Salon NYC 2017

Each year, Salon holds a conference where decorative artists gather from all corners of the earth to paint , share techniques and present a panel of their work. The gatherings are held in various countries with this year being NYC!



The event was hosted by Arlene Mcloughlin and Jeanne S. Schnupp.

There is a theme for each Salon and participants interpret the theme in their panels. Art Deco was the theme for 2017 in New York.

 (Photo-Hugh Alan Luck)

(photo-Hugh Alan Luck)

 Pierre Finkelstein

 Arlene Mcloughlin

Hugh Alan Luck

Paolo Bello

Theresa Cheek

 Yoshimi Horie

Margaret von Kaenel

 Caterina Manisco

Jeanne S. Schnupp

 Jeanne S. Schnupp

David Hsueh

Steve Shriver

 Heidi Zilmer

Patrick Ganino

Julien Gautier

 Inga Belozerova

Jean Sablé

The highlight of the show was a panel done by Pascal Amblard of fellow artist Sean Crosby! The resemblance was incredible!!

Participants also painted daily demonstrating decorative art techniques.

 Stefano Luca

Helen Morris

Gert-Jan Nijsse

Marc Potocsky

Petr Dashchenko

Note the visible pounce marks from transferring the design to canvas

Two community murals were created  by members as well-

Special thanks to Pascal Amblard for just being Pascal Amblard!

For more photos from the exhibit and other activities, go to "Salon NYC 2017" facebook page!

Meet the artist- David Masterson...

Some people paint to make money, but the true artist paints because they are driven to, never factoring in how profitable a piece might be.

Walking into David Masterson's studio is proof of his obsession with painting! No surface is left untouched. Every wall and available ceiling space is covered and stacked with painted works.

Not only does David paint on canvas, he sculpts wood and works with ceramics as well as directing and producing film.  David Masterson is a true creator! You can follow David on facebook- he is in the studio daily painting .

I found him while I was working out of town for a month. His son worked in a paint store I was in and after we chatted, he said I ought to meet his Dad. Walking in the studio, I saw influences of Picasso, Ben Shawn, Matisse and aboriginal art.

Most of his work is large and on canvas or board.

The closer you look, you see layers of texture , collage and frenetic brush strokes.

His works on paper might be smaller in size but offer the same amount of energy!

Many works reflect his travels to Europe and other parts of the world.

Need some energy on your walls? Would you like to invest in real art? Contact David about investing in original art for your environment.

 If you are ever in Center, Texas, stop by..... David will be there....painting!

Embellishing a Catholic Church...

Did you ever just "click" with someone the minute you met them? I had that happen on a job recently. I was bidding on a simple gilding of a crucifix for a Catholic church and one thing led to another,....

The priest wanted to break up all of the stained wood and bring in some embellishments.

My inspiration came from a frame in the Metropolitan museum in NYC- I took this picture a few years before and thought the motif would be perfect for this job.

I scaled the design to fit the chevrons over the statuary and hand painted the motif using Modern Masters Pharaoh Gold and gold leaf.

A few days into the job, the ritual of espresso began...(perks of the job when the priest previously lived in Rome.)

Claydon House by Farrow and Ball proved to be the perfect blue for the background of the niches. 

Gilded stars finished the concept. Such an improvement!

...and I haven't even gilded the crucifix yet! That will happen next week.

It didn't hurt that my new bag from Rome arrived the same week! I hope my art samples can live up to such a beautiful bag! What an inspirational week! 

Venetian Treasures...

Sometimes, you don't have to travel to Venice to find Venetian treasures!

While digging through a stack of linens at an estate sale, recently I saw a mooring post peering back at me...

 My heart skipped a beat as I dug further....

 Placemats, napkins and a runner! All different Venetian motifs.

The stitchery was exquisite. Motifs include the San Marco horses, mooring posts, ships, wells, and of course gondolas! They were in pristine condition, never used with the "Made in Italy" tags still on each piece.

This is what every collector dreams of...finding that elusive needle in a haystack of "stuff". In  all the years I have traveled to Italy, I have never seen anything like these! Google tells me it is 5,410 miles from my house to Venice, Italy, I found these linens ten miles from my house...who knew?