MADE IN ENGLAND ART SCHOOL COOL LONDON CALLING ALICE’S WONDERLAND
For this, the second issue of EVERYTHINGinmyhouse, we have been on a tour of the English coast; visiting St Ives to meet the brilliant colourist Sonya Walters, to Newlyn to explore an exciting new art school and then on to Deal in Kent from where we introduce Carson Parkin-Fairley and her charming up-cycled vintage fabric fashion range, Made by Carson. We also get whimsical in featuring the work and homes of artists Alice Instone and (The Magpie and the Wardrobe’s mistress) Sam McKechnie, hear some New York stories from American sculptor Marc Blane, meet two very London artists in the form of Brian Usher and Anji Richards and then visit The Old Wooden House where 20th century collecting is given a unique vintage retail inspired spin. In our store of items for sale there are lots of collectable pieces to browse and buy – from 20th century furniture and limited edition prints to vintage couture and rare books. And unique works by all of the artists featured are also available to purchase from the store. The relevant links to those shopping pages appear throughout the magazine so that you can read and browse at the same time. We hope you enjoy this month’s magazine and store offers – and if you like the site please do tell your friends about us! Or if you know someone who you think we should be featuring then why not get in touch? Contact details are on the site home page. The next issue will be available to view on August 30th. Emily Evans, Editor.
CONTENTS Alice’s Wonderland pages 6-14 Made by Carson pages 16-21 London Calling pages 24-29 Newlyn School Rules pages 32-38 Beautiful Creatures pages 40-45 New York Stories pages 48-51 Colour Sensation pages 52-58 The Old Wooden House pages 60-65
A
LICE’S
WONDERLAND
ARTIST ALICE INSTONE OPENS THE DOOR INTO HER INTRIGUING HOME AND STUDIO Here at EVERYTHINGinmyhouse we have been admirers of Alice Instone’s work for some time. From her Interview With A Shoe exhibition (featuring the stories behind the favoured footwear of Bianca Jagger and Sir Peter Blake amongst others), to The House of Fallen Women where Alice focussed on infamously wild and brave females from history such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Elizabeth the First, Madame Pompadour (but modelled by successful women of our times like Annie Lennox and Emma Freud), her work has inspired and intrigued in its’ play on gender and power and in its’ ability to entwine the historic with the contemporary (and always with a shock of playfulness or drama). So it was with no shortage of over excitement that we went to meet Alice and explore her South London home and studio. Alice’s most recent work is building towards a show entitled Because A Fire Was In My Head (from a poem by Yeats) at the Cob Gallery (Camden) in November and her pretty studio is currently brimming with works in progress. As with all of Alice’s work we can see her fascination with history and time’s familiar tales unravelling in new pieces that continue the theme of challenging how we view women. From Bronzino’s Venus and Ovid’s Cornix to Snow White, multiple ‘found’ references thread together a compelling
narrative in these her latest paintings and print pieces. A series of exquisite screen prints with glitter, depicting an elaborate tangle of thorns, create a fairytale like path down one hallway (and will feature in the November show). “These glitter pieces are the view from Sleeping Beauty’s window” Alice explains. “Thorns are a very potent motif and tap into our shared collective visual memory (a theme of my work) from fairy tales to religious imagery. Flesh pierced by thorns is a recurring image. The different colours of each print are different forests; a diamond forest, a gold forest, a silver forest, a charred black forest…” 10
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In Alice’s drawing room a huge canvas itself entitled Sleeping Beauty’s Window (also destined for her show in November) follows the theme through and we are now very much in Alice’s world. Empty gilded frames, Chinoiserie embroidered piano shawls, flower filled Victorian glass bell jars and phrenologist’s ceramic busts sit alongside books full of inspiration (Cecil Beaton illustrations and Russian textiles are her pick for today). Here in the drawing room and throughout the rest of the house subtle visual plays on scale create intrigue and the Alice in Wonderland references don’t stop there; with flamingo and playing card wallpapers, miniature antique key collections and a white rabbit all spotted on our tour. Upstairs in Alice’s bedroom the artist’s love of the feminine and glamorous is on full display. A passion for vintage fashion and showstopper shoes is manifested via a curated wardrobe of gorgeous frocks and high heels resplendent with mood board enhanced internal doors. 12
