VIE Magazine September / October 2016

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IN THIS ISSUE

112

44

56 132

80

34

26

FEATURE

Glamping: Camping Gets a Makeover 80

Love at First Flight: Lauren and Layne Fielder 176

At Home with Christian Siriano: Color Is Beautiful 56

The Joy of Good Food: Fresh Fall Recipes from the Garden 102

ART

HOME AND DECOR

A Phenomenal Journey on Gossamer Wings 186

Designing with Nature in Mind 144 At Home in the South 154 A Tale of Two Houses: Life by Design 164

GARDEN AND OUTDOORS C’est la VIE Curated Collection: Enchanted Garden Party 44

American Beauty: National Parks Blossom in Philadelphia 196

INSPIRATION The Amazing Adele: A Soulful Songstress Soars 26 Face Your Fears 131

The Sky’s the Limit: Taking Art to Another Dimension 34 From Ashes to Beauty: The Art of Glassblowing 94 Art in Its Place: The Exploration of Gordie Hinds 112 Masters of the Modern Age: Iconic Art Collection Reunites in Paris 122 An Eye for Detail: The Stunning Mosaic Art of Jane du Rand 132 For the Love of Knitting: The Handmade Resurgence 208

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 13

CREATIVE TEAM FOUNDER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LISA MARIE BURWELL Lisa@VIEmagazine.com FOUNDER / PUBLISHER GERALD BURWELL Gerald@VIEmagazine.com

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR JORDAN STAGGS Jordan@VIEmagazine.com CHIEF COPY EDITOR MARGARE T STE VENSON CONTRIBUTING WRITERS SALLIE W. BOYLES, MEL ANIE A. CISSONE, PAMEL A DOWLING, NICHOL AS GRUNDY, ROB MARTIN, TORI PHELPS, JULIA REED, COLLEEN SACHS, ANNE W. SCHULT Z

ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY ART DIRECTOR TRACE Y THOMAS Tracey@VIEmagazine.com FILM CUR ATORS AMANDA CROWLE Y GR APHIC DESIGNERS SHELBY BOSTON, RINN GARL ANGER, LUCY MASHBURN CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGR APHERS ROB CARDILLO, VICTOR CASTRO, PAUL COSTELLO, COLLEEN DUFFLE Y, ANGELITA GONZ ALE Z, NICHOL AS GRUNDY, CHRIS LUKER, RYAN MANTHE Y, DAVID MOYNAHAN, ROMONA ROBBINS, WILLIAM WALDRON, BRAD WALSH, KE VIN WINTER, PURE7 STUDIOS

ADVERTISING, SALES, AND MARKETING DIGITAL MARKETING DIRECTOR MEGHN HILL WEB DE VELOPER MARK THOMAS BR ANCH OFFICE MANAGER – IREL AND SHARON DUANE MARKETING MANAGER AMANDA CROWLE Y CRE ATIVE ST YLIST SUVA ANG-MENDOZ A SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR L AUREN SHAW Lauren@VIEmagazine.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES JULIE DORR Julie@VIEmagazine.com MARY JANE KIRBY Mar yJane@VIEmagazine.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER TIM DUTROW DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR SHANNON QUINL AN

VIE is a registered trademark. All contents herein are Copyright © 2008–2016 Cornerstone Marketing and Advertising, Incorporated (Publisher). All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher. VIE is a lifestyle magazine and is published six times annually on a bimonthly schedule. The opinions herein are not necessarily those of the Publisher. The Publisher and its advertisers will not be held responsible for any errors found in this publication. The Publisher is not liable for the accuracy of statements made by its advertisers. Ads that appear in this publication are not intended as offers where prohibited by state law. The Publisher is not responsible for photography or artwork submitted by freelance or outside contributors. The Publisher reserves the right to publish any letter addressed to the editor or the Publisher. VIE is a paid publication. Subscription rates: Digital magazine (iPad only) – One-year $11.99; Two-year $17.99 / Printed magazine – One-year $29.95; Two-year $54.95 (U.S. Only – price includes free access to digital magazine versions for iPad). Subscriptions can be purchased online at www.VIEmagazine.com.

