photo

This video shows the fascinating process of his work and the actual size of each piece.  Check out his website for further amazing work!

(all photos are property of Scott Marr)