Abstract Works by Xanda McCagg // at Comerford Collection

Xanda McCagg’s energy and enthusiasm about her work is evident from the moment you start speaking with her. We met at an exhibit opening a few years ago in The Chelsea Arts Building, at Spazio 522. Xanda’s studio is there as well, and soon after, I visited with her and was immediately drawn to her work.

In McCagg’s canvases you can see her background in traditonal figurative work, and yet as her work has evolved - the line, composition and color have abstracted into her unique form of expression.

"Although abstract, my work is influenced by formal principles. At the core of my work is a fascination with the human experience. As an artist, I am observing and commenting on the human condition on both a global and an intimate level ... Central to my work is the analogy of line to form; to light; to color; and to the spaces these describe."

Judy Ross, of Judy Ross Textiles introduced me to Karen Comerford, owner of the beautifully edited home decor shop, Comerford Collection, in Bridgehampton, NY. Karen brought  Xanda’s work into the store, a wonderful compliment to Comerford’s aesthetic of “modern handcrafted furniture and design”.

The shop is "Modern,"  but Karen's goal is to "strip it of its implications of austerity and imbue it with a comfortable, uncomplicated simplicity."  The store has achieved that, it's fresh and modern but warm and filled with unique and beautifully designed furnishings (many pieces of her own design), accessories, and art that compliments.

Xanda's work ranges from small, intimate 12"x12" canvases

to the larger-scale canvases like Pearling, 72"x60"

There are colors, textures and always enticing furnishings throughout the shop (and in the window...as in this photo)

I enjoy meeting with both Karen and Xanda in her Chelsea studio each spring to make selections for the summer at Comerford.

In April when we met, Xanda shared some highlights of her experiences at two artists residencies last fall in Europe. First at CAMAC, Centre D'Art, Marnay-Sur-Seine, France and then at the American Academy in Rome - visiting artists and scholars program.  Xanda talked about the exhilerating experience of working and living among a community of scholars and artists for several months.

Next up, will be an exhibit in Paris this fall, in October. In the meantime, if you are in the Hamptons this summer, stop in to Comerford Collection for the beautiful selection of both home decor and art ...

Unconventional Nature // Paintings by Andrea Bonfils

Andrea is an award-winning artist whose paintings offer an innovative and unique approach while reflecting her life’s experiences.  Andrea's inspiration comes from the natural world. She breaks from artistic traditions, yet, certain influences can be seen in her work, such as the colors of Wolf Kahn, the water of Monet or movement of Van Gogh.

We met last year and I was immediately drawn to her creative artwork and unique applications of traditional painting materials. Andrea’s unconventional techiniques results in beautiful color, depth and texture in her paintings.  With a reverence for the organic, Andrea utilizes mostly oils and encaustics with some mixed media to realize her individualized look.

Using unconventional hardware, a blow torch, iron and other heated tools, along with paper and natural materials, she emulates her subjects' movement, drama and complexity as she glazes or layers wax over photographs, photo transfers or meticulously renders subjects lost in a waxy fog. Andrea's uncommon painting techniques and personal style results in work that are intense, mysterious and ethereal.

Andrea paints what she enjoys most in nature, skylines, water, divers, surfers, trees and horses.

Nest Inspired Home in Rye, NY, a beautifully edited home shop, will feature Andrea’s work at an event they are sponsoring, along with Serendipity Magazine and Crop Organic Vodka  for the Westchester Children’s Museum.  Bets Miller, Wendy Williams, and Aly Drew of Rye, opened the home decor shop in November and have created a wonderful environment to sell home furnishings, accessories and art. I am thrilled, along with Andrea, to be participating in this event, along with Nest Inspired Home and the sponsors.

Here are a few of the paintings on display this week among the beautiful vignettes at  Nest Inspired Home.

The Color of February // RED in art & design

The color red is filled with meaning.  It’s found in nature - in red roses and robins. It's spiritual -  the symbol for luck and it's the first chakra in Sanskrit.  It has history and special meaning in various cultures around the world.  It’s political - as in the red states, and it's emotional, symbolic of both anger and love.  The red or root chakra provides stability, groundedness and trust, red symbolizes power and strength, it encourages action and enthusiasm. In addition to the inferred meanings, the color red has a significant visual impact  when used in art & design. Artist Anne Raymond, on red and her red paintings,  “Red is strength, it’s the pigment of passion and confidence. Red is energy known, felt and intended.”  Anne spoke with me about the appeal of her red canvases and how some naturally gravitate towards it and others may choose it in small doses.

