Johnny One Note

I swear I'll talk about something other than old art here soon, but at the moment I can't help myself. I picked up the Cape Cormorin print today, and I'm thrilled with both the Roma moulding and the job done by AFW Frame & Gallery.

Those of you around here have probably seen Art & Frame Warehouse , either north of the river or in southern Overland Park. AFW Frame & Gallery in the Crossroads is the same local, family owned business, just with a bit higher-end presentation and feel. (2015 Grand - 816.471.7444)

The top of the black sideboard feels so naked to me, but we're still on the market so I'm in minimal acessories mode. This picture also makes me realize I desperately need a new lampshade. Anyway, I couldn't be more pleased with the end result of this reframing.

See now why I raved about Roma's Tabacchino collection?

Art Upgrade: Modern Japanese Printmaking Edition

At our local consignment auction, when it comes to artwork, floor position is everything. The best things are on the front wall. This is where they hang the listed artists or especially good images.

On a three sided freestanding wire wall in the furniture area are lesser pieces, once-good images that have fallen victim to time, groupings of just-okay things, reproductions, or marginal works in good frames. (It happens a lot - I buy art, and I buy frames, but rarely at the same time)

Then finally, along the back wall are what I call "the racks." This is where the crap goes. Occasionally sold choice for 5 or 10 bucks, but more often by the shelf, again usually for 5 to 10. You'll also find boxes of odd junk art here as well.

I always dig around though, because sometimes you find something like this.

I noticed it first because it was the tallest thing in the box, and stuck out from what looked to be 9 or 10 framed pieces of embroidered cloth in cheap wood frames. The surprise was that another regular, who rarely buys anything and almost never for much money, seemed to want that box too. Finally I gave up. But I liked the print, so I offered him 20 for it, and he said yes.

I tried to get a detail shot here but my camera seems to hate anything white. It's an original intaglio print by Kenji Ushiku, titled The Lake Festival. Framing was done by the Little Gallery here in Westwood Hills. The title card and gallery sticker were both still present on the back, unfortunately there was no date. The brass-wrapped wood frame makes me think 80's, but I don't know that.

I googled when I got home trying to date the print, but couldn't find it. I did find out that Mr. Ushiku was born in 1922 in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He studied at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, and was first published in Japan in the mid 1950's. He's since exhibited in Japan, Europe, and the US. There were a few auction results, and it looks like he sells in the 150-250 range. (So it's not the pay-off-the-car find, still dirt cheap for a nice piece) I found a 2005 print online, but nothing after, so I don't know if he's still working or not.

Tomorrow I've got to go to the frame shop to pick up the Cape Cormorin print (photos of it in it's gorgeous Roma moulding to follow), so I'll drop this off for matting while I decide on the frame.

Continuing Education

Blogs are amazing learning tools. Mrs. Blandings posted about Richard Wright's site and mentioned some architectural drawings of the Empire State building, so I went over to take a look. The drawings were great, as was most everything else, but what stopped me was the tea cart above. Italian, c. 1965, by Cesare Lacca, $950.00.

There was one of these sitting at the auction house last Tuesday night. I originally thought it was probably Danish. I looked at it, but not closely, until it came up for bids. I remember thinking it was good looking in a quirky way as I was digging in my pocket for my bidder number. That turned out to be for naught because before I could even get my hand in the air it was well past my limit, although now the $175 that it sold for looks like a really good deal.

The evening wasn't a waste though, as I picked up a great Kenji Ushiku intaglio print for 20 bucks. 20 bucks cash paid to the guy who outbid me on the box of miscellaneous framed stuff, but still a total steal. You'll see that in the next installment of Art Upgrade.

Policy change: Anonymous commenting

It was straight up 11pm this evening when a reader from Woodbridge, Virginia (or a Woodbridge, VA proxy server) clicked over from Soodie's blog and took 44 seconds out of their day to leave a comment. It wasn't about anything I've written, or even any opinion I've expressed, but about my profile photo.

This surprises me only because it happened here. If I leave a comment over at Decorno I can count on Anon to pop up shortly after with some sort of little attack. I rarely comment back because, well, what would the point of that be?