“Gypsy style, Russian textiles, dachas, folklore, ethnic rugs, kaffe fassett, velvet, butterfly wings, slubbed silk and sheepskin, leopard, old glass, ferns, foliage, antique fans, glitter, Victorian pudding illustrations, pewter…the eclectic, the beautifully crafted, the constantly evolving and improving with age (like us)...” New works printed on silk maintain Alice’s take on the way women are adorned and are often perceived. Giant dressmaker’s scissors and delicate keys screened onto silk take on a symbolic quality; “Scissors manage to be both menacing and familiar, the long sharp blades are masculine and the holes for fingers feminine” says Alice. “Like scissors, keys are masculine and feminine, with their holes (often decorative) for fingers - feminine - and the barrel which is poked into a lock (!) - masculine - they are also 13
associated with secrets and the forbidden.” Her word spirals printed onto silk are quiet and elegant in their pattern but then shocking in content. “Slag Spirals list the numerous words for women of loose morals - pointing to the scarcity of ones for men and highlighting the differences in what is acceptable behavior for men and women,” explains Alice. “ The decorative spirals draw you in so you get a little shock when you actually start reading the words.”
A selection of Alice Instone’s printed silks and woodcuts are available for sale at everythinginmystudio store pages. For more information about the November show go to www.aliceinstone.com 14
STOREPICKS A IS FOR ALPHABET.....and Alice Peter Blake goes all Lewis Carrol One of only 95 (framed) Available at EVERYTHINGinmyhouse £1750
WHEN YOUR MOTHER IS GLAMOROUS WRITER AND PERFORMER SOPHIE PARKIN AND YOUR GRANDMOTHER IS ARTIST MOLLY PARKIN,
THE CREATIVE GENES ARE CLEARLY IN ABUNDANCE. MEET CARSON PARKIN-FAIRLEY...
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At just twenty-one years old, Carson Parkin-Fairley has already done and seen more than most people twice her age. From performing en famille in legendary Soho venues to organising cool music industry events across East London and with an address book full of the most interesting names from the arts and creative industries, life has already been full and varied for the junior Parkin. Thus a recent move to the (quietly) trendy coastal town of Deal in Kent and the launch of an eponymous fashion label is not surprising for someone of such tender years.
“I moved to Deal as a bit of a means to an end but after falling in love with it, decided to stay. Living by the sea is amazing; always having somewhere you can go to clear your head. The calming effect it has is overwhelming” Carson explains. “There’s also a really wonderful community here, loads of artists and musicians about, it is a wholly creative place. There is a hell of a lot going on here for a little seaside town. And after twenty-one years in London it’s quite nice to have life running at a slightly slower pace.” 18
“I wanted to wear things that I couldn’t find anywhere in the shops, so I started making them myself.”
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Her new fashion venture labelled Made by Carson is a mini collection of one-off pieces created from up-cycled vintage fabrics and tea-towels with each item handmade by Carson at home in Deal. “I often find money is wasted paying for something you think is unique but is mass produced. It’s just disappointing really. This was kind of the birth of Made by Carson. I wanted to wear things that I couldn’t find in the shops. So I started making them myself.” In her studio a vintage 1960s Singer sewing machine, stacks of eclectic, vibrant cloth remnants and a rail of her unique creations are set amongst an archive of paintings by Molly Parkin, kitsch collectables, family heirlooms such as a pair of hand embellished Manolo Blahnik shoes (made especially for a performance by Molly) and keepsakes from intriguing looking events and gatherings attended over the years.
