Robert O. Caulfield

My best friend in the early days, was Wayne Caulfield. Pictured together at our preschool graduation from the Bethlehem School, in Lynnfield. I lived next door to Wayne, and spent a lot of time hanging out at his house. He was the youngest of five, and I found that to be very exciting, since I was an only child back then. Fond memories of us riding around town on our "banana seat" bikes, and drinking his Mom's famous purple Zarex.

Woman In The Garden

I remember seeing paintings of Cape Cod skiffs, displayed in the Caulfield home back then. Knowing at the time that they had been painted by Mr. Caulfield, but never thinking too much about it. Over the years, I would see Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield aka Marilyn and Bob from time to time, like at my wedding.  Mr. Caulfield's success became apparent to me when my parents bought their first painting, in 1990. It was the first time that I had seen his work, since childhood. Mr. Caulfield's style had certainly changed, and these were not the Cape Cod scenes that I had remembered as a kid. My son always thought that the woman in this painting was me, and I never bothered to correct him because I rather liked the idea; and still do.

October Shadows, Woodstock

Mr. Caulfield in collaboration with his son Craig, wrote a book about his life. Mr. Caulfield revealed very intimate details of his less than picture perfect childhood, growing up on the rough city streets of Roxbury; while being raised by his maternal grandmother. To learn more about his life, and how he became a painter, read Ruggles Street.

I correspond with Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield around Christmas, sending them pictures of my children every year. In return, they send me cards with lithograph prints of Mr. Caulfield's current works. They are the closest thing to a real Robert O. Caulfield that I can get right now. Using a bit of creativity I framed the cards, and created a montage of his work for my living room wall. This will do for now.

Name Unknown

All the paintings pictured are from my parents private collection, and I have the luxury of viewing them whenever I visit. I highly recommend The Art of Robert O. Caulfield, a beautiful coffee table book filled with gorgeous images of his paintings. Not to brag, but "my copy" was personally signed by Mr. Caulfield, and is a true treasure of mine.

Light Snow, 5th Avenue

I have also had the pleasure of visiting Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield at their Woodstock Gallery, located right on the green in downtown Woodstock, Vermont. Make sure to plan a visit, and don't forget to let them know that I sent you.




Until next time...L.

The Boston Flower Show | 2012

Spring has finally sprung with the arrival of the Boston Flower Show. In great anticipation and excitement, I made a trip in to see the show. I wanted to catch the demonstration presented by John Sexton of Strawberry Banke. Being familiar with the beautiful gardens at Strawberry Banke, I knew it would not disappoint.

The Boston Flower Show is always such a visual extravaganza. It is hard to know where to look as beauty can be seen in just about every direction. Being a visual learner I never tire of a show like this where I can take it all in and let it marinate. There are always a few takeaways of which I can always count on.

The knitted appearance of these poufs creates an interesting texture for this outside garden theme. 

I like the shape and scale of this topiary that flanks the brick walkway. Takeaway: Add softness and interest with the addition of flowering bulbs at the base of a container.

This reflection pool reminds me of the beautiful English gardens that I saw on my trip to England last summer. It always amazes me how these garden vignettes are created and modified to fit into an inside venue. Unexpected, inviting and absolutely beautiful! The sweet and soft chirping of birds could be heard while people stood viewing this themed garden. It was easy to forget for a moment that you were inside a convention center.

I spotted this pear shaped vessel recently at HomeGoods. Takeaway: Designs created by "professionals" are never completely out of reach for us regular peeps. Just keep yours eyes open as affordable ideas are never far from reach. 

I learned from floral and event designer John LaRoche of blueGuava, that he loves to adorn chandeliers with flowers. I thought of him when I spotted this chandelier, and the secret he revealed about using faux flowers vs. fresh. The overall effect is not compromised, as the flowers are not viewed at close range.

Floral Fascinators were on display this year. I spotted this stunning fascinator designed by Lisa Greene AAF, AFID, PFCI, of Eric's Flower Emporium. Having just visited England right on the heels of the Royal Wedding, this floral Fascinator was reminiscent of the hats I saw during my visit. Lovely! I have had the pleasure of interning with Lisa for the last few months, and it has been a great opportunity for me.

This Rastafarian influenced hat is a bit unexpected. Love the dreads...

A naturally-inspired floral Fascinator with a unique combination of textures. Designed with succulents, antlers and a touch of coral. Love it!

I finally move on to the main reason why I went to the show, John Sexton. These pictures are fuzzy as he was moving fast whipping through design after design. I learned a few things from John's demonstration which I would like to share. FYI, floral designs referred to as Dish Gardens shall now be known as European or English Gardens. Takeaway: English Gardens

John designed three "English Gardens" during his demonstration. One was designed with tropicals, one with assorted spring bulbs, and one with a Phalaenopsis orchid. His container choice for the orchid had unique lines and would be great for a dinning table. Takeaway: Design like flowers with like flowers.