But this is my house, and frankly I'm not obligated to deal with anyone's bullshit.

I've said before that I've been blessed with a small, thoughtful group of regular readers, whose online friendship and encouragement have been hugely rewarding. Hopefully the changes I've made in my commenting settings will allow them to continue to add their thoughts to my posts. What the changes should do is disallow anonymous comments without my having to moderate.

And to you, Anonymous, I'll say this: Leaving derisive remarks from behind the cover of a computer screen doesn't make you witty or clever, it just makes you a dick. Anyone is welcome to read and comment here, and while I'll never require that you agree with anything I've said, I'll always insist on a level playing field.

Dealbreaker

So, do you watch Torchwood?

If you do, you know that rather than a full season they went with a five-night miniseries this year, and it's been running this week. We've been recording it, and Brett's been watching each night. I've been at the workshop so I was planning to watch them all back-to-back this weekend.

I came home last night, walked through the front door, and Brett yelled "Don't look!" So of course I looked. Right there on the screen was the single thing, the only thing, that could happen that would upset me.

I'm going to watch the miniseries still, even knowing what I now know. After that, I'm not so sure.

There's a home in my head

The new Pottery Barn catalog came in today's mail, and the headline was "Vintage Style." I was curious to find out what that meant exactly, and I have to say, I saw some things I liked.

I'm digging these shades, I could totally make these

This bar is designed to look like a vintage workbench. I have an actual workbench on sideboard duty in our dining room.

I've mentioned before, I'm not much of a wine drinker. I could however be a wine bottle chandelier hanger. I just think they're good looking.

If you walked in to Chez Malaise, "vintage" isn't the vibe you'd get. Upholstery here tends to be simple and tailored. Lamps are generally white or a silver metal, usually topped by simple black shades. You'd find a painted piece or two, some asian accents, and a few things you'd call contemporary. It's a mix of new and not new, but (I like to think) smart and comfortable and current. What you might notice though, is the handmade quality of a few furniture pieces, and handmade is what I tend to think of when I think "vintage."

Our home is furnished for us, taking into account both our tastes and preferences, and it's always been very easy for us to put together rooms we both enjoy. But I am at heart, a lover of age and wear and things that are not perfect. The inclusion of pieces I would describe as handmade is how I've incorporated that love into my home, mixing them into a look and feel we both like.

There's a house in my mind though, where everything shows both the hand of the maker and the hand of time, and where if it's not true "vintage" it's at least "vintage-inspired." Looking through this catalog PB's got a few things that would fit right in.

Delivery day

And the bookcase project is in the bag! We delivered Virginia's furniture to her today, and I'm so pleased to report that she seemed very happy. Still, I can never really read her. So on the drive home I called Rich to tell him we'd finished, and she had already called and told him she loved it. She also told him she thought I wanted her to jump up and down, but that's just not her. As I told Rich, I didn't need a cartwheel, but it really was important to me that she was happy. The fact that she called him so quickly tells me all I need to know.
Before we loaded it up Brett took my picture next to it. Yes, I've recently shaved my head. And then after we got it set up and the shelves put in I took a shot of it in it's new (old) home.

In its original state it was the same dark stain as the crown and base moulding. The room is dark (which the client likes), but having something lighter, especially something this big, I think is going to provide some nice contrast. The RL chair fabric she's using is predominantly two gray-greens that I used on the case, accented by a navy and raspberry color, thus the raspberry grasscloth.

She's changing out the carpet but mentioned that she hasn't found anything she "love love loves." At that point her husband said "we're 70, we're going to die, can't we just get something we like like like?" I bet they're a riot to hang out with.

What I like about Virginia is that she's got the right priorities. She likes nice things, and she's fully prepared to spend money to have them, but they're not the most important thing. She said she would really like to be done with the rooms she's updating, but she's been busy. They go to their condo in Florida a lot. Then her youngest granddaughter gets christened tomorrow. It's those are the sorts of things that keep her busy. Talking about her grandkids she said, "those kids are going to be grown before you know it, the carpet can wait."