Exploring Carson’s range we fall for her sweet signature aprons good enough to wear ‘out’ – that are made up from unused vintage tea-towels featuring touristic souvenir prints, royal wedding commemoratives, nostalgic brands from across the decades as well as all over retro patterns. Carson’s other key item is a cute puff of a skirt made from vintage printed silks and cottons with a drawstring ribbon tie waist; an idea that has now extended into drawstring ribbon tie shorts as well as simple matching shell tops where there is fabric available. “I think the great thing about the clothes I’m making is that you will never see someone wearing the same thing. The skirts are all one-offs, as are the aprons, 20
and if I buy fabric I make a few different items out of it, so as not to repeat” says Carson. “I buy fabric from all over the place, anything from curtains to bed spreads to men’s Tootal scarfs. All of it is vintage or second hand.”
New Made by Carson items in development for the future include pieces in African inspired batiks along with dresses, shirts with matching shorts or skirts, playsuits and print bags while the current range of one-off pieces is exclusively available to buy within our store pages. To view the collection click here and keep an eye on our website for seasonal updates Made by Carson. 21
STOREPICKS STILL ROLLING FIFTY YEARS ON This original photograph by Philip Townsend was one of the very first publicity shots taken of the Rolling Stones – and with the band celebrating 50 years of gigging we thought we would highlight this piece. Townsend’s image is taken on Chelsea Embankment (studio stamped and framed) Available at EVERYTHINGinmyhouse £280
WE LOVE Here’s to SENIOR SERVICE! The OBAs ... the art prize for over 60s only. As judged by Maggi Hambling (closing date the end of the month)!...Peter Blake celebrates his 80th... Ari Seth Cohen’s Advanced Style book... and The Rolling Stones celebrate 50 years of gigging!... MADE IN ENGLAND... established brand revivalism from Fox Bros, Horrockses and Ercol... Milliner Stephen Jones’ illustrated limited edition cards for HIV charity www.ibase-editions.co.uk
THE BLOOMSBURY SET.... Original Omega workshop designed rugs at Christopher Farr..... and Pilgrimage by Annie Liebowitz (an exhibition from the book) showing at Charleston House...
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LONDON CALLING POP ART, PUNK, SKA AND URBAN CULTURE ALL INFORM THE ART COLLECTION AND THE PERSONAL WORK OF THIS VERY LONDON COUPLE 25
Photographer Brian Usher and artist Anji Richards have been collecting art for the past ten years and here in our July issue the couple introduce us to their ever evolving collection as well as to their own work. In their South London home artworks by the pair (photographs, drawings, paintings and their latest collaborative pieces) sit alongside an enviable collection of iconic prints by Sir Peter Blake, Shepard Fairey, Sir Terry Frost and Ray Richardson to name but a few. BRIAN AND ANJI’S MUST HAVES........ HIP HOP, DUBSTEP, GONJASUFI, FLYING LOTUS, MARS VOLTA, SEX PISTOLS, BIG YOUTH, DR ALIMANTADO, KING TUBBY, KING MIDAS SOUND, FOUR TET, BURIAL, MOTORHEAD, HENDRIX, FUNKADELIC, VINTAGE FASHION JUNKSHOPS, DESIGNER SHOES (DE HAVILLAND), FRED PERRY, SHEPARD FAIREY, INVADER, PAUL INSECT. Usher, who studied photography at Bournemouth started collecting “when I was photographing for an art dealer and realised what a pleasure it is to be close to the work. I believe it to be a good investment at the same time. Prints are a good way to enter the market because clearly the prices are more affordable. Our criteria is usually go with your heart, stick to what you know and always check the provenance!” The now shared passion forms a big part of the look and feel of the couple’s home and new works by Invader and London artist Paul Insect cause excitement as we pull them out of the plan 26
