‘THE GRAPE ARBOR”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

……………………They took quite a few pictures of the gardens. When I first moved in the previous owners had a grape arbor that produced lots of grapes….that didn’t taste wonderful, and made an incredible mess in  the fall, so I had it cut at the base and planted wisteria…..Oberto took pictures of the back of the house through the flower gardens.. The photos of the sketches at the upper left were taken in my NY  office. In the end I was very pleased with how the spread turned out.

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“THE ROWBOATS”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…………………………In the Green Room, above the banquet, I have another Steve Kuzma paining done in Nova Scotia…..It’s a simple but beautiful painting of rowboats. It’s so peaceful…..Jac gave this to me as a Christmas present, and I cherish it.

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“JOHN CARROLL DOYLE”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…………………………Jac and I happened upon the JOHN CARROLL DOYLE GALLERY on one of out trips to Charleston….It is still located at 125 Church Street. Just from what we saw in the window we immediately fell in love with his work. John Carroll Doyle was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, and lived there his entire life. Jac and I were fortunate to meet him once in his gallery. He was told by the manager of the store that we had, at the time, purchased two of his paintings. He was very pleased, and we spoke with him for quite a while. He was a tall, handsome charming man, and we had a very open friendly conversation. We talked about his and my work….Unfortunately, I was to find out he had demons and was an alcoholic and drug abuser. He never married and died at the age of 71…….The first painting Jac and I purchased was a large bayou scene with a beautiful white egret. We hung the painting in our family room. We decorated  the room using  the painting as inspiration for the soft aloe greens and soft browns. We eventually bought five of his paintings….three are of birds, one of a lily pad, and one of a bouquet of magnolias laying on a table. The flower painting hangs above our bed. He was a photographer and an author. I highly recommend you google JOHN CARROLL DOYLE, and maybe buy his book pictured here…..They still sell reproductions that are incredibly good, and maybe an original or two……He was an amazing artist……………gone too soon.

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“THE GAME TABLE”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…………….During the fall and winter months we used to hang out in the Green Room on Sunday mornings. I would start a fire in the fireplace, and we would have our coffee, tea, toast and jam while reading the Sunday Times. During the frosty evenings we would sometimes play backgammon on the game table. I would take the top off, store it in the living room, and there it was a beautifully appointed backgammon table. The fireplace would go on, and I would bring out the Port. We both loved Port!….We would play and drink into the wee hours of the morning…It great fun and a big competition!….The eighteenth century golden leather chair, the side table, the ceramic bulldog on the floor and the “hunting scene” painting were all chosen during Burt , John and my antiques excursion for HG. The game table, the two tapestry chairs in goldenrod and burnt orange, plus the bouille lamp were also gotten on our hunt to fill the room. The bouille lamp wasn’t electrified, and still has candles which we always lit. Burt had said I could have the lamp electrified, but it would bring down the value of its’ original state, so I left it as is. Another thing Jac and I loved was very old BRASS pieces, and over the years we collected a lot of it. The lantern with the red bow hangs from the ceiling in the corner near the game table. There are at least four other lanterns in the room….Some are small and sit on the desk. The lantern on the extremely HEAVY stand sits next to the fireplace. There was a woman, can’t remember her name, who used to deal in 16th, 17th and 18th Dutch and English brass. Incredible things. She had everything imaginable, and was very knowing. She had everything from huge chandeliers to wall sconces, of which we bought a pair, and they are on the wall on either side of a painting above the fireplace….We also purchased candle sticks of all shapes and sizes,  stands and lanterns, the trivet, and tea pot, and brass boxes. We even bought a large wooden gun box with amazing brass details that we use as an end table on a stand. We have a few brass containers in the shape of fruit. It was a wonderland of brass. She had a lovely store in Southport Ct, but eventually gave it up and concentrated on antique shows. I don’t even know how many pieces we bought from her…..More Christmas and birthday presents!!!….Jac and I were not jewelry people, but we loved beautiful artisan antique things…….things with history…..Bamboo blinds add to the coziness of the room. We eventually found wonderful area rugs for under the game table and the tea table. The glass shelves are filled with photos, books and lots of things we love…….The hunt and discovery is part of the joy of collecting.

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“MORE COLLECTABLES”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…………………The shelves in the Green room, above the banquet, are filled with photos and more things we have collected….Right now I have decorated them with glass hand blown ornaments and pine cones for Christmas……One of my passions and sources of inspiration are antique boxes…..Most of them are English tea caddies made of intricate inlayed woods or TORTOISE.. I have to say I did go crazy for them, and many times Jac had to once again pull me away!…..but she was just as bad, because she bought quite a few for me as presents. When in doubt get me a box!!!!! Some of my absolute favorites are the GREEN TORTOISE boxes. There was a lovely woman, now retired, who had the most beautiful shop in New Canaan on the main street. It was a corner shop and she had the most magnificent antiques. She carried only the finest things. Her shop was like a drug for me!!!! On one of our trips to her shop she said, “Louis I have some wonderful tortoise boxes that just came in” She took us into the back room and there were eight boxes that just arrived from England…..three were green!  They were extremely expensive, and Jac said no, and this time she meant it. I did pick up a beautiful box, but it wasn’t green. Since then, which was many years ago, the price of green tortoise has become astronomical! It’s very rare and of course it has been illegal for many years to kill tortoise for their shells.. I always regretted not getting another box or two…….but now it’s a different story….What am I going to do with all of these things!!!? Who will get them??? My nephews and nieces don’t really appreciate, nor do they understand the value, both financial and the sentiment of the things we have collected in our life time. I realize that I don’t truly own all of these things. I’m only the caretaker of them for their next owners…..whoever they may be.

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