The economic downturn finally hits home

The email came today, Smith & Hawken is done. Catalog and online ordering is no more, and remaining merchandise is being liquidated through the retail stores, which of course we don't have here.

I read an interview with Mr. Hawken today, and he's pretty happy to see it go. It began as an importer of quality English gardening tools, but through the years and multiple owners had turned into more of a home decor retailer with a gardening flavor, and he seemed kind of bitter about it.

It's not my name over the door however, and I've been a fan for a long time. The rusty iron urns and cement archtectural plaques on the patio, and a set of imported French stoneware in the kitchen were all S&H buys. We've had them for years and I still love every piece.

I'm not generally a fan of national chains, be they retailers or restaurants. When a big national business closes, I'm always hopeful that there are small businesses waiting to step in and fill the need. I'm in favor of small businesses. I like the independents.

But I'm bummed out, because I liked so much of what Smith & Hawken offered.

And worst of all, I did not order a pair of the antique galvanized planters above. (Damn the condo market, I thought I'd pick them up after we moved...which of course we've yet to do.)

But the email linked to a store locator, so the calling around begins tomorrow. I'm not confident that they'll ship as they're liquidating, but it never hurts to try. If you've seen anything similar anywhere else please let me know.

Polychrome

Finally, we're nearing the home stretch on the bookcase project, so I'll be finishing things up this week and delivering it Saturday morning. I don't know why but I've been extremely nervous about how the client will like the end result. I've sold plenty of painted furniture, but because this one didn't belong to me and I've changed it so drastically my confidence is all over the place.

I took a few shots tonight since I've been talking about it forever. The colors are a lighter and darker gray green taken from a Ralph Lauren fabric she's using on four wing chairs around a table that will sit in front of the bookcase.

Here's a closeup of the crown and dentil moulding that ring the top, and the acanthus at the top of the three columns. The entire thing was stained dark to begin with, so you really didn't see most of the detail before.

There are three shelves that go in each of the two bays that are painted the same as the exterior, so the dark color will be broken up a bit. It also looks more blue in this shot than it actually is.

What I'm really pleased with is Rich's suggestion that I run a bit of the interior color around the panel of the bottom cabinet doors, giving it the look of an old polychromed piece.

Before we deliver it I'll get Brett to help me heave the case up on top of the cabinet (Mary mother of God it's heavy!) and get a shot of the whole thing the way it will look in the client's home. It's going up against a wall of raspberry colored grasscloth, I'm excited to see it place.

Almost done

Sorry for having gone missing, I've been working on the bookcase/cabinet I was hired to paint. I'm almost there so I'll have a photo to show here soon. Of course I forgot to take a before, but the after is looking pretty good so there's still something to see. Should be finished by the end of the weekend, and I'll have Brett help me heave the case up on top of the cabinet and I'll shoot it.

It's killing me that I didn't get a shot of it in it's completely dark-stained pine state as it's been quite the transformation. What I'm very happy about is that Rich came by the workshop tonight to check it out and not only was he extremely pleased, but he thinks the client will be too.

Also, testament to having a designer involved, he made a suggestion on one small element that has really improved the overall look.

Give me five

Alright, I need your help. I know we all have causes we support, and that for many of us things are tighter than they've been in a while, but I'm asking anyway.

Every year there's an event benefitting two really important organizations here in Kansas City. The Fuzzy Fotos contest evenly divides all proceeds between the Kansas City Free Health Clinic, and No More Homeless Pets KC. Please take a look at their pages and click on the About Us links to find out more about what each of them do.

Brett and I, along with Jack and Alex, are excited to compete in this year's event, and we need your votes. Votes are $5 each, and you can do it online from anywhere. The contest begins July 1 at 10am, and runs through the end of the month. Vote for the schnauzers!

Simply click on over to the Fuzzy Fotos website and take a look at our photo. (Always the lounge pup, you'll note Jack reclines while the rest of us sit) We're listed as David Allen & Brett Coonrod. Click on our photo and follow the instructions for voting. Whatever you can give is hugely appreciated.

