Grotesque Obsession: The Art of Carolina d'Ayala Valva

linen table runner by Carolina d'Ayala Valva for Nina's Home Artists for Textiles

recent designs from Nina's Home Artists for Textiles

For more than 20 years, Carolina d’Ayala Valva and her partner Walter Cipriani have been decorating interiors from their atelier in the historical center of Rome.  Carolina has become known as a modern-day champion of Grottesca (also called grotesque),  a style of ornament first made popular by the Renaissance artist Raphael, and literally wrote the book on the techniques and use of this historic form. Walter excels at the important and age-old techniques of scagliola, and this talented couple are highly in-demand for decorating prestigious interiors from Rome to Paris to St. Petersburg.

I met them at the Salon, an international  gathering of decorative artists who meet in a different city each year. What impressed me most wasn't just the mastery of historic techniques, but the fresh and relevant way these techniques are being used in their work.

Recently, the famous French wallpaper manufacture Zuber commissioned new wallpaper designs from each of them, which has in turn led to the creation of a new line of fabrics and accessories for interiors, cushions, lampshades, and table linens are printed on natural fibres, entirely made in Italy.

Carolina in her studio

Grottesca candelabra panel

Carolina d’Ayala Valva is also a highly skilled and sought-after teacher of painted ornament, and I have invited her to my studio in San Francisco for a week-long workshop on the art of Grottesca later this year.




Here she is interviewed for The Ornamentalist. Get to know the work of this exceptional decorative artist!

Please tell me about your education and training. How did you learn to paint like this?



I did not start my professional career as a decorative painter, but as an architect.

  Architecture was not my first choice, but an alternative to my desire to attend the Academy of Fine Arts. However, it is thanks to the long university studies that I have design discipline, which is also very useful in my work as a decorator. So in the end, I'm a self-taught.


Was there any one person or place that inspired you to become a decorative artist?



Living in Rome, surrounded by a unique artistic context in the world, inspired me deeply.  It’s especially here that I could cultivate my passion for the “Grotesque” design.

  Our Atelier (L’Artelier-Roma) was two steps from the Vatican City and, in the past, I have often had the chance to see up close the Grotesque decorations in the halls of the Vatican Museums and the loggia of Raphael, which are the first and most famous in the world. I have been able to admire the beauty, the harmony of the colors and the fast but masterful brushstrokes of the artist.

  For all this I consider myself lucky.


Over time, though I was immersed in a wonderful classical context,  I tried to develop a very personal style, both in the use of the color and in the design’s style.  I also love to try more contemporary sources of inspiration that can be anywhere in the life of every day, inserting modern elements in the classic structures.

~ Carolina d'Ayala Valva 

set of doors ornamented with  figures in a grottesca style by Carolina d'Ayala Valva

work in progress on a Grottesca element

 

Which are your favorite materials/medium for painting?  favorite brushes or tools?

My favorite technique for painting, is the egg tempera.  I also use it for painting more contemporary subjects, in fact, is my personal opinion, that the egg tempera has no equal for beauty, brilliance and color depth. The egg yolk binder gives a softness and a flexibility to the brushstroke, truly unique. The binder allows the use of pure powdered pigments, these offer the possibility of having an infinite palette, rich in nuances that gives to the work so realized, the sumptuousness of the paintings of the ancient masters, performed with the same technique.

Of great importance in the use of this type of tempera is the choice of right brush, the right brush, leads to having an elegant pictorial gesture, soft and sinuous.  I use round synthetic brushes, very flexible and highly accurate.

custom ceiling featuring Grottesche painted by Carolina d'Ayala Valva

Some of Carolina's fabric designs made into tote bags!

What's new? favorite recent projects?

I worked for years painting Grotesque decoration work on ceilings, furniture and panels for important clients in several countries.

So much work and experience led me to publish a book: "Art et Techniques de la Grotesque" (Editions Vial, 2009) and this made my work widely known around the world, encouraging also my activity as a teacher in Italy, France, Belgium and the U.S.

In 2013, as a result of the popularity of the book,  Zuber,  the famous producer of papier peint, contacted me in order to create a new collection of wallpapers inspired by my Grotesques.  And this was the impetus to start building my collection of printed digital fabrics with the brand: Nina’s Home~ Artists for Textiles.

Please tell us a bit about the process of designing for textiles. 

Each design is first painted by hand as a work of art in a single original water-colored model. Then, the quality of the digital printing process allows us to reproduce the slightest nuances and brushstroke on the fabric, preserving the charm and originality of our hand-painted model.