14 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

EDITOR’S NOTE

LOVING LIFE

Our annual Home and Decor issue just got brighter with couture fashion designer and lifestyle brand curator Christian Siriano featured on the cover. This past March, Christian collaborated with VIE on a fashion shoot in Ireland’s renowned Connemara region, which will appear in our Sophisticate issue, November/December 2016. It was during dinner at the magical Ballynahinch Castle that Christian shared the news of the upcoming launch of his new home goods line, which went on sale at Bed Bath and Beyond this summer. Having seen Founder/Editor-In-Chief Lisa Burwell Photo by Gerald Burwell photos of his amazing Connecticut country home on Instagram, it seemed logical that Christian’s impeccable interior styling would be a hot commodity. When asked if he’d be gracious enough to share his home with our readers, he said yes, thankfully, and the rest is history.

This summer, VIE traveled to Connecticut with NYC celebrity photographer William Waldron. William wielded his camera to brilliantly capture the art-filled spaces of the colorful cottage that is bursting with Christian’s confident aesthetic sensibility.

Christian has style that can be found in all aspects of his life, and he knows what works!

He also has a lot of charisma and heart—I love him! Read all about it in “At Home with Christian Siriano: Color is Beautiful” by our managing editor, Jordan Staggs.

This fall, Christian will visit VIE’s headquarters and also participate as a celebrity judge at the Fourth Annual South Walton Fashion Week (SWFW) October 5–8.

Joining Christian at the judges’ table will be New Orleans–based pop artist Ashley Longshore, recently chosen by cosmetics giant Clé de Peau Beauté for the packaging of their 2016 holiday collection featuring her artistic impression of Amanda Seyfried, actress and face of Clé de Peau; Carlo Pieroni, an accomplished fashion and style photographer who has shot for several international fashion magazines; and his wife, Carol Wilson, a successful runway and fashion model. (Carlo and Carol now collaborate as a dynamic duo.) You don’t want to miss out on all the festivities, so go to SWFW.org to learn more!

In order to continue to be fresh and creative in a world that is traveling at the speed of light, it is important to have new perspectives and take time to think.

Excursions to New England, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Ireland this summer opened my eyes to the fact that people everywhere crave peace and security in a troubled world. It’s our responsibility to understand that as part of the human race, we are all connected—we need each other. VIE was created to spread good news through stories that extol excellence, love, and life. We hope that you will share your life with someone new today.

To Life!

—Lisa Founder/Editor-In-Chief

ON THE COVER

Fashion designer Christian Siriano has come a long way since launching his eponymous women’s clothing line in 2008 at just twenty-two years old. In the years since, he has been making his mark at fashion week events around the world and growing his brand by dressing some of today’s most popular celebrities and public figures, including the First Lady. Siriano just launched his first home decor line at Bed Bath and Beyond, and there are plenty more creative projects up his sleeve. He also just tied the knot with longtime beau, musician Brad Walsh. In the pages of this issue, take a peek at Siriano’s personal style from within their fresh, bold Connecticut country house! photo by william waldron

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THE AMAZING

Adele A SOULFUL S O N G S T R E S S S OA R S

BY LISA BURWELL P H O TOG R A P H Y B Y K E V I N W I N T E R / G E T T Y I M AG E S

Adele. No need for a last name— everyone knows who she is.

To be known and referred to by only her first name invites one to have a personal connection to her, despite not having a personal relationship with her. But that’s who Adele is.

She is a people person. She levels the planes between the superstar and the supernormal. And, aside from creating amazingly soulful and iconic smash hits, it is what makes Adele so likable—even lovable.

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 27

Without warning, the arena began to buzz with a calm commotion. It took a second or two to realize why. Adele’s eyes had opened—she had awakened!

Her beautiful eyes were mesmerizing. Suddenly, the audience came alive with excitement; the lights unveiled Adele’s arrival as she was lifted into view from the small stage and, almost simultaneously, we heard the unmistakable pitch-perfect and soulful alto voice. “Hello,” she sang. But the cheers and screams that filled the arena were short lived and meager compared to what followed. When the next line “I’m in California dreaming about who we used to be” was uttered, it was evident by the ignited frenzy that this crowd was not just any group of fans—they were California Adele fans! The single “Hello” was released a month before her album 25 debuted to astounding success. With over 18 million sold to date, to say Adele is a powerhouse in the entertainment industry may be a bit of an understatement.

