Art: Jules Breton

I was recently looking over photos of some of the pieces I carried in my vintage shop RevivalSmith and I was reminded of this poster of a painting by Jules Breton, The Song of the Lark. I was already a fan of Jean Francois Millet's The Gleaners when I came upon this poster and it struck the same chord in me that Millet's famous painting had -- appreciation for the beauty of hard work, community and closeness with the land. In researching some of his other works, I realized that I connect with a lot of Breton's pieces. His subjects are often women -- farm workers -- and he clearly has reverence for them and the simple but dignified lives they lead. 

Jules Breton (1827-1906) was born in a small village in the Pas-de-Calais and his paintings were deeply influenced by the rural life he experienced and witnessed as a boy. He began painting in the Realist style but his later works are more representative of Symbolism. More information about the Symbolist movement can be found here. We live in a complicated time where women are expected to conform to a very specific aesthetic ideal that excludes much of the female population, so seeing depictions of women with strong arms and sturdy feet who are nevertheless feminine and beautiful does my soul good. 

               Returning from the Fields

Paysanne au Repos

 Young Women Going to a Procession

La Glaneuse

Calling in the Gleaners

Images: 1) RevivalSmith. 2) Wikimedia. 3) Sotheby's. 4) Art Renewal. 5) Fine Art. 6) Web Gallery of Art.           

Plate Walls

The appeal of a plate wall is obvious. It brings decorative dishes out of hiding while filling a large space that might be expensive to cover with actual art. For those who love a particular style of dish, such as the ironstone plates in the first image, a plate wall makes a feature out of a cherished collection. Even a narrow wall seems suddenly interesting when a cluster of plates is strategically arranged on it. In a room that already has a lot of interest, plates of a single color do the trick without overwhelming the senses. While in a paired-down space, a grouping of patterned plates contributes color. I especially love the plates that form the unorthodox canvas for an oil painting while framing the new work.

Images: ReadyMade. Nesting Place. Mmmcrafts. Decor Pad. SF Girl by Bay. Down and Out Chic.

Artist: David Lance Goines

A few years ago, I came across a book of posters by artist and pressman David Lance Goines in a village bookstore and ended up buying two copies -- one for my bookshelf and the other to pull out pages and frame them. What I know about graphic design could fit on the palm of my hand, but I know what I like and based on the number of books he's written and the quality of businesses who have commissioned him to design advertising for them, Goines has a knack for what turns heads. Goines likens his work to a pair of "blue jeans" that get better the more they are worn. For me, the blue jeans comparison only relates in so far as his work is timeless -- denim will never be retired from the American wardrobe. Goines' posters manage to be retro and modern at the same time and he employs a soothing color palate strong on grays and dusty pinks that asks for attention rather than shouting for it. So many years after first discovering his work, I still find myself leaning in for a better look at the prints on my wall and wishing he would put his hand to designing a poster for my own shop.

Images: Posters 1970-1994, David Lance Goines, published by Ten Speed Press, 1994. For more of David Lance Goines' work and story, click here.

French Art Deco Advertising

Ever since I discovered these bubble-bath bottles with translucent labels featuring George Barbier designs in a shop a decade ago, I've had a small love affair with Art Deco illustrations and graphics. The world of advertising during the 1920s and 30s recognized a good thing and embraced the style to sell everything from perfume to luxury travel. For me, the beauty of Barbier's work lies in the exaggerated detail he applies to fashion and nature, bringing texture to them both. Vintage Art Deco commercial art features plenty of color--often combining shades we might shy away from today--and stylized lettering that continues to be replicated. 

Mimosa soap label, c. 1925, artist unknown.

Fragrance labels, c. 1927, R. Dion.

La Fraisette advertising fan, c. 1930, artist unknown.

Advertising fans, c. 1930, 1925, and 1930, artists unknown.

L'Odalisque soap label, c. 1925, artist unknown.

French syrup and liqueur bottles.

Images: French Modern: Art Deco Graphic Design by Steven Heller and Louise Fili, published by Chronicle Books, 1997. Flea Market Style: Decorating with a Creative Edge by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead, published by Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1998.

