We’re excited to share some fun and fresh new colorways of the Hepplewhite furniture series… The Hepplewhite furniture series is a part of the original Biltmore Collection for Artaissance and is comprised of a succinct collection of images from the Hepplewhite furniture design book from George Vanderbilt’s library in Biltmore House. See the some of the new Hepplewhite colorways below and learn how color can transform timeless, traditional design into fantastic, contemporary works of art…
Although these pieces may be more traditional in style, the fun and funky new colorways create a much more modern and dramatic art collection - ideal for any range of home decor styles!
What do you think? Do you have a favorite Hepplewhite colorway?
Throughout the month of October, our parent company, Larson-Juhl will donate all proceeds from the sale of their PINK custom framing products to Susan G. Komen for the Cure! All the details of Larson-Juhl’s breast cancer awareness month can be seen here.
We’d also like to celebrate all things PINK this month by sharing some of our most “pinktastic” artworks, perfect to be framed in Larson-Juhl’s pink custom picture frame mouldings and matboards…
Wouldn’t these fun, pink pieces be perfectly framed in Larson-Juhl’s most popular PINK picture framing products?!? And, you’d be giving back to breast cancer research at the same time
I hope you’ve enjoyed some of our favorite pink products as much as I have! Thanks so much for helping us support Larson-Juhl’s PINK campaign, and in turn, Susan G. Komen for the cure - happy October!!!
Please meet the latest addition to the Artaissance family of artists, Kathe Fraga - a fine art painter. Fraga’s new collection, exclusively available on Artaissance, is now live, so please check it out! Read below to learn more about the artist…
Kathe Fraga creates paintings that evoke the hand-painted, timeworn walls of a grand old Parisian mansion. Each piece resembles an aged decorative fresco panel adorned with birds and flowers, vines and leaves in a modern Chinoiserie style. Kathe’s original paintings are acrylic on frescoed canvas, finished with lacquer.
Kathe’s art is inspired by the beauty and romance of old: vintage silky kimonos, hand-worked embroidery, lacquered little boxes, blocked wallpaper and panels from years ago, distressed with age, revealing a soft loveliness still…you’ll see layered colors peeking out behind one another-pinks, blues, lavender-speckles of gold, a wisp of glitter. Each piece meant to be seen as part of a larger scene that’s been hidden away…until now.
The images are the influence of time spent by the artist living in the beautiful old cities of South America, Denmark, England, and France can be clearly felt.
We’re thrilled to share that our own Chief Curator, Steve McKenzie’s home is featured in the September issue of Traditional Home magazine! In addition to being Artaissance’s Chief Curator, Steve is also President and CEO of Larson-Juhl. As you can imagine, his home houses some beautiful works of art - all, of course, fantastically framed!
The designer who was able to meld Steve’s love for art with his home decor, was Kerry Howard of KMH Interiors. You may remember Kerry from these earlier blog posts.
I won’t share the whole story from Traditional Home with you, but I did want to share a few favorite spaces and some resource links, so that you could achieve a similar look with the art in your home.
The McKenzie’s office space is one of my very favorites from the home. The original art that is front and center is by Artaissance artist, T.L. Lange. You can view his full line for Artaissance here.
You can see another piece by T.L. Lange, custom framed in Larson-Juhl’s L7 collection, above the fireplace in the living room image below…
That fantastic oversize art, on the right side of the room is by local Atlanta artist, Deanna Sirlin. Not only do her pieces grace the walls in the McKenzie’s home, there are also a couple hanging on the walls of Larson-Juhl’s Atlanta Support Center.
That beautiful piece of art, above the fireplace in the family room is actually one of Steve’s works of art. If you’d like a similar feel for the art in your home, check out Artaissance artists Christopher Balder and JB Hall. The piece is float framed in Larson-Juhl’s Cranbrook custom frame moulding collection.
I hope you enjoy this lovely glimpse into the McKenzie’s home, thanks to Traditional Home and are finding inspiration to live with the art you love.
