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.
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Lynne Rutter Studio

Gustavian Bench

I dreamed of a little gray bench

For at least 20 years or more this small neoclassical bench has been kicked around my tiny home - I used it as a vanity stool,  and for a while as a piano bench - all the while it was begging to be reupholstered at least. With a few hours to spare in my studio, I finally got around to doing something about it.

before:  the sweet fluted legs attracted me to this piece

Dating from the 1910s, this nice little bench is blessed with carved fluted legs and is solidly built- but it had a bad break in one part of the frame and had been buried under magazines and finally wound up in my basement gathering even more neglect.  Once in my studio, I  gave my old friend a good dusting-off.

straightened and cleaned

I repaired the break with fish glue and some clamps. All of the joints tightened, the entire surface was then cleaned with fine steel wool and some alcohol.  I didn't bother repairing any dents or scratches.  A couple of layers of walnut crystal stain evened up the wood color and brought it back more to its original intent. I could have given this a nice French Polish this at this point,  but I decided that what I wanted was a simple, painted bench.

after:  the wee painted bench of my dreams

Two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint gave me the perfect Gustavian look.  This is really nice, easy to use paint for furniture. The color here is "French Linen."     I decided not to "distress" or artificially age the surface any further, as I am sure dings and scrapes will appear in time, quite naturally. The painted surface was burnished and polished with two coats of micro-cyrstalline wax, and finally the seat was re-covered with a bit of Belgian linen left over from one of my artists smocks.
I'm quite please with this little project.  What do you think?

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
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Lynne Rutter Murals + Decorative Painting

Inspiration from the Tribal & Textile Arts Show

detail of a 19th century Suzani piece

This weekend I attended the San Francisco Tribal and Textile Arts Show. And what a fabulous show it was, bursting with inspiring patterns, colors, textures.

a large 19th century Suzani tapestry - all hand-embroidered

Dealers from around the world come to this show, offering museum-quality antique tribal art, jewelry, and textiles. 

Detail of an intense purple antique batik sarong. Note the tiny white dots that follow the form of each petal.

My friend Daniel Gundlach from The Language of Cloth was there, along with noted batik expert Rudolf Smend from Cologne, Germany. 
Nearby, a collection of Ottoman textiles caught my eye:

Ipek Ottoman wedding robe with bullion thread

detail of Ottoman wedding robe- intense ruby silk and silver bullion

What is this intense ruby color? What pigment or dye makes this color?  I have to find out.

large antique Suzani in fuchsia pink. Fabulous.

detail of a splendid pink and black Suzani

The color palettes in some of these fabrics are loaded with surprising combinations, and I found many of them remarkably modern looking.

antique Japanese lined printed in an interconnected geometric pattern

An antique printed and dyed pattern on gossamer light linen from Africa

Marvelous patterns and colors can also be found in tiles, baskets, carpets... 

antique Iznik tile 

flat woven wool carpet (kilim)

lush Moroccan berber carpets in black and white and rich colored  patterns from Gebhart Blazek, Austria

a collection of antique African baskets from a Belgian dealer

A colorful and abstract Saami quilt

I was particularly intrigued by a display of vintage Saami ralli quilts -  made from discarded fabrics, pulled apart and recycled by the nomadic Saami people around Sindh, Pakistan, hand-dyed scraps are beautifully and simply assembled and embroidered.  This work is fast becoming a lost art.

Saami ralli quilt

detail of Saami ralli quilt

On the opposite side of the spectrum, an example of superb formal  embroidery  from China:

Antique Chinese embroidery

detail of silk embroidered peony

Ikat when done well is truly mesmerizing. Ikat is a near universal weaving style common to many cultures from Argentina to Java, from Uzbekistan to Japan.  It is one of the oldest forms of textile decoration.

A rich woven silk Ikat fabric (Turkish) from the 19th century

I found a length of antique printed fabric with a lovely patina, the kind of thing that influenced the work of Fortuny. I found it rather inspiring as well.

antique printed fabric from Persia (?)

Persian printed fabric, detail

All photos in this post by Lynne Rutter,  February, 2013
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Lynne Rutter Murals + Decorative Painting

Residenz München- Antiquarium

Anitquarium of the Munich Residenz

It was the last day of our December travels, and we had about five hours in Munich before our flight homeward, barely enough time for a quick run through the Residenz, the Palace of the Bavarian rulers.   The gem of the palace, is the  magnificent Antiquarium.   Billed as "the Largest Renaissance Hall North of the Alps" at 66 meters long, the Antiquarium, was created circa 1570 by Jacopo Strada for Duke Albrecht V, to display a vast collection of classical busts. It was redesigned to its current appearance as a banquet hall in 1586-1600 by Friedrich Sustris; the floor was lowered and the ceiling decorated with paintings by Peter Candid, Antonio Ponzano, and, of course, Hans Thonauer the Elder.

Groteske ornament surrounds cartouches with scenes of Bavaria

But really-- the groteske ornament steals the whole show, much of it designed by Sustris himself.   It is graceful and Fantastic.  In the Winter Light, it appears rather moody.

Münchner Wappen featured in a cartouche over a window

As you may imagine much of the Residenz was severely damaged during the bombings in WWII.  Fortunately the Antiquarium survived, although not without some losses.  Parts of the ceiling have been recreated, and some areas are  bit fuzzy from smoke damage, but overall it's breathtaking: a blend of classical serenity, and colorful whimsy.

Grotesque ceiling ornamentation dates from the end of the 16th century

Sebastian Schmuttermaier in action!

While visiting this palace we met photographer Sebastian Schmuttermaier, who had obtained permission to bring in a tripod and a special camera mount to shoot 360 degree panoramic images of several rooms in the Residenz. Have a look at the spectacular results of his work on his website.  Follow the arrows to take a tour!



All photos in this post by Lynne Rutter, taken in Munich, Germany, December 2012
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Lynne Rutter Murals + Decorative Painting