chest; the art collecting bug being all apparent. And art isn’t all that they collect. A library of vinyl (mainly him) features everything from punk, reggae, and rock to house, hip hop and dubstep. “We really like Gonjasufi, Flying Lotus, Mars Volta, Sex Pistols, Big Youth, Dr Alimantado, King Tubby, King Midas Sound, Four Tet, Burial, Motorhead, Hendrix...,” expands Usher. While vintage fashion and charity shop finds (mainly her) fill wardrobes where Fred Perry clothing and Doctor Marten boots reign, (we love Brian and Anji’s classic retro street style uniform), while coveted Terry de Havilland shoes reveal Anji’s guilty pleasure. Trained in Fashion Design at London College of Fashion and Fashion Drawing at Central St Martin’s, Anji Richards recently exhibited at the Hill and Hill Gallery (self portraits as seen here and figurative paintings), but most recent works take 27
the form of a collaborative venture with photographer partner Usher. Created using a combination of dye transfer and acrylic, this series of paintings entitled ‘Rioters’ entice the viewer in their formal painterly approach and traditional miniature scale; an unlikely (and inspired) format and technique for modern day social commentary. “This work is all about fear, anger and greed. Fear of what might be to come - the breakdown of society and anger about the state of the world. The fear of those that have, that it might be taken from them by the anger of those who have 28
not, made worse by the greed of those who already have too much. They are inspired by the feeling from the street after the riots in London last summer,� adds Usher. A selection of the Rioters’ paintings by Brian and Anji are available to buy from our studio store page along with a selection of their individual works including the drawings seen in this feature. Pieces by Sir Peter Blake and Shepard Fairey are also for sale at everythinginmyhouse. 29
STOREPICKS ERCOL CHAIRS We love these six light elm Goldsmith chairs (including two carvers) by Ercol Excellent condition Available from EVERYTHINGinmyhouse ÂŁ600
STOREPICKS THE WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERER A rare first edition and signed copy of Michael Horovitz’s 1971 poetry book, brilliantly illustrated by David Hockney Patrick Hughes, Peter Blake, Adrian Henri and many other artsists and friends Available from EVERYTHINGinmyhouse £65
NEWLYN S
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SCHOOL RULES
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WITH ITS RICH HERITAGE AND EPONYMOUS
THAT NEWLYN ALWAYS HAD ITS OWN REAL
BY THAT NAME. BUT THIS ONLY CAME ABO
OF ONE ARTIST- HENRY GARFIT - W WITH A REAL With a massive legacy laid down by artists such as Stanhope Forbes, Walter Langley, Norman Garstin and Henry Scott Tuke among many others, the town of Newlyn and its eponymous historical painting scene have been firmly on the global art history map for over a century. But until last year (contrary to possible popular belief), Newlyn has never had an art school going by the name Newlyn School of Art. The area, ironically, in recent years had also suffered from a chronic lack of affordable studio space for working artists - and given that there are 10,000 creatives working in the county this was a clear problem apparent to Henry Garfit.
Moving from London to west Cornwall nine years ago with the ambition to become a full time painter, Garfit found it impossible to find workable studio space for himself and after a chance encounter with a member of the landowner Bolitho family (on a sleeper train from Penzance) found himself, in 2008, setting up 34
‘SCHOOL’ OF PAINTING, YOU MIGHT ASSUME
L LIFE ARTS EDUCATION FACILITY KNOWN
OUT LAST YEAR VIA THE DETERMINATION
WHO HAS CREATED AN ART SCHOOL DIFFERENCE. a community of 15 self contained studios at the Bolitho Estate’s Trewidden Gardens. The desire to fulfil his personal artistic ambition had been over taken by a need to help others in the same boat. “When I moved into the area in 2003 I had long been aware of the fact that the far west of Cornwall has many resident artists; second only to London within the UK in fact, but I soon became aware that there was a chronic lack of studio space here. By working with local landowners we have been able to create a number of new purpose built studio spaces which supplement those few that already existed in the area and Newlyn in particular is seeing a regeneration of talented artists working here.”
