Purple Passion: Manuel Canovas

I know there are folks who adore purple.  It’s never been my favorite color, but my appreciation grows steadily over time.

For example, last summer I saw the most amazingly simple combination of plants.  Vitex agnus-castus, underplanted with purple-leaved Heuchera, separated by clumps of Perovskia atriplicifolia, all abloom at once, all thriving in an inhospitable stretch of highway median.  Looking velvety cool, despite the blazing hot pavement, probably at 130 degrees or more, and refreshingly delicate among the chaos of rush hour traffic.  The sight convinced me that purple should be the backbone of the new garden I hope to establish this year to replace my overgrown, faltering butterfly garden.

Purple shines in winter as well as summer.

Some plants shimmer despite the frigid weather.

Even the decorative cabbage is layered with purple tones.

It is old-fashioned and romantic,

Monet's Garden Trays from Two's Company

the color of Lilac, Lavender and evening skies, and pure energy and adventure.  Think of frosty morns and glam rockers.  Purple is decadent

Cowtan and Tout's Mackinaw is lush with autumnal colors,
but it's really the bits of purple that give it that extra something.

and exotic;

Thibaut's new collection, called Biscayne, includes this tropical floral.
Lucala in Linen and Plum

Detail of Lucala

Detail of coordinating Rinca wallpaper, also in Plum.
Both Lucala and Rinca come in printed fabric and wallpaper.

royal and rebellious.

And perhaps no one understands this better than the creative team at Manuel Canovas.

Founded in 1963 by its namesake, Manuel Canovas Paris quickly became known for textiles, both for fashion and home, in bold patterns,

As you know, I'm a big fan of chrysanthemum and Penelope.
Seen here in Prune and Rouge.

floral,

Bagatelle in Magnanese

chic and oriental;

Sultan in Fuschia

gorgeous rifts on traditional toile;

Bengal in Grenat

 

Cerisy (my favorite toile of all time), seen here in Prune,
is both warm and vibrant with a cream-yellow background,
ivory accents and rich raisin purple.
Bengal and Cerisy are available as fabric and wallpaper.

and stunning color combinations…

Byzance, a linen-silk blend, in Rubis

usually with shades of purple.

Although these are the "taupe" versions of Aurore and

Dara, they seemed infused with dark and bright purples.

Even without a lot of pattern, Manuel Canovas fabrics are sumptuous and heavily invested in purple.

Maroquin, in Cassis, is beautifully textured.

Safari in Lilas

Shetland, a wool-blend plaid, comes in several color combinations,
including Amethyste and Taupe.

Tamia in Parme is sturdy enough for outdoor use.

The variety of textiles, and how they are embellished, is extraordinary.

Fiesta in Amethyste... embroidery on linen-viscose

 

Nimes in Basilic... embroidery on viscose-silk

Silk Charlotte in the softest Mauve

And Bastide is a damask of fire-resistant Trevira fabric.
Seen here in Parme

And I love the charmingly descriptive names for purple hues.

Belem in Lie de Vin...
the color of wine.

Spritely Marly comes in the popular French color known as Parme,
which I think of as the hue of spring crocus.

Foch, a luxurious cotton velvet, comes in five shades of purple,
including Quetsche... a dark, luscious plum and

Glycine... like racemes of wisteria.

Zenith in Violine,

Vence in Oeillet

and Vallauris in Pensee, recall Deco-era resorts on the French Riviera.

Calypso in Fuschia and

Nautilus in Lilas aren't your usual beach-inspired patterns!

Tarascon, seen here in Parme and Violine, may be the perfect stripe.

Manuel Canovas is now one of the five brands that make up Cowtan and Tout, and Ariane Dalle, previously with Pierre Frey, leads the design process.  But purple, in all its glorious variations, is still a mainstay of the collections.

Champs-Elysee, a linen-viscose weave, comes in Raisin (seen here),
as well as Lilas and Violette.

Voyage en Chine in Prune

The chairs sport a cotton-linen weave called Ales...
here in Amethyste...
and the draperies are the finely-embroidered Beauregard.

Ales in Parme

Beauregard in Nattier Rouge or

Fuschia Rose.

I remember a pair of earrings and cocktail ring that my mother owned decades ago.  They were uncut amethysts.  The ring was large and almost liquid.  The earrings hung in long teardrops with posts, which looked like little seals of calligraphy.  I believe my father had purchased them in Hong Kong.  And although the set is long gone, I can recall how magical, how foreign and mysterious, it seemed to me when my mother would get dressed for an evening out or let me play with her jewelry box.