My favorite time of year has always been “back to school” time… To me, it means a fresh start, a new school year and yes, that Autumn chill in the air. I’m excited to share a past post with you all, our very first “Dorm Decor” post, highlighting art perfect for all of those college freshmen out there, looking to make their new space feel not only like a home, but also like them. Art is a great way to put a personal stamp on a space and of course, we have so many fun options to play with! Well, just take a look below - a blast to the past - and enjoy Dorm Decor 101:
It’s that time of year again - back to school… For many college freshmen, this means being on their own for the first time in their lives! For me, it meant independance and creating a space that was “ME.” That’s right, not only was I concerned with class schedules and sorority recruitment, I was ready to decorate my dorm room
In the summer months leading up to college move-in weekend, I had perused the internet, stalked my local Target, requested any and all catalogs - all in hopes of finding the perfect pieces for my new space. Now, six years later, it’s my little sister’s turn.
Soon, my little sister, Lexi, will be a LSU tiger! Although I don’t think she’s quite as focused on dorm decor as I was, she and my mom have purchased all the necessities. Of course, everything matches Lexi’s shabby-chic dorm room style.
Hey Lexi, geaux tigers!
All of our doom room discussions got me to thinking - what’s she going to put on those walls?!? And what about all of the other freshman out there… perhaps they need some dorm room wall inspiration? I already know the PERFECT image for my lil sis:
It’s just perfect to warm up those cold, harsh cinder block walls. Adding art is also a fantastic way to make a dorm room feel more like home and add some much-needed personality!
Here are a few other images, from Artaissance, perfect to add that designer touch to an otherwise plain dorm room, and with such a small price tag, you may be able to afford to add a couple warm touches:
As you can see, there are SO many ways to add a bit of fun and personality to the most bland of spaces - a freshman dormitory…
So, have fun, pick out art that speaks to you and your room will reflect your personality - making it a perfectly welcoming space to live and study, in hopes of making that 4.0!
In addition to my role as Head Curator of Artaissance, I’m also President and CEO of Artaissance’s parent company, Larson-Juhl. In my work with Larson-Juhl, I do a lot of traveling, much of it to our international locations. My most recent trip found me in New Zealand and Australia for a visit with some of our local custom framing facilities and customers and to participate in The Sydney Framing trade show.
I began my trip in Christchurch, NZ, I was amazed to see how obvious an impact the catastrophic earthquake, which took place in early September, 2010, and all the subsequent quakes and aftershocks, still had on this incredible city.
Of course I knew the quake had been devastating, and was aware of the damage Mother Nature had caused. What I hadn’t realized was the lasting effect this horrible earthquake would still have when I was there in June. I did note that there was much going on to repair and revitalize New Zealand, however I was unprepared for the scenes, such as these, that I encountered while traveling.
The lobby of my hotel in Christchurch - due to damage caused by the quakes,
the foundation needed these supports to ensure everyone’s safety.
Christchruch’s central business district is practically in ruins - the Larson-Juhl warehouse and showroom are just three blocks from this area. Thankfully, our Team Members and facilities sustained no serious injuries or damage. In fact, Larson-Juhl has become a beacon to the neighborhood, constantly working to help restore not only custom framers, but also the community as a whole.
Throughout this horrific tragedy, our Larson-Juhl Team Members come to work every day, with a can-do attitude, ready for whatever is needed to support our customers. Christchurch continues to work through the devastation, even as more than 7,000 aftershocks (check out this site for more details on the aftershocks) continue to rattle the community.
The Larson-Juhl, New Zealand Team & I in the showroom
I’m so proud of our team in New Zealand for stepping up to support the community and for continuing to serve all of our customers, providing a fantastic level of customer service.
John O’Brien, Managing Director, Larson-Juhl New Zealand
and myself outside of our Christchurch facility
After my visit in New Zealand, it was off to Sydney, Australia to participate in a trade show. I was especially excited about the show in Sydney, as the Larson-Juhl booth would be holding a customer drawing for an all-expenses paid trip to attend the 2012 West Coast Art and Frame Show (WCAF) in Las Vegas, Nevada!