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“These are exciting times for Newlyn and the existence of the new school alongside the work of the well known Newlyn Art Gallery and the recently reinvigorated Newlyn Society of Artists are all helping put Newlyn on the map again for contemporary art.� With the studios at Trewidden immediately filled Garfit then turned his attention to other issues affecting working artists. Reliance on teaching and lecturing work, he discovered, often distracted them from their own creative output and the idea for a school of art that provided (less time demanding) pockets of supplementary income for local artists via short 1-4 day courses and evening classes was seeded. With an Arts Council grant secured, premises located and a ready-made name to use, he set about making the school a reality.
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“When I heard that the Arts Council had agreed to offer the remaining funding needed for the set up equipment for the school during the very weeks when all the bad news was coming out for theatres, galleries and museums I had to pinch myself; several times. It has been a vast amount of work to get everything up and running and twist a lot of arms and I am delighted that we have been so well supported by artists working in West Cornwall who make the courses what they are; authentic experiences of a few inspiring days spent working alongside respected practicing artists. These are exciting times for Newlyn and the existence of the new School alongside the work of the well known Newlyn Art Gallery and the recently reinvigorated Newlyn Society of Artists are all helping put Newlyn on the map again for contemporary art.”
Set high on Newlyn’s Chywoone Hill, Garfit’s Newlyn School of Art is now entering its second year of courses and the schools’ approach has proved a hit with both its well known artist tutors and the breadth of visiting students. With its name embedded in history and tradition, the school has forged a sensitive link to its locale and the past (productive alliances to the Penlee House Gallery and Museum and Tate St Ives are in place) but its’ ethos is all new and of its own making. The old Victorian school building itself reminds us of the history of painting and drawing but while traditional skills are taught, the teaching errs on the side of progressive and can be informal, free-form and experimental. 37
“We are lucky to have a wealth of breathtaking coves, beaches and cliff top sites just a few minute’s drive from the school...” Respected artists such as Sam Bassett, Naomi Frears, Lisa Wright, Neil Pinkett, Jessica Cooper and Jason Walker are amongst the roster of over twenty passionate practitioners that Garfit has lined up for this year’s inspired calendar of short courses. And amongst the most interesting, we think, are the landscape courses such as ‘Coast’ which takes you out onto Atlantic coastal paths and beaches, working together with other students with a wide range of materials and learning from this new breed of local artists what working in the landscape can mean via their open and innovative approach. “We are lucky to have a wealth of breathtaking coves, beaches and cliff top sites just a few minute’s drive from the school and artist Paul Lewin who has recently joined the school as the teacher on our new three day Coast course knows the dramatic local coastline like the back of his hand.”
Details for the 3 day landscape course ‘Coast’ along with all of Newlyn School of Art’s other Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Stone Carving, Textile Design and Art History courses can be found at www.newlynartschool.co.uk or call Henry Garfit on 01736 365557 for more information. 38
WE LOVE BESIDE THE SEASIDE... Go and see Tracey Emin’s She Lay down Deep Beneath The Sea at the Turner Contemporary, Margate...
BESIDE THE SEA... Tessa Farmer’s latest show at Millenium Gallery, St Ives...
STAY... at The Old Rectory, Hastings... CHECK OUT... The Black Douglas Cafe in Deal... FROM SEASALT... Potter’s smock dresses... VISIT... Penlee Park Open Air Theatre, Penzance...
Beautiful C SAM McKECHNIE OF THE MAGPIE AND THE WARDROBE LETS US INTO HER FAIRYTALE-LIKE HOME AND TELLS US SOME SECRETS...