For those who love it,

or with white, negative space and additional colors, for a quieter canvas, named for the red pigment, Cirrus Cadmium

Photographer Bonnie Edelman captures the natural beauty of red in a stunning sky

Abstract Expressionist  Barnett Newman often used red and other strong flat primary colors in his noted Zip paintings, as in “Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue”

I love the contrast of the flowing red scarf in William Wegman’s, “Red to Head”, one of his Weimeraner photographs

Red has found a place in many familiar idioms, Seeing Red, Red carpet treatment, Caught red-handed, Red flag, Red tape and In the red are just a few. It’s pretty interesting to focus on this and see how this color, and the word are in our everyday experience.

Red is in the name of many iconic brands: for a cause - Bono’s (Red), The American Red Cross, in sports - Boston Red Sox, to signify energy - Red Bull, for achievement - Red Ribbon.

Red is used visually  to create strong brand identitly

for New Yorkers, the fun and much adored Milton Glaser designed symbol,

Artists and designers use red to fill an entire canvas, a product, or room -  when the goal is a bold statement to elicit a strong emotional effect or they use it as an accent to provide a stroke of contrast and energy.

In fashion, like art, red is classically used to make a statement.

Charles Louboutin red soles are iconic. The NYTimes, recently refered to”The Little Red (Litigious) Shoes", The company is suing the YSL brand claiming that their red shoes infringe on the trademarked, “Red Sole Mark”.

Louboutin red,  from classic

to outrageous

Designer Donna Karan is identified with clothing that empowers - red from her Spring 2012 advertising campaign

Double red, Reese WItherspoon on the red carpet in a striking red Zac Posen dress

The use of red in home and furniture design provides impact whether used in large amounts, or sparingly. Iconic modern furniture combines strong silhouette and color.

The Egg Chair, by Arne Jacobsen

The Miniature Verner Panton Heart Chair

Heller’s, Marilyn BOCCA sofa, 1972

A bold use of color in a room, walls painted with a saturated deep red, Benjamin Moore’s, Million Dollar Red and red upholstered furniture in a classic room, by designer, Bibi Monnahan

or red as a dramatic and effective accessory, chairs and wall decor in a fresh Hamptons home by Ilene O’Neil

Why RED?  because it’s February and the color is synonymous with Valentine’s Day - red roses and the celebration of love.

Exhibiting in Times Square for the holiday, a 10 foot tall installation with 400 LED acrylic tubes around a big red heart.

“the interactive art piece pulses with a glowing red luminosity whereby, people's interaction with one another intensify the beating of the brightly, burning heart”

and classic RED - 75 gorgeous red roses

Tangerine Tango // Color of the Year 2012

Last week, Pantone, Inc. announced that Tangerine Tango #17-1463 will be “The Color of the Year 2012”. This was big news and cause for lots of review and discussion in the design worlds.

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. This robust color was descibed as a “spirited reddish orange”, and will “provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward”.

Eiseman continued, “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”Pantone Inc, the NJ company, began as a source for printing guidelines. It has evolved to create standardized color palettes for a number of industries, including graphics, fashion textiles and interior design. PMS, the Pantone Matching System, enables color to be consistent across industries, from paints, to printing ink to textiles to lipsticks.The selection of a particular color is a thoughtful process. Pantone “literally combs the world looking for color influences....including the entertainment industry, art, artists, technology, sports and socio-economic conditions..”  The color chosen will subsequently impact many industries and individuals.Oranges and reds are warm colors associated with nature, with daylight or sunset. Color Theorists describe the usual strong reactions to orange, more so than other colors, it's a “love it or hate it” color. It radiates warmth and energy. Bonnie Edelman’s photograph, Campo Sunset, comes to mind with the description of the energy of the red hues.

and Golden Campo is on the other side of the spectrum, the warmth of yellow.

When I was a textile stylist, creating colors and patterns for fabrics for men’s clothing, I eagerly awaited the trend reports, forecasting the colors of the season to incorporate into our seasonal fabrics. This is true for stylists and designers across creative fields. The result is a consistent theme for the seasons, and it starts here - with the selected colors by Pantone.