As mentioned above, modernity and tradition, this is the right mix today to further our art.

• Grottesca  5 day ornament class at Lynne Rutter Studio October 18-22, 2016
• Art and Techniques of Grotesque by Carolina d’Ayala Valva 

painted ceiling with modern Grottesche by Carolina d'Ayala Valva

Lynne Rutter Studio

Studio Visit: Adrian Card

Harpsichord soundboard painted by Adrian Card  * 

This week I visited the studio of a great artist closer to home, the San Francisco atelier of my good friend Adrian Card.  Adrian is one of those amazing fellows who is expert at so many esoteric things I can't help but wonder if he was transported here directly from the 17th Century. Or maybe he is possessed by the ghost of some Flemish harpsichord decorator, which would of course be a good thing if you had a harpsichord needing ornamenting, as this just happens to be Adrian Card's specialty.

Flemish harpsichord with strapwork ornament painted by Adrian Card *

Adrian Card at his drafting table, designing Delft-style ornamentation for a guitar.

Adrian comes from an old Dutch-American family:   "My father's ancestors all came over here in the early 17th and 18th centuries, mostly of English and Dutch extraction. They settled in Northern New Jersey in the late 17th century after getting tired of the city life in Manhattan (New Amsterdam). My family has been in the same place ever since. My father was baptized in a church whose graveyard contains the remains of his ancestors who fought in the American Revolution - it's about 5 minutes from where my parents live now and where I grew up." 

Adrian became fluent in Dutch, which he learned by and for studying antique books on painting techniques.

A corner of Adrian Card's Studio, filled with design books and inspiring what's-its.

"I had been fascinated with 17th century Dutch painting since the 6th grade"  Adrian says, "when an art teacher (aptly named Mrs. Farber) showed us slides of some Vermeer paintings... it was like an epiphany. I got interested in how they did it, and started to learn Dutch when I realized how much had been written about technique and whatnot in Dutch, that had never been translated into English."

Reprint of De Hooge Schoole der Schilderkonst anders De Zichtbaere Wereld  by Samuel van Hoogstraeten, 1678

Not long after that Adrian painted his first harpsichord soundboard.  "Getting involved in harpsichord decoration only solidified my drive to learn Dutch."

gilt and painted ornament for the inside of a harpsichord, painted by Adrian Card

Adrian studied at the Philadelphia College of Art, and after a brief flirtation with the idea of going to the Hochschule Der Kunste in Berlin, he came to San Francisco where he earned a degree in printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute. 
"I have long been fascinated with historic ornament. A fellow-student and friend at SFAI and I both shared a passion for ornamental borders, which was something we needed to keep to ourselves, or risk the ridicule of our neo-neo-neo-expressionist fellow students."

Historic woodblock-printed papers reproduced by Adrian Card for a harpsichord restoration.

hand carved woodblocks for printing harpsichord papers

After graduating from SFAI,  Adrian began to do some historic ornament work for a variety of applications, but when the opportunity to work for a prestigious animation company presented itself, he pursued it. He worked in animation for a number of years before returning to the world of ornament, starting his own business in 1999.

Adrian credits other harpsichord painters for helping him with his career:  "... notably Janine Johnson and Sheridan Germann, who were generous with their time and knowledge, and instrument maker Kevin Fryer, who also taught me a lot." 
His printmaking skills have been useful for creating the hand-printed papers for Flemish harpsichords, "a practice that dates back to the 1500s, when they were employed as an inexpensive way to imitate the expensive Italian custom of ebony and ivory inlay work."  

samples for the decoration of harpsichord and other furniture in Adrian Card's studio

Skills used in harpsichord decoration are also applicable to furniture and murals, and Adrian has completed a number of fantastic commissions using historic ornament of many different periods and styles.

design in progress for a harpsichord case using strapwork ornament

The soundboards of harpsichords (and other instruments) must be painted with particular water-based materials to preserve the sound of the instrument. This means making the paint from raw pigments and materials using historic recipes.

Pigment collection at Adrian Card's studio

The studio is like a walk-in Wunderkammer, filled with inspiring objects, old broken things, old working things, drawers full of designs and past work, as well as collected bits of tiles, insects, minerals and wallpapers.

Historic Avocado Green.

I met Adrian Card some years ago when he joined my guild, Artistic License.  We have since collaborated on some projects as as well as become great friends through our shared love of ornament, collecting, martinis, flea markets, books, and the search for the perfect Victorian light fixture.
During a recent meeting several kindred spirits discussed which animal's urine had the strongest ammonia content needed for making bluest Verdigris pigment.  Ok well, maybe you had to be there.