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Creatures
Photography for Sam’s house by Brian Usher copyright 2012. 41
I have two ‘O’-levels to my name...I am selftaught...I dropped out...I have always been an artist, painting and making, but I was also an
antiques dealer for a long time, dealing in tat and tut and things that no one else seemed to want but I loved. My first job was selling old Victorian
petticoats and bloomers out of the back of an old Land Rover on Portobello road on a Friday morning when I was 16. Thirty years on, I still 42
wear Victorian petticoats! I make chandeliers and also large fairytale mirrors for Designers Guild, mobiles and items for window display - painting
on glass but also twig and branch chandeliers for Christmas. I love Louise Bourgois, Georgian houses four square and anything that hasn’t been
done up. I hate restoration, or anything faux, I love soft white fairy lights but hate LED and love multi coloured fairy lights and tinsel. 43
I could never be minimal and don’t want to be. I love Japan. I think Magpie appeals especially in Japan as everything I make is slightly different
so then an object becomes your own and a little bit more of a lucky charm because it isn’t copied. I have made many friends over there over
the years and they are very precious to me. Companies have tried to copy me but they can’t get the individual feel. Magpie and the Wardrobe 44
is stocked in the UK by Designers Guild (soon to be available in The Cross). Sam’s own website www.magpieandthewardrobe.com offers a limited
collection and she makes bespoke chandeliers, wedding necklaces and fairies by appointment. Oh, and this is Pansy – she is a Deerhound/Lurcher
from Battersea Dogs Home! Call 07770 961362 or email sam@magpieandthewardrobe.com for project timescales and more information. 45
STOREPICKS CLASSIC GALLIANO We love this seminal floor length vintage John Galliano tuxedo evening coat for its A/W 2012 dark and deeply glamorous vibe Featured in our new Vintage Couture and Designer section Available at EVERYTHINGinmywardrobe ÂŁ800
STOREPICKS NEW YORK NEW YORK We are also lusting after Ken Gill’s Deep Time Latent New York canvas (Bleeker Street and Perry Street) Available at EVERYTHINGinmystudio £650
NEW YORK STORIES
ARTIST MARC BLANE TURNS NEW YORK CITY STREET LIFE ON ITS HEAD TO BRING US HIS PERSONAL VISUAL TAKE ON THE STATE OF A NATION 48
Marc Blane’s Extreme Jewellery sculptures (oversized industrialfeel replicas of bling-obsessed America’s accessory icons) were recently put on display in the sedate surroundings of Chelsea Arts Club’s lush private garden. A fitting contextual backdrop for an artist whose work has turned the furniture and detritus of New York’s streets into hi-low art statements and who makes us re-evaluate social assumptions about the urban landscape; here with these ‘monuments’ to bling reminding us who really holds the reins of influence and power in American culture today.
From his conceptual works that question the notion of (more traditional) monuments within cities and their relevance in the modern day populous - such as Teddy Roosevelt masked by a giant bubble of street found soda bottle caps (which may say something more truthful to the passer by about contemporary US belief systems than the figure concealed within) to his (monumental in feel) basket ball hoops sitting atop disused, redundant pedestals and plinths so prevalent in the city’s less wealthy district parks and gardens - Blane consistently makes us look 49
at NYC through a fresh pair of eyes. His Forces of Urban Nature works show again that key New York urban icon of the basket ball hoop, this time growing ancient iron roots, like a felled tree, with the structure becoming a metaphor for a recent, seemingly acceptable replacement to nature. Other conceptual pieces play on the idea of a broader urban playground with ancient burial mounds and bucolic deer parks imagined by the artist upon the derelict wastelands of the Bronx.