According to Apartment Therapy, Tangerine Tango, “.... is a highly-usable color for interiors. It's very easy to incorporate into a room as an accent, although the full wall treatment is absolutely an option for those willing to take the plunge.”.  It has always been a good color for interiors, it works as a standout accessory against neutrals.  Apartment Therapy showed these examples, from a complete orange wall, to a bold orange sofa in a neutral room.

and acessories, a way to introduce a small accent of the warm color to any room

Apartment Therapy

Judy Ross Textiles, a favorite pillow source,  has a beautiful group of hand-emboidered pillows with the uplifting color - perfect for accessorizing

The same is true for clothing and make-up. When my husband wears his orange sweater, (instead of his usual black!) he feels lighter and brighter and the color elicits a smile from others. Expect to see more of this reddish orange in the coming year.

I have seen a strong and positive response to orange in artwork, from the sunsets above to the color-soaked paintings by Janet Mait and Anne Raymond below. The bold color makes an impact, and as the description of Color of the Year says, they are strong and in turn provoke an emotional response.

to the natural sky of Nightlight, by Stuart Zaro

Tangerine Tango, is an early 2012 prediction...and there will be many more in the next few weeks as the calendar rolls to the new year. Pantone Color Institute selected a color  of nature that is warm and has a positive energy - as they suggest, to help recharge and propel us into 2012.

October // a Pink Month and Women at Risk (WAR)

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, NBCAM, has grown into an international event, promoting breast cancer awareness and information. The mission of countless organizations is to provide women with greater access to screening services and large fundraising efforts for continued research and support. For me, as for many, it hits close to home, I think about and remember friends, and others, who have had or have been touched by breast cancer. My son Brett, asked me recently, “How and when did Breast Cancer Month become so big?” while I was working on a partnership with Women at Risk, LV2BFIT and Paintings by Janet Mait for this month. There are so many events through the year, “months” that acknowledge many diseases and organizations. Why does breast cancer receive so much attention?  There is not a single “answer”, rather a culmination of public awareness, serious marketing, and so many individuals and families touched by the disease who have chosen to work tirelessly to create and bring the attention to the month of October. Brett, a football fan, filled me in on how the NFL acknowledges Breast Cancer with an abundance of pink gear on the field and with significant fundraising. The New York Times feature, Sunday, Oct. 16th, reported on the “Pinking of America”, the article focuses on the Dallas Cowboys, Nancy Brinker and the Susan G. Komen Foundation - and the extent of the marketing and promotion of “pink” .  It is due to the zealous and unwavering commitment of Nancy Brinker and players like the Houston Texans wide receiver Derrick Mason (again, Brett shared this with me) who will wear pink cleats this season to honor his mother on the field - those who have spoken out loudly on the subject of breast cancer.

NBCAM started 27 years ago, in 1985, with a week long event to provide info and awareness about breast cancer. It was a partnership between the American Cancer Society and a maker of several anti-breast cancer drugs, Imperial Chemical Industries. The goal was to promote awareness of early detection through mammography.

In 1991, the first pink ribbon was given out to participants in the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure in NYC. In 1993, Evelyn Lauder, of the Estee Lauder Foundation, established the pink ribbon as the symbol of breast cancer.

In 2009, NBCAM celebrated 25 years of Awareness, Education and Empowerment. The event spread nationally, and has now become an international event, with supporters, activities and fundraising worldwide.

Women at Risk, WAR,  at New York Presbyterian Hospital, was founded in 1991 as a grassroots partnership of physicians and patient/volunteers focusing on early diagnosis.  WAR has expanded, growing to meet the needs of women in the New York Metropolitan area for women at high risk for breast cancer and also for women undergoing treatment.

My dear friend, Laurie Bass Sklaver, became involved with WAR after diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer at NY Presbyterian, first as a board member and then as President. A number of Laurie’s friends joined her at this time, inspired by her motivation to help others, who like herself, had to cope with the process, from diagnosis to treatment and more. Together, we joined Laurie and WAR, attending the annual luncheon and supporting their mission. In 2004, The Laurie Bass Sklaver Symposium was created by Laurie’s family in her memory. In recognition of Laurie, and her postive energy, this event follows her beliefs that knowledge was the first step in the fight against breast cancer. The annual Symposium provides in-depth information and discussion on a different topic each fall.

For me, it is always with Laurie in mind, that I want to do “something” in October.  As I imagine it is for so many others as they think about their friends, mothers, sisters and the other women in their lives who have been affected. Breast Cancer awareness is a successful month, as a result of impassioned and determined people.

Today, millions of people worldwide come together to support efforts on behalf of breast cancer in the month of October. Breast Cancer has touched and resonates with the families and lives of so many ... and that must be the reason it has grown and has made October a month to celebrate, donate, support, learn and shop, for the cause.