Adrian Card's studio Wunderkammer includes fluorescent rocks collected near his home town.

Now you can imagine how thrilled I am to be hosting Adrian Card at my own studio in San Francisco,  September 11-13, 2013 
for a fantastic workshop on Strapwork Ornament, 
a favorite of Flemish designers and a great trompe l'oeil device for any number of uses.

Class panel for Adrian Card's Strapwork Ornament workshop

Please have a look at more of Adrian Card fantastic work on his website:  AdrianCard.com
 

pigments, and tiny bug art

And here are some of Adrian Card's favorite influential books:

In Dutch:
De Hooge Schoole der Schilderkonst anders De Zichtbaere Wereld   (The Esteemed School of Painting or, The Visible World)   by Samuel van Hoogstraeten, 1678

Hoe Schilder Je Een Druif  (How Does One Paint a Grape)  by Karel van Mander, 1604   and yes, the title is a reference to Parrhasius

Verlichterie-Kunde of Het Regt Gebruik der Water-Verwen   (Illumination or the Right Use of Water Colors) by Willem Goeree, 1697

In English:
A Treatise Concerning the Art of Limning by Nicholas Hilliard, circa 1600

Miniatura or the Art of Limning by Edward Norgate, circa 1627

Medieval & Renaissance Treatises on the Arts of Painting, edited by Mary P. Merrifield, originally published in 1849, now available as Dover reprint




Images in this post by Lynne Rutter except * ©Adrian Card
click on images to view larger

Limner is in the glossary!  of course it is.

Lynne Rutter Murals + Decorative Painting

Studio Visit: Atelier Peinture sur Bois, Paris

Work in progress at the studio of Jean-Pierre Besenval

Entrance to the Atelier

One rainy day in Paris, after a fabulous day exploring the Musée Carnavalet, my friend Ziska and I set off through the Marais thinking about a good place for dinner, when we were distracted by the sight of a doorway and signs for the Atelier Peinture Sur Bois, the studio of Jean-Pierre Besenval.
I'm a long-time fan of M. Besenval's painted furniture and have two excellent books on his work.
So of course we ventured inside the courtyard to the shop,  where we were warmly greeted by artist Luigi Madéo, Besenval's longtime collaborator and co-author.
The shop contains a gallery filled with beautifully painted furniture pieces and art panels, all done with traditional media and techniques, and inspired by Italian Renaissance ornament, as well as 15th century Flemish painting and other historic European decorative art.

Luigi Madéo in the atelier

We got to talk about  traditional painting methods and the hopeful revival of these techniques and materials, like gesso, caseins, egg tempera, decorative gilding.

Painted furniture and art panels in the studio/gallery of Jean-Pierre Besenval

work in progress in the studio

The studio itself is a showpiece, with all of its beams and posts painted with colorful traditional designs.

This is I think a great way to raise the height of the ceiling and create a simple architectural opportunity for some splendid ornament.
 

Borders are repeated in different colors and with added elements, and while each beam is unique, the color palette and structure of the ornament is consistent and overall look is cohesive and utterly charming!

The huge support posts in the center of the shop are also decorated, and the designs are painted plumb, even when the  posts themselves are not.

I love this armoire door inset which is spectacularly painted, and seems to pay homage to Renaissance botanical artist  Jacques Le Moyne De Morgues.

If you are in Paris, be sure to visit the Atelier Peinture sur Bois at 32 rue de Sévigné in the Marais; or visit the website at www.meublespeints.com 



All photos in the post by Lynne Rutter, October 2011
click on images to view larger

Lynne Rutter Murals + Decorative Painting

Studio Visit: Atelier de la petite écurie, Château de Versailles

Cherub from the chamber of the queen, carved by Fanchelli and gilt à la grecque by Daniel Sievert.  photo: Lynne Rutter 

A fascinating and integral part of my work is the restoration of historic buildings, surfaces, furniture, and antiques.  It's not my primary business these days, but it inspires and informs my work and the techniques I employ every day.  When I travel I am excited to see the work of other restoration artisans, so I am especially thrilled to share with you my visit to the Château de Versailles, more specifically,  this glimpse inside the atelier of the gilder-restorers. 