F

riday, August 5, 2016, was the opening night of Adele’s eight-night stint at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. At the focus of the dimly lit arena was the main stage. Each half of the giant backdrop gently angled back from a center fold, enabling every seat in the house to have a view, no matter how far into the wings. Filling the screen were Adele’s recognizable eyes and the bridge of her nose—the eyes were closed, as if she were resting peacefully while her guests arrived and were seated.

A smaller elevated stage in the shape of a diamond was isolated toward the opposite end of the arena floor. Waiting to see Adele perform for the first time gave me butterflies. The anticipation among the audience of eighteen thousand was palpable—not a surprise since every concert of her eight-month tour has been—and remains—sold out.

BECAUSE SHE IS SO COMFORTABLE AND HONEST WITH HERSELF, SHE FOSTERS AN EXCHANGE WITH HER AUDIENCE THAT ALLOWS THEM TO REALLY FEEL LIKE THEY KNOW HER. 28 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

When compared to supercharged, choreographed concerts complete with multiple wardrobe changes and dance routines, the Adele concert is a refreshing contrast. She connects with her audience on an intimate level. “I want you to know me,” said Adele early in the performance. She then described what was happening in her life when she wrote the hauntingly beautiful “Million Years Ago,” also on 25, and how she wished to go back to her time as a teen when she and friends caroused freely in the parks of London. She said that she thought many of us might feel the same way she did when she wrote it. I, for one, did. I was caught off guard by Adele’s passionate delivery of the heartbreaking lyrics. I had never heard the song prior to that night, and my eyes continue to well up even after hearing it dozens of times since. Adele is a songstress in every sense of the word. Like a siren from Greek mythology, she doesn’t need anything but her charisma and talent to serenade a crowd.

It’s Adele’s ability to relate to her fans that sets her apart in her industry. She posed for selfies with the audience close by the stage, chatting and laughing with them as she took their phones to snap a pic while giving “it’s all about the bass” gestures. Because she is so comfortable and honest with herself, she fosters an exchange with her audience that allows them to really feel like they know her. She even engaged the crowd to sing a few of her songs with her and stopped to listen as her fans carried the melody with impressive accuracy. She seemed in awe and beamed

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SHE SEEMED GENUINELY EXCITED TO SHARE WHAT MANY OTHER STARS AND CELEBRITIES WOULD CONSIDER TOO PERSONAL AS SHE GUSHED ABOUT THE LOVE SHE HAS FOR HER NEW BABY AND SAID SHE NEVER KNEW IT WAS POSSIBLE TO LOVE SOMEONE THAT MUCH.

like a proud momma when everyone knew the words and was singing along.

After a few songs, Adele admitted that she had been nervous about performing in Los Angeles. She was used to playing much smaller venues, ones that fostered a more intimate setting, but her connection with the crowd that night, she said, made her feel as if she were at a small songwriters-in-the-round event. Adele also shared with her new friends that she has been eating clean, exercising, and getting accustomed to her new lifestyle in LA, where she’ll now reside six months out of the year; the remaining six will be spent in London. LA is dear to her heart: it’s where she won six Grammys, including Album of

the Year, at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in 2012. She seemed genuinely excited to share what many other stars and celebrities would consider too personal as she gushed about the love she has for her new baby and said she never knew it was possible to love someone that much.

Another megahit performed by Adele that night was “Skyfall,” the theme from the James Bond film, which has sold millions worldwide. It was another crowd favorite with brilliant light beams crisscrossed the stage throughout the song.

This, coupled with her twenty-piece orchestra, made for a simple and elegant yet powerful performance. Her cover of Bob Dylan’s song “Make You Feel My Love” was spectacular and one of my favorites. But I had so many from that night, I don’t really know where to begin—or end—so I’ll end with a question.

At the ripe young age of twenty-eight, how high can Adele soar? (Answer: As high as she wants to!)

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Taking Art to Another Dimension

BY MELANIE A. CISSONE

“I get much of my inspiration when I’m surfing,” says mixed-media artist Andy Saczynski, who, with wedding and family portrait photographer Ryan Manthey, is creating new works that bring out the best of their respective talents. With layered strokes from a paint-covered brush, Saczynski transforms a Manthey landscape photo into a rich, dimensional work of art that captures the essence of time and place. The sum, in this case, brings all the parts to life.

