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One-Man Show and Artist George Kovach Making Annual Appearance at Southwest Gallery
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Artist George Kovach will be at Southwest Gallery, in Dallas, Texas, Saturday, June 15 from 1 - 5 p.m.
About the artist
George Kovach was born of Hungarian descent in Cleveland, Ohio. It was during his childhood on an Ohio farm that art became the focus of George's life. There he strived to capture on canvas the beautiful countryside that surrounded his home. He attended and graduated from the Art Institute of Miami and became a full-time artist in 1972. George is busy painting at either his home in Texas or in his summer studio in New Mexico.
A founding member of the Texas Cowboy Artist Association, George was awarded a gold medallion three years consecutively for best oil painting. In 1976, at the request of Governor Dolph Briscoe, George represented Texas for the State's Cultural Acheivements during the Bi-Centennial celebrations in Philidelphia. George co-illustrated XIT, The American Cowboy, a major book publication by Oxmoor House. In December 1993, "US Art" magazine featured George as one of the Top 10 Artists to watch for during 1994, and as one of the Top 25 Artists of 1993. George's sold-out print, "Harvest at Holy Hill" was ranked among the Top 25 prints of 1993 by galleries across the country. He has been commissioned to do puzzles, calendars, and notecards to be distributed in Japan. AMCAL commissioned him to produce 1996 and 1997 calendars, notecards, and Christmas cards. His other commissions include two collector plate series, figurines, and limited edition villages.
George's landscapes also reflect the sensitivity and warmth which flows from the artist to the canvas. Each painting, eloquent and rich with the artist's unique lighting effect, has put his work in demand. Concise and quiet in manner, George is dedicated to the integrity of his profession and strives for authenticity and accuracy in each work.
In his own words, "painting is a way of communicating my thoughts and feelings and the joy that I receive from my art." As one stands before a Kovach painting, nostaligia is brought into vivid focus as he masterfully takes the viewer on a personal journey through time where the romance of the past is brought back to life.
Vellum: The Diamond of Books
While on a shopping trip earlier this week, I saw beautiful antique vellum books that gave me the inspiration to write this post!
Vellum books look gorgeous and are an accent to any design! Whether your style is antique, contemporary or modern, they add some warmth to the room. Vellum is a very thin fine parchment mainly made from calfskin. The word comes from the old French word “velin,” or “veal.”
Originally just plain hardback books, these tomes have been transformed into beautiful decorative objects. Each book is deconstructed and reassembled by hand with the finest materials. New spine detail is made using scanned 18th and 19th century documents and steel engravings that are printed on a beautiful handmade parchment paper that really captures their original elegance.
Johannes Gutenberg sculpture in Mainz, Germany
Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany
When Johannes Gutenberg started to print books in 1439, bookbinders started to develop the right binding. Vellum is a special kind of parchment that is being soaked in limewater and scraped and left to dry. The skin was perfect because it could be stretched over the boarding easier than leather.
Antique Vellum books are treasures and special treats. They had their high time in the 1800s, and the ones I saw made my heart beat jump up. Those books are definitely something spectacular for those who are collectors. I personally love when they are stacked. It just looks great.
Rescue, Restore and Redecorate
Rescue, Restore and Redecorate: an apt mantra; as in nature and in the world of design, one does every day. As a room full of eager students draped with black aprons waited to be taught, Amy Howard took center stage to show us why she is so passionate about restoring old pieces of furniture and how we can do it just as well as she does. Naturally, with grace, she brought us along the journey that lead to her childhood love to Rescue, Restore and Redecorate discarded furniture. I understand, dear reader, that you may be thinking this is just a post about another product to cater to the DIY’er frenzy. Well, it is not. And, yet, it is.
All the love and effort to bring a discarded piece back to life matter to Amy. She recounts a drive to the flea market she and her husband Gene were on when their pastor called, telling of his dream the night before of Amy and Gene teaching others to rescue, restore and redecorate. Touched by the message from their pastor, Gene says: “Isn’t that what God does for us? He rescues, restores and redecorates us bringing us new life.” So, you see my friend, her new product line isn’t just about the latest craze it has a deep personal meaning for her. Amy is a true southern lady with a charming personality to match. She has always had a keen eye for exquisite styling, and a timeless style of furnishings that designers like me would wait in line for hours just to get our hands on.