Laurent Hissier and Daniel Sievert. photo by Jerôme Hissier

I met gilder and decorative painter Laurent Hissier via the internet, and in 2007 made a visit to Versailles to meet him and see his work at the palace. My friends and I were given a warm welcome by Laurent and his mentors, master gilder Daniel Sievert and renowned decorative painter Pierre Lefumat, and treated to a stunning backstage tour of some of the non-public parts of the palace.  I felt an immediate and strong affinity for these kindred spirits; their commitment to their work is so inspiring.  They are but a few of the nearly one thousand people working in relative anonymity to care for this spectacular palace.
Standing in a small bedroom, in what might be called the attic, crammed with broken gilt chairs and other odd bits of furniture that are more or less priceless, Laurent remarked that this a life’s work that is never finished. This is why it is so important to pass on the knowledge. 

restoration in progress of a gilt wood bench. photo: Lynne Rutter

Laurent and I kept up a correspondence via email, while I anxiously anticipated the book he and Daniel were writing -  the book - detailing everything they know about gilding. 

In October I visited Versailles again and called on my friends in the gilding atelier, where I was presented with a beautifully inscribed copy of  Art et Techniques de la Dorure à Versailles - Gilding at Versailles!

buy this book!

The gilding and restoration workshop is an airy, beautiful studio housed in the petite écurie, the former stables of the King.  Restoration is a ceaseless effort here; restorers have access to the best materials, the support of the state, and a seemingly endless stream of thrilling projects working on priceless items of national importance.  The sense of purpose and responsibility one feels there is truly awesome.  

The gilder-restorers’ work is traditional in nature, with techniques passed down from teacher to student, from master to apprentice, forming an unbroken link from the creation of a piece to its renewal, and then on to the next generation of restorers to come.   Gilding at Versailles  documents this work and continues this tradition. The book represents generations of accumulated knowledge from work done in the palace over the years.

excerpt from Gilding at Versailles - step by step restoration of a gilt console

excerpt from Gilding at Versailles; phot0: Adrien Brotons: Laurent water gilding a frame.  The gilders tip (brush) is being held with a hampe, or gilder's pole.  The book includes instructions for how to carve your own. 

Ziska, Daniel, and Lynne in the studio

limestone stairway to the atelier

My colleague Ziska Childs and I had a nice visit with Daniel.  Ziska is an accomplished scenic artist and designer, and having lived in Paris, she fortunately speaks French rather well. Artisans from other areas of the atelier came in to meet the visiting artists from America.  We told them all how famous Daniel is. 
Laurent was unfortunately away that  day. Where?  Oh, he was in Italy restoring something in the Vatican Palace. Yes I know how that sounds.  It is exactly how it sounds... what a life! 

a vivid assortment of pigments photo: Lynne Rutter

a carved and gilt sample in the atelier  photo: Lynne Rutter

Master gilder and wood carver Daniel Sievert came to Versailles at the age of 14 as apprentice to Maître Grandvoinet, a master craftsman well known across France, the titular gilder of the castle.  After many years working alongside his mentor, Daniel joined the CTFDU Compagnons du Tour de France des Devoirs Unis, a French guild of craftsmen with the highest standards of training, and earned the honorable title Ile de France au cœur d’or, a true master gilder.  He returned to the Versailles atelier as sculptor and restorer of bois doré  (gilded wood), and in 1977 succeeded M. Granvoinet as head gilder.      

a collection of moulds of classical ornament for decorating frames  photo: Lynne Rutter

Laurent Hissier started working at the Château de Versailles as a night watchman, and spent many long hours studying the decorative work in the palace interior while checking for security issues.  He took it upon himself to learn and practice the techniques used in the  décor of the palace.  He was taught casting and molding by Yvon Bailleul in the sculpture workshop, and in 2003 was accepted into the gilder-restorer workshop, to train with Maître Sievert.  Laurent also studied with  Pierre Lefumat, a world-famous master of faux finishes,  who taught him the techniques of faux marbre and painted finishes while working in the  palace. 

faux limestone finish painted by Laurent Hissier

Maître Lefumat passed in 2010, a loss felt keenly by everyone at Versailles, and indeed the entire decorative painting community.
Daniel Sievert retired at the end of 2011 after 52 years of dedicated service and splendid work.
The torch has been passed to Laurent, restaurateur en bois doré et peintre en décors.

Laurent also teaches traditional gilding at the Ecole d'Art Murals de Versailles, and he has a blog where he posts inspiring pictures of the work he is doing:   dorure-versailles.blogspot.com 

apprentices working in the studio   photo: Lynne Rutter

Laurent's beautifully rendered faux bois doors and faux marbre supports

After our studio visit Ziska and I toured the Palace to see some of the work of Daniel and Laurent, and  Maîtres Lefumat and Grandvoinet,  and all those that came before them. 