Blane’s own urban playground has always been New York, growing up with his family in the Brooklyn and then living and working on the lower East Side ever since it was the undesirable denizen of the down and out (well before it became a pleasure dome for the underground art and music scene back in the Eighties). 50
In 1979 and living in the lower East Side’s Bowery district, Blane became intrigued by a particular brand of wine which was clearly marketed to the city’s street drinkers (with its pocket friendly shape and size and ‘straight from the bottle’ ergonomics). At the same time he was creating other works around the concept of the city’s burnt out high rises. In collecting up the empty green wine bottles a series of works was formed – with a photograph of a derelict New York building placed inside each bottle and then cases of 24 of the bottles stamped with the title Abandoned Buildings. NYC’s unwanted – all neatly packed up and sold off. We are privileged to have a limited number of these highly collectable Abandoned Buildings bottles from 1979 offered for sale on the store pages at everythinginmystudio. Five other concept pieces (on paper) by Marc Blane are also available at our studio store page. And to see more of his recent Extreme Jewellery works please visit the artist’s website www.marcblane.com 51
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COLOUR SENSATION EXTRAORDINARY COLOURIST SONYA WALTERS TAKES US ON A JOURNEY TO WARMER CLIMES VIA ST. IVES
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Approaching the studio of painter Sonya Walters you could well mistake this secluded St. Ives haven for another country. The white walled, cobbled courtyard is filled with colourful succulents, ferns and glossy palms and in the sunshine could pass for the garden of a south American casa de pueblo or a north African riad; forming the perfect visual pathway into this particular artist’s world. Trained at Chelsea College of Art and Design, painter and printmaker Walters work is all about travel and home; or more specifically is all about the artist’s vivid memories of colour and light in those hot far-flung places where everything appears slightly new to the eye and excitingly unfamiliar and about St. Ives where she chooses to live and paint. Time spent in Morocco, the Caribbean and Cuba form the inspiration for many of her most recent paintings and prints and it is in these countries that Walters finds the colour that feeds her 55
unique palette. Inky black green tones of ancient palms, the hot pink of Marrakesh and the sharp, punchy brights of citrus and blooms all work together in Walters’ canvasses. “Colour is the all encompassing ingredient” she explains “and initially, it’s the trigger to ideas which express the excitement in surroundings and a regard for a reaction to what I am seeing and feeling. Pairing down to simple shapes or areas of colour I aim for a physical involvement from the viewer where they may be drawn into blueness....or grey....or pink in any particular canvas.” Symbolism and icons from her journeys feature too. The traditional tags of Moroccan wall messaging feature in various new paintings “I wanted more to get the essence of the experience or memory, the sense of place, echoes of things that people do and the distinctive marks that they leave.” Past the courtyard garden of sub-tropical fauna and into Walters’ studio, we enter a simple space made truly uplifting via the artist’s vibrant canvasses and dominated by a striking wall of collected visual inspiration. Walters’ passion for travel is evident in myriad images from lands already visited and those yet to be explored; the colours of India, street life in Jamaica, the architecture of north Africa. And in between sit cherished family photos and momentoes which speak of home life and loves; newspaper clippings about Walters’ heart throb Ian Dury, photographs of her 56
cool teenage grandchildren and humorous newspaper cut outs. “It s just a collection that evolves without any order or planning. Cards people send me, colours torn off anything, photos or cuttings......it grows and changes with time.” Walters’ home features a similar mix of ‘global village’ finds and familial keepsakes as the giant mood board at her studio; and we are reminded of the artist’s canvasses and her print work with flashes of colour from neon orchids and a collection of exotically hued rugs (some from specialist store East of Here and others brought back from travels) all offset by a clean canvas of white wooden floorboards and neutral textiles. Here at home we also see the work of artists whom have inspired Walters in her painting; most notably John Hoyland RA, Sir Terry Frost RA and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (Willy to those who knew her). Other creative inspiration is drawn from Benin sculptures, graffiti art and Rothko. 57
On those whose work fills her light and airy home Walters says “The immediacy and joie de vivre in these pieces always makes me happy. Terry Frost’s Tied Up Newlyn sums up for me the Newlyn I lived in for twenty years...where the colours sing and the shapes dance. Willy’s bold and wonderful prints are powerful and gutsy, a combination of the lyrical, joyous and medative, intensely felt and deliberately risk taking; as are the John Hoyland etchings which I absolutely love.” A selection of Sonya Walters’ paintings and prints are offered for sale from her studio store page. You can also stay in Sonya’s St. Ives home which offers B&B www.arthouse-bandb-stives.com 58