Seaside Swirls by Ryan Manthey and Andy Saczynski, 60 x 40 inches

Influenced greatly and encouraged by his Niceville High School art teacher, Saczynski was compelled to create art at a young age. He says, “I’ve had it in my mind since third grade.” His teacher, Vivian Komando, guided him through the creation of a portfolio that led to a scholarship to Northwest Florida State College (then known as Okaloosa-Walton Community College or OWCC). He says, “Mrs. Komando gave me awesome confirmation and positive reinforcement.”

Komando recalls, “Andy was the type of art student where I couldn’t wait to see what he would do next.” Saczynski also credits the late Arnie Hart, his art instructor in college, with wrangling him away from getting too lost in his own world or too comfy with a particular style.

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 35

“I love to do the woodworking for an assemblage piece. When each different object comes into play, the piece begins to take form and come into its own.”

Saczynski’s greatest inspirations for his assemblage of works, however, are his mother and her collection of antiques and objects. In describing his parents’ home, he smiles warmly and says, “There’s random, interesting stuff. My mother has five or six armoires in the living room—and she makes it work.”

Saczynski’s father, who suffers from ALS, is a retired Air Force pilot and former government contractor.

The youngest of three, Andy was born in England when his father was stationed there. During these posts abroad, Andy’s mother developed an eye for antiques, particularly handmade, primitive folkinspired pieces. The emotion of mentioning his father’s condition takes Saczynski by surprise. He pauses for a moment and says, “It was a very inspiring home to grow up in.”

The father of five children, Saczynski is fascinated by the convertible shapes of recycled materials, and he is masterful at repurposing such things into art. Like his mother, he also has a collection of found items (some that have come from his parents’ house). Under his studio work table, he has a pile of piano keys. The keys, parts of a crutch, and a fishing reel, along with

New Orleans wedding party; original photo by Ryan Manthey (above) and painted photo on canvas by Andy Saczynski Opposite: Summertime Thunderstorm, 60 x 40 inches 36 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

ENJOY $750 OFF A NEW CART carefully painted patterns, became a piece called Grande Sailfish, which hangs in Saczynski’s studio-gallery at the colorful Shops of Grayton cottages in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

“I love to do the woodworking for an assemblage piece,” Saczynski says. Referring to the growing dimension and emerging personality of his multimedia art pieces, he continues, “When each different object comes into play, the piece begins to take form and come into its own.” The few collaborative pieces that he and Manthey have done thus far are no different; Manthey sees one thing through the lens of a camera, and Saczynski amplifies that photographic image with color and dimension until their works are, in a sense, reborn.

Zen-like in nature, surfing can have a meditative quality to it that many surfers, Saczynski included, describe as inspirational. When there are waves, Andy is out catching them. Along the beautiful Northwest Florida coast, however, good surfing is often reserved for those times when a storm is brewing. Saczynski enjoyed surfing regularly when he and his wife, Lori, lived in Jacksonville for a few years, but as he recalls, “It never really felt like home.”

Having bounced from odd jobs to construction to ultimately owning his own landscaping business by 2010, Saczynski transitioned over the next two years into becoming a full-time artist and opened his studio-gallery in 2012. He says, “I felt like I needed to go for it. I had to try.” Modest by nature, the baritone-voiced artist takes satisfaction in his successful passion. “It’s a blessing to be able to provide for my wife and our family.”

Manthey sees one thing through the lens of a camera, and Saczynski amplifies that photographic image with color and dimension until their works are, in a sense, reborn.

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“I was hooked. I shot photos of our daughter and then friends’ children, family portraits, and weddings.

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38 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

Unlike Florida native Saczynski, Ryan Manthey grew up in the Great Plains— in Ramona, South Dakota, population 174—as the youngest of five children.

When Manthey’s eldest sister got married, she moved to Florida and was slowly followed by her whole family, and Manthey became a freshman at Rocky Bayou Christian School in Niceville, Florida. He graduated from Niceville High School, attended the former OWCC as Saczynski did, and then began working in the Manthey family business of land planning, dirt hauling, and construction cleanup. Reflecting on the time when he and Saczynski were friends but neither was a full-time artist, Manthey says, “I always admired how Andy used recycled objects and turned them into art. When I was working for my dad, I would give Andy interesting items that we sometimes stumbled on at a job.”