 

Detail of one of 24 carved limewood and gilt frames, circa  1687 (recently restored)  in the Cotelle Gallery of the Grand Trianon, Versailles.  

further reading:

Art et Techniques de la Dorure à Versailles - Gilding at Versailles 
by Laurent Hissier and Daniel Sievert  

L'Art du Faux Marbre
by Pierre Lefumat
published by Editions Vial with both French and English text
available from Pierre Finkelstein at fauxbrushes.com



Excerpts from Gilding at Versailles use with permission. 
photos by Lynne Rutter unless otherwise noted

Lynne Rutter Studio

Pascal Amblard: Demeures Peintes

Detail of the classical mural in the Salon aux Pins, by Pascal Amblard

Internationally renowned muralist Pascal Amblard  has for the last 20 years been painting  murals and ornament in hotels, palaces, and elegant homes for an appreciative clientele across Europe and North America.   A graceful and intuitive painter whose exuberant work blurs the line between fine and decorative art, Pascal is   equally fluid as a generous and patient teacher of his craft, a true painter's painter. He spent many years teaching at  IPEDEC in Paris,  and is a popular instructor of mural workshops in France, Italy, Sweden, and the U.S.  Pascal plans to develop a mural program in his own atelier  soon, and we can't wait!

Pascal Amblard

I had been following the career  of  Pascal Amblard for some years when I finally got a chance to meet him at the Decorative Painters Salon of 2008, at which time I was  (some might say) uncharacteristically tongue-tied as I watched him joyfully fling red paint all over a collaborative mural.  For reasons I cannot quite  explain it took several meetings over a period of years before I could speak with Pascal as the fellow ornamentalist I knew he must be.  Creative, fearless, and inspired, yes, but is he really the humble  genius everyone tells me he is?

At last it is my great pleasure to present this interview,  in which I tried very hard not to ask any questions that might be  too embarrassing, to either of us. 

Demeures Peintes:  the Book

When news reached our shores that Pascal Amblard was writing his first book,  it was anticipated that it would be a technical manual of sorts, for the many decorative painters who look to him for inspiration and support.   Or, perhaps it would be a lovely catalogue of his past work.   However, to my surprise and delight, the book, Demeures Peintes, Painted Homes,  is a lavishly illustrated coffee table book,  a spectacular collection of site-specific work created expressly for this publication in some breathtaking architectural spaces.    Each project is presented with an analysis of the space, concept sketches, and detailed photographs of the rooms,  transformed in unexpected ways. One might favorably compare it to some great trend-setting books of the past: Roomscapes by Renzo Mongiardino, or The Painted House by Graham Rust,  but Demeures Peintes is an entirely original examination of the process of designing for the room. 

A peek inside Pascal Amblard's glossy new book, showing the decorated "Library" of a 17th century castle near Lyon.   I don't have a coffee table, and I drink tea, but you get the idea.

Why did you write the book in this way?

There are many books out there that tell you how to paint a mural but, as far as I know, no one has taken real examples in order to show you what happens before you grab your palette and your brushes.  How do you create a mural, how do you adapt to a place, how do you find ideas, keep them or question them, how a projects evolves and lives, how do you adapt your technique in relation with your design and with the specifics of the place... all these aspects are fundamental but hardly referred to in mural painting books.  

I also wanted to do a book that would please the eye as well as the mind.

Ceiling in the Villa Claudinon by Pascal Amblard

How do you think of murals as part of interior design?

Ideally, the space is designed with the plan of having a mural.   But more often, the mural comes as a problem solving option and this is more exciting because it forces you to manipulate more elaborate concepts and acquire a deeper understanding of what you do.  Besides that, murals have undoubtedly a very particular charm. They are different from a painting because they are bigger than you, just like a film seen in a movie theater is more commanding than the same one seen on your TV.

Painted ornament has the same type of quality.  It transforms a room strongly, very efficiently.  It can create an atmosphere just by itself, compensate for a lack of balance or a lack of space in an interior, bring light into a dark spot,  greenery in an urban environment, originality in a room devoid of personality.

What do you look for in a room when designing something for it?

Each room has a proper soul. I know nothing about feng shui but if you are open you will feel things in a room. Once you sense the logic of the space and understand the taste of its owners you can let ideas come up and make choices. I think you usually have two options to consider, either harmony or contrast.