Le Cabinet de Curiosite in Amethyste

So as we head from January (garnet) to February (amethyst), consider adding a bit of purple passion to your home, preferably with something wonderful from Manuel Canovas.

Fall Fiber Festival and Furry Friends

The Fall Fiber Festival is being held today and tomorrow at Montpelier, James Madison’s historic home, near Orange, Virginia.  It’s basically a celebration of all things fibrous… meaning, yarn and felt and the supplies you need to weave, knit, crochet and tat.  It’s also a fabulous opportunity to learn more about the animals that provide raw “wool”: sheep, goats, bunnies, llamas and alpacas.

I met this charming fellow last year at the Festival.

Very confident and photogenic.  He definitely knows he is special (although I’m not certain he is a he).

Never mind.  He got me thinking about my favorite “animal” artists from the region.

Marsha Heatwole lives near Lexington, Virginia, with a small menagerie of domesticated animals, many of whom populate her art work.  And I do mean populate.  Her rather frenetic-kinetic-style really conveys humor and joy, and she manages to capture each animal’s personality even in “group” portraits.

Audience of Sheep by Marsha Heatwole

Marsha works in a wide range of media, including:
Various forms of etching;

Father's Day by Marsha Heatwole

Silkscreen;

Rabbit with Iris by Marsha Heatwole

Monotype;

Maurice by Marsha Heatwole

And acrylic paint.

Proud Cheetah by Marsha Heatwole

We own one of Marsha’s etchings: Chickens Divine, and it hangs in our little hallway gallery of regional artists.  Her original prints and paintings are very affordable, but she also offers copies of her work in note cards, switch plate covers and magnets.  You can contact Marsha directly or purchase her creations at Artists in Cahoots in downtown Lexington.

Earlier this spring, several artists in the Rockbridge County area, including Marsha, held an open studio tour.  They are hoping to host another tour in 2013, so you could visit Marsha and her furry subjects.

Cynthia Burke is based in Charlottesville, Virginia, and predominately paints in oil on panel or canvas.  Sometimes she uses small, almost book-size, copper “canvases” to create these luminous studies of local birds.

Goldfinch by Cynthia Burke

As you can see, Cynthia is inspired by nature and intimate interior scenes and portraits from the Dutch Golden Age.  So she depicts the common Blue Jay as a rising guild member and our neighborhood Possum and Groundhog in ruff and robes!

Blue Jay by Cynthia Burke

Opposum by Cynthia Burke

Groundhog by Cynthia Burke

The more exotic Snowy Egret and Flamingo are like feathery still lifes… all gorgeous plumage instead of fading flowers and fruit… with backdrops of tapestry and silk.

Snowy Egret by Cynthia Burke

Flamingo by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia’s work is meticulous and luxurious.  Just about radiant.

And amazingly priced.  You can visit Cynthia in her studio at the McGuffey Art Center in downtown Charlottesville.

Okay, okay.  I recognize that Catherine Ledner is hardly a local artist.  Born and bred in New Orleans, she now lives in Southern California with her family and a pint-size clan of animals.

Catherine’s photographs of animals (whether the subjects are pets or wild beings) manage to communicate what she sees and what she wants us to imagine.  These animals are both individuals and icons.

It's hard to resist this shaggy sweetheart.

Flamingo by Catherine Ledner

Catherine is well-aware of the juxtaposition, the slightly off-kilter look of her images.  And that’s all part of the fun.

Fox by Catherine Ledner

Llama by Catherine Ledner

You can find Catherine’s photographs in national advertising campaigns and major magazines.  But you can also commission or buy her work for yourself.  She has a whole website devoted to her animal photography: Catherine's Animals.  Her books Animal House and Glamour Dogs are available through most bookstores.

Sheep by Catherine Ledner

The Fall Fiber Festival is always held the first weekend in October in a huge field across State Route 20 from the Montpelier house and old train station.  We try to attend every year for the sheep dog trials (although the sheep are pretty obstinate by Sunday), kettle corn and tent after tent of wooly wares.  It’s our kickoff to autumn and is usually a gorgeous day no matter what the weather.  Montpelier is nestled in a beautiful stretch of the Piedmont – lightly wooded with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains – and an easy drive from Washington, D.C. or Richmond.