Their combined styles and mediums make the imagery jump off the canvas, making an otherwise two-dimensional work seem threedimensional, as if you were standing in the very place you are admiring.

Manthey’s wife, Erica, who today manages the couple’s photography business, Pure7 Studios, had asked her dad to recommend a good digital camera that she could buy as a gift for Ryan when their first child was born. Unwittingly, Erica had hatched a new career in photography for her husband and for their family.

Not having been remotely curious or knowledgeable about photography up to that point, Manthey says, “I was hooked. I shot photos of our daughter and then friends’ children, family portraits, and weddings. It just snowballed.” In those early years, Manthey was still working for his father, but his blossoming interest in photography was fast becoming a livelihood. “I knew that the work I was doing for dad wasn’t my passion.”

Gulf Coast Daydream, 36 x 24 inches

Completely self-taught, Manthey credits practice and “lots of failing” to the successful wedding, family portrait, and commercial photography business he and his wife have developed into Pure7 Studios. He says, “I may not know the supertechnical side of photography, but I understand light and composition really well.” Describing the difference between work and passion, Manthey pronounces, “Photography doesn’t ever feel like I punch a timecard.”

“It was a dream that I had never really brought up to Andy or anyone else before. I reached out to Andy and Lori, who were immediately on board. Andy saw it as something cool to do and sketched out our artistic vision.”

40 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

Even though Erica, Saczynski, and Lori had known each other in high school, it wasn’t until after the Mantheys were married for a couple of years that the two couples and their growing families connected.

Manthey says, “Our kids get together.”

With a desire to complement his photography business with artistic projects about which he is passionate, and having always envisioned a collaboration with Saczynski, Manthey mentioned something about his longtime dream to his friend about a year ago. “It was a dream that I had never really brought up to Andy or anyone else before,” Manthey says. “I reached out to Andy and Lori, who

Andy Saczynski and Ryan Manthey Photo by Pure7 Studios

were immediately on board. Andy saw it as something cool to do and sketched out our artistic vision.” They got to work.

Their combined creative talent began with Afternoon Showers, a sunset landscape of the iconic slash pines on the eastern edge of Western Lake near WaterColor, Florida. “I secretly call them the ‘money trees,’” reveals Saczynski, referring to the view’s popularity among tourists, photographers, and artists. Manthey laughs and confirms, “You can’t go wrong with that image. It sells.” Currently hanging at Saczynski’s studio-gallery, the sixty-by-forty-inch multimedia piece is a photo of the hardy yellow pines against a warm auburn sunset, with voluminous white clouds and the blackish-blue of the approaching night sky all cut in with paint.

Afternoon Showers and the subsequent collaborative pieces that Saczynski and Manthey have created are unique. Their combined styles and mediums make the imagery jump off the canvas, making an otherwise two-dimensional work seem three-dimensional, as if you were standing in the very place you are admiring. The two men have reached beyond landscapes and created collaborative oeuvres of families, cityscapes, and even wedding parties.

Manthey and Saczynski both admit that collaboration brings one inherent challenge—finding the time to be in the same room to develop concepts, especially during Florida’s busy summer tourism season. Nonetheless, Saczynski describes what the two are doing: “We’re bringing new life, beauty, and purpose to an image.

It’s a really cool thing to do.” Manthey, who wants to work on more projects with Andy, is positive about the future of where they can take their creative venture.

“The sky’s the limit,” he says.

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V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 49

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AT H O M E W I T H

Christian Siriano COLOR IS BEAUTIFUL

By JORDAN STAGGS Photography by WILLIAM WALDRON

“You must have so much going on in your head all the time.

How do you create all these beautiful things?” This was the question posed by Broadway and television star Kristin Chenoweth as she swatted affectionately at the head of fashion designer Christian Siriano. He knelt to adjust the hem of her gown— one of many she tried on at Christian’s New York City studio last October in preparation for VIE’s November/ December 2015 cover photo shoot.

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 57

I

t’s a valid question, to be sure. For Christian, things have only gotten bigger since 2008, when he launched his eponymous line at New York Fashion Week. Collaborations with big brands such as TRESemmé, Payless ShoeSource, Victoria’s Secret, Disney, and, most recently, Lane Bryant and Bed Bath and Beyond, along with his own lines of women’s clothing, shoes, handbags, and home accessories, have served to grow the Christian Siriano label to a near-global level.