Art: Making Walls Talk

Wrapped by Tastes Orangey

What makes a person respond to a work of art is as mysterious as what causes two people to fall in love. It's different for everyone and can change with the years, particularly if an attractive exterior is found to be lacking in substance. I have found that the pieces I've been able to live with the longest are those that manage to be both simple and striking. They are the pieces that don't shout to be noticed, but rather beckon to me. And when my eyes pass over them, they are drawn back for another view. These pieces by a handful of Etsy artists are the stuff that classics are made of in my house. The fact that I have zero ability to draw or paint makes me that much more enamored of their work.

Emma No. 2 by No Flying in the House

Baucis by Lisa Chow

Three Generations by Rudolf Kurz

Always by Michele Maule

Stretched across Space by Planet Janet Art

Girl in the Yellow Suit by Kiki and Polly

Cairns: Lovely Piles of Rocks

ZapPictures, Inc.

Still Breathing has endured as one of my favorite films since I first saw it about a decade ago. Brendan Fraser plays a San Antonio musician, Fletcher, whose father and grandfather both had visions of the women that were meant for them and subsequently found and married them. Fletcher finally experiences his own vision of his bride and he travels to L.A.'s Formosa Cafe to find her. There he encounters Rosalyn, played by Joanna Going. She is a con artist who mistakes him for her next mark and sets about seducing him. Intensely pursuing her but determined not to sabotage their relationship by rushing things, Fletcher eventually breaks down Rosalyn's defenses. During a stroll down a tree-lined street, he pauses to tell her about how he builds cairns. He takes her hand, palm up, and piles several little stones on it to commemorate the moment they are sharing together. Soon after, he tips her hand and lets the stones fall. Cairns aren't built to last but rather to punctuate a moment in time.


I have since built a few cairns of my own while walking along Wissahickon Creek in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. Its meditative effect makes it the perfect way to shed city life stresses. Part of the fun is trying to build something that looks like it shouldn't be able to stay standing. Balancing it on the edge of a boulder or leaving a space at the center that you can see through makes it more than just a pile of rocks. Each structure is so precarious that I always know when it has reached its limit. Usually I'll continue on my walk until I'm on the other side of the creek and then I'll watch people's reactions as they discover the cairn. Dogs and children are particularly fascinated by these unexpected art installations in the wild.


Definition: cairn 

Pronunciation: \ˈkern\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English (Scots) carne, from Scottish Gaelic carn; akin to Old Irish & Welsh carn cairn

Date: 15th century

: a heap of stones piled up as a memorial or as a landmark (Merriam-Webster)

The tallest cairn I've managed so far.

As a seller on Etsy, I love browsing at what is on offer from artists and vintage lovers around the world. It turns out that my love of cairns is shared by a number of them. Here are a few that captured my attention.

Moss Terrariums' Cairn Terrarium No 1

Made for Fun's Bottle Stopper

Leaping Gazelle's Sea Cairn

Jibby and Juna's Cairn Illustration Pendant

AntiGenre's Cairn Ring

Groundwork's Cairn No. 3--Limited Edition Print

 (which I also happen to have framed in my bedroom)

Jenifer Glagowski's Original--Orange on Grey

Art: Penmanship Drawings

I recently bought a tattered old book called The Business Guide; or Safe Methods of Business by J.L. Nichols, A.M. With headings like "Practical Maxims for Getting on in the World" and "How to Apply for a Situation", it makes for an interesting read. But reading wasn't my real purpose for buying the book. Instead, it was the bookplates of ornamental penmanship inside that drew my attention. The fact is that I'm a sucker for good penmanship. I would easily hang one of those chalkboard menus we associate with Parisian bistros on my walls and call it art (a future post may well celebrate unintended cafe art). I've been known to spend hours in Word putting various fonts through their paces. So to me these images of once popular penmanship drawings constitute the perfect marriage of writing and design. 

(Images from The Business Guide; or Safe Methods of Business by J.L. Nichols, A.M., published by J.L. Nichols & Co. Naperville, ILL., 1896 and available at amazon.)