And finally, one other request: spread the word. I'll be grateful for any mention of the contest anywhere you can. On your blog, via email, over dinner with friends, it's all appreciated. Thank you!

White sangria

*Photo not mine. We drink here, but we rarely garnish like this

Nine times out of ten I'll choose liquor over wine. Except when there's sangria. Rachel served a white one before dinner last time they had us over and it was delicious.

A group of realtors with midtown and downtown listings got together and are having a little homes tour tomorrow night, and we're on it. They were talking about wine and cheese so I offered to make that same white sangria for our realtor to serve. I mixed up a gallon of it tonight, and of course we had to taste it. If there are leftovers tomorrow night I'm not going to mind a bit. Here's the recipe, make multiples for a crowd:

1 bottle white wine (chardonay if you like sweeter, I prefer not so sweet so I used a sauvignon blanc-also, a nine buck bottle is fine here, no need to gold plate it)
1 1/2 cups Triple Sec
3/4 cup Orange Juice
Your choice of chopped fruit
Splash of Fresca

Yes, Fresca. I can hear the purists screaming. So it's not a traditional sangria, it's still tasty and refreshing. I threw in some orange and lime slices, pineapple and melon chunks and a big handful of red grapes.

So hopefully someone will wander in here and pour themselves a glass and think "wow this is good, and this apartment is wonderful - let's make an offer!"

How cool is this?

Do you recognize this man? If you watch the original CSI series, the one that takes place in Las Vegas, you might. The character's name is Ronnie Litre. He's not in every episode, but if the clue is something made of paper, a deck of cards or a printed letter, he'll be the lab tech who processes it.

In real life his name is Eric Stonestreet. Our grandmothers were sisters, so we're second cousins. Growing up I spent many a weekend with Eric and his brother and sister out on their farm, and his sister and I lived together for a bit when we were at KU.

It's been fun to watch Eric's career. He started in Chicago at Second City, then moved to LA. He's not a household name, but I think character actors are always more interesting. He's a working actor, and he makes his living doing what he loves. His mom always lets my mom know if there's something coming up, and Brett and I always try to watch. Most recently he played a murderous chef on an episode of The Mentalist. I loved seeing him as the bad guy, charging at Thomas Jane with a huge knife only to get shot at the last minute.

This fall he's got a lead role on a new series on ABC. Modern Family is a comedy, shot in a documentary style, following three very different families in 2009. One is an older man (Ed O'Neill) and younger woman on their second marriage. The next is your regular mom-and-dad-with-kids family (Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell). The third is Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson, above left) and Cameron (Eric!), a gay couple who've just adopted a baby girl from Vietnam.

There's a trailer up on ABC.com should you be inclined to take a peek. I know I'm biased but it looks like a fun show, and I can't wait to watch my cuz play gay on network tv!

At auction this week

This week is another art and antiques auction at KC Auction Company, and looking through the catalog it appears to be a very nice sale. I'll go even though I'm low on disposable income, you never know when something wonderful might sell cheap. It's still fun to watch even if I'm not buying, and it's always good to see what things are selling for. There are about 325 lots so this is nowhere near a representation of everything, just a few things I saw that I liked.

I could very easily become addicted to dog art. I've not bought any because I'm afraid that once I do I won't be able to stop. For example, love this German Shepherd portrait. (my grandparents had a shepherd when I was little, so I'm partial)

The Springer here is pretty handsome as well.

Black Forest isn't for everyone, and in large part it's not something I've ever been interested in owning. That said, the catalog lists this as a piano stool, but I think it would be great as a little table next to a chair.

I'm a fan of glass if you didn't know, and while this Tiffany Aurene glass bowl with sterling overlay isn't really my taste, I'm looking forward to seeing it in person.

Something from Tiffany that I'd totally enjoy owning is this bronze and slag glass paperclip in the pine needle pattern, marked Tiffany Studios New York. It's 3.75 by 2.5 inches, and the pre-auction online bids are already up to 50 bucks.