However, it’s not just the elegant, classic feminine designs with a modern flair that make Christian’s label so desirable; it’s the undeniable charm and tenacity of the designer himself. The Annapolis, Maryland, native, who is now an esteemed member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, has a signature go-getter attitude and honesty that have not faded over the years. Christian’s business model, coupled with a knack for deducing what looks good on women—all of them, it seems—has also boosted him into stardom among celebrities looking for their next red-carpet or event gown. He’s dressed everyone from Michelle Obama to Heidi Klum and Lady Gaga, along with countless film and TV stars including Ghostbusters’ and Saturday Night Live’s Leslie Jones, Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner, Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks, Oprah, Scarlett Johansson, Danielle Brooks, and many more. “It takes a real designer to design for real women,” Jones said on the red carpet at her Ghostbusters premiere on July 9 in Los Angeles, wearing a stunning red Christian Siriano off-the-shoulder gown after other designers reportedly turned down the opportunity to dress her. “Christian hooked me up.”

Prior to launching his brand, Christian graduated from the American InterContinental University in London and went on to intern for global fashion labels Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.

His ability to dress women of all shapes, tastes, and sizes, and his love for making them all feel beautiful and put together have become just some of Christian’s superpowers since his foray into the design world. “I want everyone to be able to find something in the collection that they like,” he says.

“They don’t have to like everything, but I hope

The wall-to-wall mural in an upstairs guest bedroom was a gift to Christian and Brad from friend and artist Anna Hafner.

58 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 59

July 9 of this year. As the pair lounge in the colorful great room, their two small dogs relax as well— Bear sitting on top of the printed sofa and Topper chasing a stuffed bear as Christian tosses it. It’s a far cry from the hectic work life that surrounds the couple’s apartment in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, even though it’s just shy of two hours away.

The cottage’s pool area is a favorite spot for entertaining friends on the weekend.

Photos this page by Brad Walsh Opposite: Every wall in Brad and Christian’s colorful den offers a new art gallery of its own.

everyone likes at least one thing.” It’s a mission he says has not really changed since he started out, though his styles and his love of color and prints have evolved through the years.

Those loves have translated flawlessly into an array of home accessories, as the Christian Siriano collection launched at Bed Bath and Beyond in June this year. It’s a reflection of the designer’s personal home style and his love of bold colors, prints, and patterns, he explains as he sits near the windows in the great room at his weekend cottage in Danbury, Connecticut. Christian and his husband, musician Brad Walsh, bought the home in 2013 and were married in the backyard on

60 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

The four-bedroom, three-bath country home, built in 1860, is a charming New England–style cottage on the outside, but the interior is an explosion of color, art, and eclectic furniture and accessories that Christian and Brad have had fun collecting together over the years. Although it contrasts greatly with the loft-style Manhattan apartment that also doubles as Brad’s recording studio, Christian says that both homes are still reflections of his and Brad’s personal styles—just different sides of them.

“I think because I’m a designer, I like different things,” Christian says. “I like to look at vintage things, and I like to look at modern and clean things.

“

I think because I’m a designer, I like different things. I like to look at vintage things, and I like to look at modern and clean things.

�

E

very collection I design, the style changes, so that’s kind of how I look at the houses; I like to try different things.

The reason this one is so colorful and so print-heavy and fun is because I like that idea for a weekend house. You come in, and you feel happy no matter what. I had a very modern apartment when I first ‘had money.’ I thought buying very modern things was the right thing to do at the time, but now, I love just everything bold.”

That boldness is evident from the moment one walks into the Connecticut house, starting with a charming foyer featuring a table full of books, paintings resembling Topper and Bear, and another painting by Charleston-based artist Teil Duncan, a good friend of Brad’s. From there, the home branches off to the small rustic yet chic dining room and, to the right, Christian’s favorite room, a formal sitting room draped in green, palm-leaf prints, fresh flowers, and books and art galore.