Although Amy manufacturers and sells a beautiful collection of furnishings, her product for the DIY market is just as wonderful as her collection pieces. Recently, my dear friend Leslie Wood (@Hadley_Court) and I had a fun time trying our hand at her workshop with her latest “green” one step paint product. It was a true delight having Amy teach us how to wax, gild and buff our wood moulding pieces into little gems. Her product is extremely easy to use (5-6 quick steps) and makes an old piece beautiful again, which perfectly fits with her Rescue, Restore and Redecorate mantra.
Here are the moulding pieces before:
Below are my finished pieces after (One Step Paint: Wax, Gold Gild and Dust of Ages):
There are many different applications in her line that can be mastered by anyone who has the desire to learn. A few of my favorites are: Toscana Finish kit (turn a chair into an Old World antique) and lacquer in a spray can.
David Dike Fine Art Presents Deforrest Judd | The Hidden Treasure in Texas Regional Modernism
Deforrest Judd (Am. 1919-1993)
Place to Picnic, 1953
Oil on masonite 28 x 38
Signed lower right: Deforrest Judd 53
Deforrest Judd (Am. 1919-1993) was a landscape and abstract painter. He was a longtime professor at Southern Methodist University, in Texas, from 1946 until 1982. Judd also taught at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts.
Deforrest Judd (Am. 1919-1993)
Prickly Pear Cactus 1971
Oil on canvas 30 x 40
Signed lower left: Deforrest Judd 71
Born in Hartsgrove, Ohio, Judd studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, graduating in 1938. From 1939 to 1942, he did post-graduate work at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center as a student of Boardman Robinson.
Deforrest Judd (Am. 1919-1993)
Prickly Pear Cactus, 1991
Oil on canvas 20 x 20
Signed lower right: Deforrest Judd 91
Judd's painting style has a noticeable evolution over the years. The 1950's mark his almost cubist one-dimensional oil abstractions with his use of palate knife, reminiscent of fellow painter and Dallas Nine artist, Otis Dozier. Landscapes focus on native plants and foliage and are a prominent subject for Judd. Whether it's the native cacti of Texas, or spruces of Colorado, Judd's experimental use of color makes these paintings applicable and relevant in any space.
Deforrest Judd (Am. 1919-1993)
Blue Mounatin, 1977
Oil on canvas 38 x 40
Singed lower right: Deforrest Judd 1977
His work is in the collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Museum of Southeast Texas (in Beaumont), and many other private Texas art collections across the state and country.
Latitude Collection by Delos Rugs: Exclusive Versatile and Innovative Technology for Indoors or Out
Rug Design: Coral SKU713
Delos Rugs is proud to showcase their new collection, Latitude, in their soon-to-be published, magazine-worthy catalog. They are the only company that sells made-to-order indoor/outdoor rugs, and all of the patterns within their line are available for this quality rug.
“What is surprising to me is how many large pieces roll through our manufacturing facility here in the U.S.,” says Leah Phillips, owner of Delos Rugs. “We didn't realize how many designers were going to utilize this collection for areas of high traffic, indoors.”
Rug Design: Hewn SKU36356
They also boldly added a pure white rug to the collection, because they had so many designers request it. It’s a “risk” that makes sense, because where else could you get a pure white rug that would actually be maintainable?
Stone Enhances Style
According to our guest blogger, Allied Stone Inc., natural stone can really play up and add to the character of a space, which is why you have to know what style to choose for your theme, with the plethora (and often overwhelming amount) of options.
