The Ornamentalist: francophilia

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Sunday

Theatre of Dreams

Glittering Tree toppers at Wendy Addison's studio Theatre of Dreams

A cold, clear holiday weekend, and what better way to enjoy the beauty of the San Francisco Bay Area than to escape the city and have a short adventure to Port Costa? It's been far too long since I last visited Wendy Addison's studio, and today the Theatre of Dreams is open!

Theatre of Dreams holiday shop in Port Costa; Bob's roasted nuts being sold outside

Port Costa is a charming little place on the Carquinez Straight, at the end of a windy canyon road, and it's utterly beautiful in a frozen-in-time kind of way. And today it was nearly freezing so the Maestro and I began with a warming drink at the Warehouse Café, which in the summer is usually full of bikers, but was at that hour perfectly deserted. Then we went to visit the shop, which is housed in an old flat-front Victorian with a double wrap-around porch.

inside the Theatre of Dreams

Inside the Theatre of Dreams is dark and twinkling with glitter ornaments, gift boxes, and mysterious shadows. Wendy's creations are made from antique ribbon, old sheet music, German glass glitter, letter-pressed phrases, vintage ephemera. Her work is as much about atmosphere and memory as it is about tactile beauty. Visiting her studio is a wonderful and inspiring experience.

a small diorama by Wendy Addison

For a couple of weekends just after Thanksgiving, the Theatre of Dreams is open as a holiday shop.

Of course we ran into our old friend Kathleen Crowley there, another creative spirit and maker of beautiful things whose studio is in just downstream in Crockett. Weren't we supposed to make tiaras and just start wearing them all the time?

We lingered admiring the glittering décor and another warming drink at the Warehouse, and then wandered across the street to the refashioned Bull Valley Roadhouse for some excellent comfort food.

More nostalgia: more photos of the Theatre of Dreams in this previous post (2011) Cirque de Nöel.

A paper memento mori and Halloween gift boxes

gift boxes displayed under the watchful shadow of a large faerie.

The Theatre of Dreams annual holiday open house

Friday-Sunday November 27-29 and December 5-7
#11 Canyon Lake Drive, Port Costa, California

WendyAddisonStudio.com

(510) 672-1900

a piano vignette inside the Bull Valley Roadhouse

all photos in this post by Lynne Rutter - click to view larger

Lynne Rutter Studio

Friday

Studio Visit: FlorenceArt.net Studio d'Arte

detail of gilt and painted ornament on a harpsichord, by Alison Woolley

My good friend and collaborator Alison Woolley has a lovely studio here in Florence, and my first order of business after settling in to our apartment was to visit FlorenceArt.net Studio d’Arte and get a look at the harpsichord she just finished ornamenting, a prestigious commission for the L'Opéra Royal de Versailles.

Harpsichord built by Atelier Marc Ducornet and painted by Alison Woolley

The "Ruckers Taskin" style harpsichord was built by Atelier Marc Ducornet in Paris, and shipped to Florence for Alison to decorate. The design of the piece was inspired by the architecture and ornament in the Château de Versailles.

detail of interior of harpsichord lid, gilt and painted by Alison Woolley

Yesterday Erling and I went to the studio to help pack the finished harpsichord and then the shipper came and took it away to Paris and we all felt a bit sad to see it go, particularly Alison who had been working on this for months. I know I feel a bit blue when I send off a mural from my studio and all of a sudden it seems terribly blank and quiet.
Fortunately another harpsichord will be arriving in Alison's studio soon.

samples of work at FlorenceArt.net

Elsewhere in the studio are examples of designs, class projects, experiments, Florentine style painted furniture, and a beautiful (top secret) design for a scarf for Salvatore Ferragamo.

gilding tools at FlorenceArt.net

Alison regularly teaches classes in the tradtional Florentine techniques of gilding and painting furniture and other fine surfaces at the FlorenceArt.net studio as well as through special retreats in Italy and intensive workshops. The studio accepts commissions year-round for furniture, instruments, murals, and seriously beautiful things.

Watch this video of another recent project by Alison Woolley: painting a Claviorganum.

Lynne Rutter Murals + Decorative Painting

Sunday

Paris en Grisaille

"Les Monuments de Paris" mural by Lynne Rutter, photo by David Papas

Recently I got the opportunity to return to a client's home to photograph the mural I painted for them. How exciting to see this room finished! The magnificent Saarinen table is surrounded with chairs upholstered in the most fantastic blue velvet, and crowned with a vintage Italian chandelier in crystal and rose brass. The floors have a black cerused oak finish.
The interior design of this gorgeous room is the work of Gary Spain. The shot was styled by Damian Alvarado and photographed by David Papas. Of course I assisted in the shoot, mainly by looking through the camera now and then and saying "wow, you guys!"

The mural is painted en grisaille using dozens of shades of warm gray, and is patterned after Les Monuments de Paris by Josef Dufour. It is painstakingly hand-painted in the style of the early 19th century block-printed scenic wallpapers, or papiers peints panoramiques. Unlike the original paper this mural is painted on canvas, and is quite durable, a necessity in a home with young children. I also added a few Paris monuments not found in the original paper and freely (re)arranged the design to best suit the room.

More about the creation of this mural here.
click on image to view larger

Lynne Rutter Studio

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

Cirque de Noël

Amazing Cirque de Noël clown by Wendy Addison

The maestro and I took a much needed break and wandered up to Port Costa, to visit the Theatre of Dreams, the studio of artist Wendy Addison.

The shop decked out for the holidays

You may have seen Wendy's beautiful creations before: constructed of ephemera, antique bits, letterpress tags, imagination, and lots of German glass glitter. Normally open only "by chance or by appointment" the shop is transformed during the holidays and open for visitors for a few weekends.

a rare and elusive social butterfly

glittered numbers

The original Theatre of Dreams, built by Wendy in 1994- part dollhouse, part dreamscape

Port Costa is a "census-designated place" - population 190 - the cherished remnants of a 19th century railroad ferry town on the banks of the Carquinez Strait, just north of San Francisco Bay: funky, foggy, romantic, and at times a bit rough. I used to go there with a long-lost love for dimly-lit dinners at the Bull Valley Inn, or drink with friends at the Warehouse Café. Tree-lined streets and nostalgia form the backdrop for the creative scene here.

Wendy's work is curious and steeped in Victoriana, with just enough of the eerie and mysterious to be really interesting. Peek in the shop windows around Halloween to see how glitter can be macabre. You can see more of her imaginative creations at her website.