STOREPICKS WILHELMINA BARNS-GRAHAM Wilhelmina Barns-Graham the grand dame of St Ives modernism introduced screen print into her repertoire relatively late in life This piece entitled Millenium Red Series was created with Graal Press just three years before she died aged 92 One of the only edition of 75 (signed, numbered and framed) Available at EVERYTHINGinmyhouse ÂŁ900
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With their respective backgrounds in retail display/store design and furniture restoration, Christine Brickman and Nick Judd have created a 20th century treasure trove of note at
the old wooden house
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Rarely do two separate passions for collecting things come together so perfectly; but at The Old Wooden House (the shared home and and workshop of Christine Brickman and Nick Judd), we discovered a combined history that has created a unique hybrid collection with its very own identity. Mid 20th century modern furniture pieces (an iconic Verner Panton relaxer, a Jorg Morgenssen sofa), are mixed up with “anything that is old and honest” in their unpretentious home which is as much a celebration of the natural, industrial and the whimsical as it is to any modernist aesthetic. “Vintage inspires in a throw away world, always referencing the past in a re-design for the future,” expands Brickman. “We love to mix modern and old; slick surfaces rubbing shoulders with the rough and the time worn.” But it is the couple’s love of retail display cabinets (him and her) and a breathtaking archive of vintage jewellery, accessories and visual display props (her) which really speaks volumes about their backgrounds. Brickman started collecting jewellery as a child (with her mum) at jumble sales in the late Sixties and the vintage bug was seeded. “When I was young if you bought something and then found another thing similar you just naturally started a collection. It was that easy. There was an abundance of stuff available – at jumbles, bazaars, junk markets and old houses – all to be had for next to nothing if you knew where to look and had a big purse full of loose change.” 62
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Biba, and its revolutionary theatrical retail style, then became a huge inspiration for the young Brickman who elected to pursue a successful career in visual display and store design seeing her work for Sears, Proportion London and Elemental design; all the while collecting more and more of her cherished vintage accessories with myriad sub collections of specifics such as tourist print scarves, Bakelite chain belts and animal brooches evolving over the years. (Work trips to the US – ostensibly for retail research – exposed Brickman to the massive flea markets of LA and New York allowing her to further indulge her passion throughout the late Eighties and Nineties). Nick Judd meanwhile was studying at the London College of Furniture and learning his trade via his family’s (Arts & Crafts focused) antiques business in Bermondsey. Periods spent restoring for Mallett, Mayfair and working as a master cabinet maker meant that Judd had his own set of loves and reference points when he got together with Brickman. But a shared love of mid-century modern style swiftly came into play when they set up their first home together. “The mid-century thing came about when we bought a flat within the Barbican and that whole style obviously just works so well with the architecture. And we really got involved in collecting pieces from there.” No longer in London they now have the space to enjoy their accessories archive and 64
the developed furniture collection which extends beyond the modernist style and into all manner of beautifully crafted domestic and industrial pieces from the last 100 years - along with the standout store furniture pieces that show the couple’s latest passion for restoring retail display cabinets. “Vintage store furniture is something that really bonds us,” explains Brickmann, “the pieces just make sense to us with Nick’s love of cabinet making and my love of collecting. We both seem to have a thing for drawers – like some other people do for chairs.” In 2010 Brickman and Judd set up their own website business called The Old Wooden House where browsers can buy selected items to buy from their lifelong treasure trove of finds. And we are thrilled that the couple have also curated a selection of items (vintage accessories with a nod to this season’s trends, furniture and display cabinets) available exclusively from us at EVERYTHINGinmyhouse.
Click here to view their curated furniture and vintage accessories selection of items for sale.
To view Chris and Nick’s website click here. 65
STOREPICKS VINTAGE RETAIL CHIC We would be as happy to see this vintage bronze and glass retail cabinet in our living room as in any cool concept store Manufactured by ‘Aickman Ltd London’ in the 1930s Available from EVERYTHINGinmyhouse £1650
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