One interesting tidbit that John shared was with his use of packing peanuts. He uses them to provide drainage and to help keep the weight of the design to a minimum. As he was explaining this I heard a bit of grumbling from the Martha's in the crowd as packing peanuts are not exactly organic in nature. Takeaway: If you think about using packing peanuts as an opportunity to repurpose something that would end up in a landfill then you will realize that it's not a bad idea. In essence, it is a form of green designing.

Takeaway and be inspired!

Until next time...L.

Art in Bloom | 2012

Artist: Britt Daw

Tonight is the opening night reception at the Lynnfield Library for Art in Bloom 2012. I am finally ready to interpret my painting for the second, and final time. I will be designing with fresh flowers, yippee.  My fresh floral interpretation will be on display at the Lynnfield Library from March 12-16, 2012, along with my fellow garden clubbers. I wanted my approach to be completely different than the silk interpretation that I had done for the window display. Demonstrating that there are many ways in which one can interpret a piece of art. Even if it is done twice, by same person.

I found this interesting lantern at none other than, HomeGoods. It was love at first sight!  I believe that the shape, color, shading and architectural feel of this lantern will be the twist I need to make this interpretation different from the last. I will not have to be concerned with size, like in the library window design. The lantern will represent the significance of the Eiffel Tower's size that I had wanted to represent in my design.

Who doesn't love the look of a great nest? This one I had on-hand, and it reminded me of all things french. It speaks of a stark winter with leafless trees, seen in the painting. Something a little unexpected to suggest a touch of softness (feathers), which will be in contrast to the towers cold metal exterior.

Floral elements for my design are tones of white to play on the winter scene, roses, lilies, pussy willow and Arabicum.

A close up of the flowers positioned inside the lantern. I adore the reflection of the lights against the glass. Not willing to change my original plan of having the arrangement inside the lantern, adjustments had to be made to make it fit. And, what seemed impossible this afternoon, worked out fine in the end.

The nest tucks in nicely against the burlap backdrop.

Thanks goes out to Britt Daw, whose beautiful watercolor of the Eiffel Tower was the inspiration behind all of my designs. Until next year...




L.

Art in Bloom is...

Art in Bloom is... the concept behind my window design for the Lynnfield Library. Telling a visual story about the "art of interpretation."

I think this design speaks for itself, or at least I hope it does. The story begins with a little burlap of course, to set the stage. I envisioned mini chalkboards with descriptive words to help the viewer visualize the artistic thought process. I improvised with black paper and chalk to achieve the look, aiming for a french feel all around.

My silk interpretation as the final visual for this stories end.

This design will be on display for the month of March at the Lynnfield Public Library. I hope to see you on March 12, 2012 for the opening night reception, as I will be interpreting this painting for a second time using fresh flowers. Details available on Lynnfield Patch.


Until next time...L.

Art in Bloom = Silk Design

watercolor by Britt Daw

Today I set up my window design in preparation for Art in Bloom 2012, coming to the Lynnfield Library on March 12-16, 2012.  I chose to interpret my artist's painting with silk flowers as part of my window design. Creating a focal piece/point for visual effect will helped to support my design concept. Art in Bloom is...

As I mentioned before, interpretation is an individual thing. This painting spoke to me, as I have fond memories of visiting Paris, and the Eiffel Tower as a teen. I love the winter scene of this painting with its stark muted tones highlighting the Eiffel Tower's shape and structure. It's easy to picture yourself standing in Paris after a snowfall, admiring this massive creation.

As I was designing, I needed to keep in mind the size of the library window. My silk design would need to be on a smaller scale, and therefore I would be slightly limited on container choice.  I found this amazing french-inspired wire basket at Jacobson, in Boston. I knew that the basket would help to show the towers architectural structure, and that the color was an ideal choice.

I had some birch on-hand from my yard, which proved to be handy. The piece above just slipped right into the basket without any modifications. The birch texture symbolizes the trees, snow and the mottled sky which is depicted in the painting. The birch also hides the Sahara brick foam used to hold in the silk flowers. It is a win, win all around.

Here is the beginning process of my flower placement. I chose seeded eucalyptus as my filler for its unique color. The muted green, and multi-textured appearance of the eucalyptus would provide the perfect backdrop for my silk design.

White roses symbolizing freshly fallen snow, and tallow berries to represent the leafless trees.

Lotus flower pods were added last minute, as they provide some weight and dimension. Picking up on the street lights that lead up to the tower.

Look for me at the Lynnfield Library on March 12-16, 2012, my final interpretation of the Eiffel Tower painting will be on display. I will demonstrate how to re-interpret the same painting with fresh flowers using a completely different approach. Stay tuned.



Until next time...L.