Overall, the trade show was well attended by customers with great, positive energy. Here I am, with some members from our Australian Management Team:
Co-Managing Directors, Alex MacDonald and Sue Stephens and myself
Certainly the highlight of the event was our WCAF trip giveaway! Here is a photo, snapped right after the winner was drawn - you can see her making her way to the front…
And accepting her prize:
We’ll certainly be excited to see her in Las Vegas, ready to experience WCAF 2012!
From experiencing the devastation in Christchurch, to being uplifted by the spirits of our Team Members in New Zealand, and of course the excitement of the trade show and giveaway in Sydney, this trip is one for the books! Thank you for sharing my experiences and of course, thank you to those phenomenal members of the Larson-Juhl New Zealand and Australian Teams who make me proud to be a part of such an outstanding organization!
We’re thrilled to introduce you to Karren Ussery, the newest artist to our Artaissance family! Karen is a fine art photographer, with 16 new works added to our online gallery. Read below to learn more …
Karen shares: As a recovering “do-aholic,” my photography reflects the serene life I now live. My images capture the quiet, elegance and simplicity of nature’s details, which we miss when speeding through life. Focusing on clean subjects and patterns, my intent is to create photographs which invite people to pause, contemplate, and feel their connection to the natural world.
After 35 years in the Arizona desert, I still find the growth patterns of cacti and succulents a compelling subject. Now that I live in the Pacific Northwest, water makes its way into many of my images. The bountiful flowers here are also a favorite subject; I especially like to make photographs reminiscent of Georgia O’Keefe’s sensual, flowing blooms. In addition to shooting in nature, I create images in the studio, isolating and lighting subjects to highlight form, texture and pattern.
Here are some examples, of the new Artaissance images by Karen Ussery:
We hope you enjoyed this introduction to our newest Artaissance artist, Karen Ussery - we’re certainly happy to be sharing her stunning photography images with you!
Last year, right around this time, I was consumed with all things “new house” related - me and the Hub’s first house actually. I’d been thinking of how I could decorate for the holiday without going overboard, or over budget… In came my 4th of July inspired art picks! They were just the thing to put me in the holiday spirit, and hopefully they’ll work on you too for this year:
This 4th of July will be the first in our new home & although I’d like to decorate like crazy for each & every holiday, I just can’t compile enough decorations to fill my space & bring a bit of that particular holiday home… It’s hard enough for me to decorate every surface in every space for Christmas, much less Easter, 4th of July or Halloween!
But, that got me thinking on what my decorative alternatives could be… What about one fabulous piece that represents a specific holiday? Like just *THE* right piece of art? You see where I’m going with this now.
The only problem is narrowing all of my “holiday art” choices down to that one perfect art piece. Here are a few fantastic pieces that would bring a little of the 4th of July holiday excitement into my own home:
So, should I go fun & whimsical with “Patriotic Boy and Girl,” classic Americana with “American Series Rodeo,” or traditional 4th of July with “Stars & Stripes II?” Decisions, decisions…
Either way, one of these artworks is sure to brighten anyone’s home and bring in the spirit of Independence Day 2010. Happy 4th of July all!
Thank you for reliving my Independence Day Art quest - happy 4th of July all!
I recently learned about a fantastic project one of our Artaissance retailers, Art Wise, located in Seoul, Korea, had been working on. It is a unique art exhibit - featuring all Artaissance artwork! - to be located in the lobby of the BC Card headquarters building, also located in Seoul. Now, this was not standard art exhibit… for starters, there are no white walls on which to traditionally hang works of art. Instead, the Art Wise team sandwiched the selected artworks in between large glass panels; one on each side for maximum visibility.
Isn’t this a fantastic way to display Artaissance?!?
Here are some other images taken of this phenomenal display in the BC Card lobby…
Above images are from the Art Wise blog - click on the name to see more!
Another component of the project that I was very impressed with was how Art Wise took the view from the exterior of this impressive building into consideration when curating the exhibit.
Those Artaissance pieces truly pop and provide much interest for passersby. I know I’d be drawn in, hoping to get a closer look, if I were walking past the windows of the BC Card building!