For the ceiling in the Villa Claudinon, I was into harmony; I just wanted to produce a nice piece of painted decoration that would fit into the room.

mural in the Salon of Hôtel du Maréchal de Tingry 

When I designed a 7 ft high Hand for the salon of Hôtel de Tingry,  I was into contrast; I broke with the convention of the cozy bourgeois interieur and I came up with torn papers glued upon one another showing out of proportions elements.

Which of the projects in this book was your favorite to paint?

My favorite is the Salon aux Pins. I think it resembles me.

I like a mix of classical and innovative, loose and tight.  I have some sort of passion for Italian pines; I think these trees are obviously intelligent. Other trees are pretty smart,  too,  but I think they cannot be so beautiful without having some kind of strong vegetal awareness. I have always loved painting them and for the first time I could devote a whole room to them. I also appreciate architecture and I think that classical or traditional architecture shows a beautiful sensitivity to natural elements.

Nature is a temple in which living pillars 

 Sometimes give voice to confused words;

 Man passes there through forests of symbols

  Which look at him with understanding eyes.

~Baudelaire

Salon aux Pins, room mural by Pascal Amblard

Salon aux Pins, detail: old paper visible through the paint

 

I also love painting quickly in order to avoid the trap of cleanliness that would have frozen the whole thing into formal classicism. I guess it looks like old wallpaper  from a distance but when you come close it is quite rough.  The idea of letting the underlying wallpaper show through means  decoration is not contrary to creativity. There is often more density and depth in objects or decorative pieces than in so-called "Art."

Which space presented the greatest challenge?

The "Library" (in a 17th century castle on the Lyonnais Slopes) It was a difficult to understand room because of the awkward restoration that had taken place in the last century. There was definitely a Renaissance style to it,  but it had been watered down. It was really like playing on a piano that is out of tune, and having to invent new chords to make it sound right.  On top of that I did the job during a freezing, snowy winter and there was no heating at all in the old castle. 

Thank God the farmers who still live on the estate are welcoming and have good liquor!

What has been your greatest breakthrough in doing this work?

During this whole process, I have seen myself instinctively solve problems and make choices that eventually proved to be inspired.  I think I am understanding what the word "experience" means even if I do not feel it as my own experience but rather like a capacity to let years of work and practice produce their results through me.  

Do you have a  favorite or most inspiring mural, or place?

Villa Valmarana ai Nani, near Vicenza, where Tiepolo and his son Giandomenico painted many rooms.  The rooms are relatively small and it is really impressive to be so close to such marvelous pieces. 

When you stand in front of one of these walls you know that, in this very spot, Tiepolo was physically present. I guess that conceivably some atoms of his body are still in the air and that you can inhale them. 

This is a fantastic feeling, some kind of compassionate and loving artistic anthropophagy.

A Tiepolo-inspired painting by Pascal Amblard

[Lynne's comment: I agree about the Tiepolos:  nothing quite prepares you for being surrounded by this work in its original setting. It's a transforming experience. "anthropophagy" - nice $50 word, btw. ]

  

What would be the ultimate project for you to paint? 

All right, let us dream:  I would like to meet a client with a pretty big space, walls and ceiling, who would ask me to use a classical language in order to illustrate elaborate contemporary concepts like the ones quantum physics has created  and relate them with the intuition that mystics have had for centuries.

This would be big enough so that I could invite all my friends to collaborate. And of course, this client would would love me so much that he would pay all of us very well for the weeks and months this project would take to prepare.

....  After that I would be really famous and I could keep pretending I am humble.

 [busted!! oh, and don't forget you will need a tall redhead on this dream job!]

Detail of Pascal Amblard's display at Maison et Object, 2010

Bonus pictures!  In recent years Pascal Amblard’s work has been exhibited at the fabulous Maison et Objet show in Paris.  Much of his newer work has been ornamental in style, panels mixing media, scale, periods, and styles, to great effect. 

 

This recently completed ornamental paneling for a designer showroom in Paris was inspired by the Salon Doré.   Gilding by Malek Moussouni.

 

You can see more of Pascal Amblard's work at his website .

Demeures Peintes by Pascal Amblard, (in French and English)  published by Editions Vial.

unless otherwise noted, all photos in this post by and © Pascal Amblard and photographer Yves Inchierman, used with permission

de nouveau, en français:
http://www.meublepeint.com/interview_pascal_amblard.htm

Lynne Rutter Studio