There's a number of good mid-century pieces represented as well. We've got plenty of mid-century freaks around here and I never get in the middle of their bid battles, but this Eames Soft Pad chair would be sweet with Brett's antique desk.

And the thing I like most in the whole sale, this dresser and chest. They're Paul McCobb for Calvin, and I love the lines. Brett says (and he's right) that we don't need to worry about new bedroom furniture until we move. Still, these would be great with the upholstered headboard I have in mind, with antique Asian lacquered cabinets as bedside tables. The dresser would be perfect across from the bed with a flat panel tv over it. The chest is a nice size that would fit in easily anywhere. (and should our next bedroom be in that house we love, there's a perfect spot!)

Cousin Max

Brett's folks live in Lawrence. Yesterday's wedding festivities ran late into the evening, and start up again today with a Father's Day brunch, so they got a room up the street at the Residence Inn rather than do all that needless driving. Max, their black schnauzer, got to stay here at our place with Jack and Alex.

Brett's mom prepares all of Max's food herself, using recipes designed for optimal canine health that she's gathered from online sources and groups she belongs to. You pretty much have to be retired to do this successfully, as I learned when Alex had some digestive issues and I had to make him boiled chicken and rice. (although my Kitchen Aid with the grinder attachment was a huge help)

My point being this: While we buy the best quality dog food we can, homemade makes a difference. My boys are handsome and healthy, but Max always looks just slightly better to me. The only real difference in their lives are what they eat. He's trim but solid, with a gorgeous coat that feels just slightly different.

Brett's dad trained Max for obedience trials, and we went and watched a few times when the meet was close to KC. He did very well, but sometimes had a little problem waiting. I watched one trial as Brett's dad gave the first command, and Max proceeded to complete the entire course. A flawless execution, even if he didn't wait for the signals.

He's also a very calm little guy. It's playtime pandemonium when Prada comes to visit, but Max is easy and quiet and way laid-back. A pleasure to keep, I'm looking forward to him coming back!

I owe you

I wrote my letter because I couldn't figure out what to do with my anger, and while the act of writing it helped, it's the response that has gotten me past the whole awful thing.

Thank you, to Decorno for sharing your audience, and to all of you, for the kindness and generosity of your words.

Brett's niece got married in Italy last month, and this weekend is the reception here in Kansas City. The timing is strangely perfect. There's so much good to celebrate if you just look for it, I'm not wasting another second thinking about that hateful woman.

We'll be at the party, and when I hoist my glass and toast the happy couple, in a way I'll be toasting each of you as well.

And I'll be very careful where I park.

An open letter to the woman who's car I injured

What's the use of having a blog if you can't name names, right? I had a little accident on my lunch hour today. So with an enormous sense of indignation and a big gin-and-tonic sweating away next to my laptop, I'm ready to tell Joyce Omer what's on my mind:

Dear Joyce,

I still don't quite know how it happened. I haven't been at fault in an accident since I was 16 (25 years ago!), and I'm generally very good at parallel parking, but it was absolutely my fault. I was too close to your car and turned too soon, yanking the front bumper halfway off your BMW.

I completely understand why you'd be upset, I would be as well, but there are a few things you should know. That Land Rover I was driving? Got it in March, used. Prior to that I was driving a 1999 Blazer with no heat or A/C, an acceleration problem, and a door that often refused to close. So when we were assessing the damage and I mumbled "my car seems to be ok" it really wasn't meant for you. It was, I believe, my mind trying to assure me that I hadn't just fucked up the nicest thing I've ever owned. I didn't expect you to say "oh good." I didn't expect you to say anything really. And that's why when you said "I don't care about your car" I was really caught off guard.

Because of the way I was raised, the next thing I did was apologize. It's what one does when they've damaged someone else's property. Your reply was "I've been hit three times in this car, I'll accept your apology but don't expect me to be nice about it." I guess I didn't really expect you to be warm, but I didn't expect you to be so hateful either. They call them "accidents" for a reason. It's a terrible shame that your pretty little convertable has been hit so many times, but frankly I'm not responsible for the first two and I would think someone of your age (around my mother's age I'm guessing) would understand that.