With so many different types of stone to choose from, it is easy to find the perfect color and pattern to fit any style. Natural stone including granite, marble, and travertine have the ability to enhance a style in a space. In addition to choosing the right wood stain, wall paint color, and fabrics, choosing the right stone is one of the most important aspects of a kitchen. Stone countertops fit well in any style because there are seemingly enless options of stone types and colors. Each piece of natural stone is unique with its own mineral composition, vein patterns, and color concentrations. These characteristics help define the style of a stone allowing to work best in certain surroundings. Below are some of the popular styles of today and how to incorporate the correct stones to enhance the overall style and feel of the space.
Mid-Century Modern
Mid-Century modern homes have clean lines and simple approaches to detail, pattern and style. The best countertop selections are solid marble or finely speckled quartz or granite that have little to no pattern in the stone. Popular color choices for this style would be Absolute Black Granite or Olympian White Marble. By coupling solid colored stone in the countertop or fireplace surround with the classic mid-century modern architecture, the stone reinforces the importance of the lines and simplicity of the space.
Mary Anne Smiley Interiors Works with Local Artist to Design Custom Countertops
Photo by Danny Piassick
Designer Mary Anne Smiley, Mary Anne Smiley Interiors, recently worked closely with artist Richard Bettinger, Richard Bettinger Art Photography, along with a plumber, contractor and glass installer, to coordinate the design and install of custom designed bar countertops. One of Bettinger’s image was blown up to fit an entire U-shaped bar top, and was placed to best fit the shape of the bar top.
Photo by Danny Piassick
The photograph was laid on metal and topped with glass for protection. The magic is in the fact, that even though this countertop possesses a glow, it is not backlit. The brilliance comes from his incredible eye for art. Just look at the stunning results of their labor.
Interior Design Inspired by Exterior Elements
(Photo courtesy of Spaces Designed)
Design inspiration is often generated by the program for a space or from the signature features of a room. At Spaces Designed, we have found ourselves often inspired by something entirely outside of the space we are designing for: the exterior environment. When the architecture of a home sets up breathtaking views or allows in great amounts of light, we seek to find tangible ways to connect the interior and exterior.
This relationship to the exterior environment can manifest itself in many different ways. In the Istre residence open kitchen/living space, the longest continuous wall space houses eight-foot tall glazing with a specktacular Westlake cliff view. We felt that furniture and accessories with bright punches of color were in order to set against the backdrop of the neutral kitchen and lush landscape.
We used a similar concept in the room for a girl in this residence. The playful color scheme utilizes the landscape as an accent color.
(Photo courtesy of Spaces Designed)
In this Grover residence bedroom, the large shadow box windows become like art pieces within the simple, calming color scheme.
Roche Bobois Opens New Showroom in the Dallas Design District
Photo courtesy of Roche Bobois
Roche Bobois is thrilled to announce it’s now a part of the Dallas Design District! They just moved to their new showroom, now open, at 1707 Oak Lawn Avenue. Some of you might have seen it under construction. Now is your chance to check out its edgy European interior and see their unique offering of luxurious furniture.
Photo courtesy of Roche Bobois
About Roche Bobois:
Roche Bobois, a leader in European high-end furniture, has always been in a class of its own. With a network of 240 stores in 40 countries, the company has just celebrated its 50th anniversary. Known for its high quality, European know-how, and customization, each furniture piece is born of a close collaboration between the brand, designers, and manufacturers, many of which can be customized to specifically suit your needs.
Photo courtesy of Roche Bobois
How to Find Your Perfect Oriental Rug
Photo courtesy of Shabahang Empire Rugs
Shabahang Empire Rugs gives advice on pinpointing a rug best suited to your tastes and space.
Photo courtesy of Shabahang Empire Rugs
Measured decisions
Before you begin your search for an Oriental rug, take some time to think about size and color. Measure the room the carpet will be in. In general a 2 to 3’ border of floor is nice around an Oriental.
Photo courtesy of Shabahang Empire Rugs
Be furniture-conscious
Also, know where the furniture will sit in the room; you may require a smaller rug than you think you need. For example, a standard size for a dining room table will be 8×10. This will allow for the six chairs to be on the rug at all times. However, if the table is to be extended all of the time, a larger rug may be required.