Of course we may not all have the space and ability to exhibit so many pieces of art in such a unique way, but there are a number of inspirational ideas I hope other Artaissance retailers may be able to take away from this post.
- Consider all sides of your display (even how it will be viewed from the outdoors) and utilize more than one piece of art/display when possible.
- What “story” will your exhibit share? To me, the story that the above exhibit offers is one of movement and flow in art, all sharing tones of blue.
- There are no rules! When Art Wise faced the obstacle of displaying art with no available wall space - they took that challenge and turned it into an opportunity to showcase works of art in a whole new way.
I hope you all enjoyed this virtual trip to Seoul, Korea! And don’t forget to visit the Art Wise blog for additional inspirational images.
Being a Team Member of a Berkshire Hathaway owned company (Larson-Juhl, our parent company, is owned by Berkshire Hathaway) is an honor in and of itself. It speaks volumes on the kind of company Larson-Juhl, and in turn Artaissance, is and that’s something I’m always proud to share with others.
Over my time working with Larson-Juhl and Artaissance, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have been invited to participate in and work at the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder’s convention. I love this event from beginning to end - not only to I get to experience a monumental meeting, but I get to share what Larson-Juhl and Artaissance are all about with the owners of our company, the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders.
Floor of convention side of Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting (source)
I wanted to share my experience at the 2011 Berkshire Hathaway shareholder’s convention with you all and share how Artaissance art and Larson-Juhl custom frames were featured to the prominent group of approximately 40,000 shareholders, as well as the Managers and Team Members of other Berkshire Hathaway owned companies.
The shareholder’s convention is always built around the annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting, where Warren Buffet, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and Charlie Munger, Vice-Chairman, sit at the forefront of Omaha’s quest center (Nebraska’s premier convention center and arena) and answer questions from anyone and everyone who have an opportunity to speak at one of the many available microphones, located throughout the arena. It’s not all business and absolutely riveting - no matter if you’re a financial analyst, play the stock market or are simply into PR and Social Media like myself
The first step in convention prep for us is booth set up. It’s similar to a trade show, except that the businesses are not a part of the same industry - they’re all Berkshire Hathaway owned companies. For example, Mars candy, Dairy Queen, See’s candy and Benjamin Moore surrounded our Larson-Juhl and Artaissance booth.
Unpacking beautifully framed art
The walls are up - time to hang the signs
We’re looking good…
And we’re ready!
The Larson-Juhl and Artaissance booth features some fantastic art picks beautifully and uniquely framed to showcase our brands and products.
Next to each of the framed artworks is a label that shares some information on the art, artist and custom frame design.
We also have computers available in booth for shareholders to search the Larson-Juhl database for a local custom framer and to give them an opportunity to peruse the Artaissance site
The highlight of set up this year was a visit from the man of the hour himself, Warren Buffet. Each year, he walks the floor as the companies complete set up and visits with Team Members. We were very lucky to have a visit with Mr. Buffet and he commented on the lovely framed art as well as a frame design, especially created for the event featuring the shareholder’s meeting badges. It was fantastic!
After that, it was time for the main event! This year, approximately forty thousand Berkshire Hathaway shareholders lined up around the Quest Center and at 7am they streamed onto the showcase floor and into the arena, where the meeting will take place. All day long it’s nonstop action - a continuous flow of shareholders through the Larson-Juhl and Artaissance booth, all with lots of questions and on a quest for knowledge about the various companies they own stock in. It may not sound like a great time, but truly it is! Not unlike me, my colleagues are all passionate about art and framing and we never run out of topics to discuss when it comes to our brands or art and custom framing in general.
This year, we enjoyed fantastic traffic through the booth, with many shareholders recalling much about us; based on booth visits from past years. I know that we were able to share our appreciation of art and framing to so many people and provide a positive message on the Larson-Juhl and Artaissance brands with an amazing audience!
I hope you enjoyed this look at what it’s like to be a part of the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting, at least from our perspective
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Arlynn