After apolgizing, we went into the Barkery where I asked them to photocopy my insurance card. I took the paper and I wrote my name, my home address, and my cell phone number. I let you copy down my drivers license information so you could be sure I was being honest. You then threw your business card at me. Again, I'm not expecting you to be grateful, but I didn't have to do any of this. I could have let you do all the writing. (By the way, when I went back into the Barkery to buy the poop bags I forgot, the staff was appalled by the way you acted. If you need something dog related I suggest you try Petco for a while.)

Back outside, I hope you noticed that I stuck around while you checked with the police, again, something I wasn't required to do. When you drove around the block to "see if your car was driveable," I stayed. And when you then decided your car wasn't driveable (and your bumper wasn't dragging, even though you said it was) I stayed while you called the police back, even though I called my boyfriend (a lawyer) who assured me I was free to go.

And finally, when you said you needed my license plate number, do you remember what I did? I went to my car, took out an index card, and wrote my plate number down for you. The way you grabbed it and shoved it in your purse without looking at me was especially nice. In hindsight, given your performance what I should have done was say "then you should write it down before I drive away." But I didn't do that. I wrote it down for you, because I'm a decent man, and I damaged your car, and that's what a decent man does.

I guess that decency is what this entire letter is about. I damaged your car, and I tried to do what was decent and right. You, conversely, decided to be the biggest bitch you could possibly be. I can't think of anything you could have done to be more successful in that endeavor. Well done Madam.

I phoned my insurance company the moment I got back to my office, and they've assured me that you'll be made whole. To be honest, I told them that you were spectacularly mean and that I'd appreciate anything they could do to make the process more painful for you. The claims rep laughed, but I work in commercial insurance and know how this goes, so I'm sure everything will be handled as efficiently as possible and you'll be back on the road in record time.

One last time, let me just say how sorry I am that I crunched your car. But more than that, let me say how sorry I am that you care more for your 325 than you do for showing basic decency to another human being. I drive an expensive car too, and indeed my blog is generally dedicated to the discussion of "things." But in the end, things fail us, and beings are all we truly have. I would have hoped that at this point in your life you'd know that. In that respect I guess that today was more of a tragedy than I originally thought.

Sincerely,
David

Plan ahead

When you're off to pick up a large bookcase someone has hired you to paint, and you have the choice between the 10-foot moving truck or the cargo van, take the truck. Or you'll have to take the bottom cabinet back to the workshop, go back to the rental place and trade the cargo van for the pick-up that (luckily) was just returned, then drive all the way back to the client's house to get the larger piece.

Conversely, being friendly to the rental man may result in him just trading vehicles so you don't have two rental charges, and then when the computer refuses to charge for the second leg's mileage, he'll just say "it's your lucky day" and send you on your way.

A little something for me

Sales have been slow, so I was pretty tight with my bidding at the auction tonight. They sell box lots last now and I don't usually hang around, but I had only bought a couple things to sell and it was only 10pm (not bad actually) so I hung around.

There are huge rolling racks holding the boxes so I poked around as they were finishing up selling furniture. Up on top what do I find laying there among some baseball bats, but this shooting stick.

While you can tell what it's for, I never would have known what it's called, except that Mrs. Blandings posted about one she bought last year. Hers is a bit fancier, leather and bamboo if I remember right, but this one has a certain utilitarian charm. Cast aluminum with a canvas seat, and leather handles aged by time and human hands. Seems like just the sort of thing that would be handy to keep in the back of the Rover, especially for 20 bucks.

At the end of each auction the ringmen collect bidder numbers and throw them all into a box. The number drawn then wins 20 bucks, or what I like to call the endurance award (sometimes this particular auction runs past midnight). I tossed my card in the box and I'll be damned if Jason didn't pull my number. It's like I got my shooting stick for free.

It rained a little today

This was taken in Westport, a kind of entertainment district a few blocks north of the Plaza, where my office is. I was actually at the post office down the road mailing a package on my lunch hour.

Kansas City definitely needs some infrastructure work. Storm drains first I say!