“When we first found it, we looked at the house but weren’t quite sure we were ready to buy it,” Christian recalls. “Then the homeowner was driving down the road in North Carolina, and on the side of the road was a painting of my face on the outside of this antique store—which is just crazy.” He laughs. “She sent us the photo on Facebook and was like, ‘I really think you guys should come look at the house again. I think this is a sign, so let me know what price you guys want it to be.’ And we ended up getting the house for an amazing deal, and it all worked out because she was kind of like a mom, and she really wanted us to have it, like we were her sons, and she just wanted for us to have a nice life here. She and her husband lived in the house for forty years.”

Although Christian and Brad renovated the kitchen and totally gutted the attic, turning it into a chic master bedroom and bath, the couple retained the home’s original floors and much of its character. Paint and wallpaper throughout the home brought a fresh feel and more of their style, as did the myriad works of art and other collected items.

The front sitting room, Christian’s favorite room in the house, features custom-upholstered furniture and pops of coral among calming verdant hues.

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 63

“

Ever since Brad and Christian bought and renovated their home in Connecticut, they have very generously and welcomingly opened the doors to their close friends, and it has been such an amazing place to escape to on weekends or for special events.

“I like that it has a mix; it has a lot of character,” Christian says. “There’s a big tapestry in one of the rooms that we got in Qatar that’s really special. I really love this big quilt that we got in Tokyo. I love my drawings that I got in Paris from a really cool local artist. My Teil Duncan paintings, they’re really great. Oh, and I love the mural room that Brad’s friend Anna Hafner painted. It’s something you can’t replicate, so it’s very special.”

Plenty of Brad and Christian’s friends have contributed their artwork, photography, gifts, or just their presence to the home with visits and parties. Brad spends most weekends there and says they frequently have friends sleeping on three air mattresses, as well as in all the guest bedrooms and on sofas. The large backyard pool and cabanas add a sense of beachy

64 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

”

flair to the country retreat. “It’s our weekend house, so it’s just fun,” Christian says. “We can come here and we don’t have to worry about anything, and it’s really nice.”

“Ever since Brad and Christian bought and renovated their home in Connecticut, they have very generously and welcomingly opened the doors to their close friends, and it has been such an amazing place to escape to on weekends or for special events,” says fashion blogger, designer, and brand strategist Nicolette Mason, a close friend of Christian and Brad, and a frequent contributor to Vogue and Marie Claire. Christian has dressed Nicolette on multiple occasions, including designing her stunning custom wedding gown, and Nicolette walked as a model alongside Ashley Graham and Candice Huffine in Christian’s runway show this year at the United Nations to debut his collaboration with Lane Bryant. “We’ve developed some of our own little traditions as a group of friends— spending summer weekends there, the

Bedding by Christian Siriano for Bed Bath and Beyond features bold patterns and inspiration from his clothing collection. Photos this page courtesy of Christian Siriano Opposite: Christian’s Palm Beach inspiration shows through in an upstairs guest bedroom.

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 65

“

It’s our weekend house, so it’s just fun.

We can come here and we don’t have to worry about anything, and it’s really nice.

”

Upon entering the cottage, guests are greeted by the bright entryway and dining room, both full of artwork, books, and decor collected from friends and travels.

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 67

“

I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful the entire wedding was. Brad and Christian completely transformed their backyard into the most enchanting, magical, all-white garden.

”

Fourth of July, birthdays—everything. It’s so beautiful and everything is perfectly decorated, but not to the point that you’re scared to touch anything; it’s a home that’s designed and created to be lived in, enjoyed, and loved.”

Of course, one of the most special events friends and family have enjoyed at the country house was Brad and Christian’s wedding. “I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful the entire wedding was,” Nicolette continues. “Brad and Christian completely transformed their backyard into the most enchanting, magical, all-white garden. It really blew me away.

We’ve spent so much time at their home, especially enjoying their backyard and the pool, and it was like we were transported to an entirely new space— and somehow it felt even bigger.”

For the wedding, a quaint ceremony area was set up in the backyard, which is surrounded by an original stone wall and towering pines. Christian and Brad both dressed in simple black suits, while all their groomsmaids and guests wore white.

Brad and Christian’s backyard wedding was a vision in white with the grooms looking chic in black. Photos this page by Victor Castro and Angelita Gonzalez, Wet Paint 68 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

Opposite: The charming kitchen was one of a few renovation projects the couple undertook after buying the home in 2013.

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 69

F

or the reception, the pool became an illuminated dance floor, covered in Plexiglas, and the party continued into the week after the marriage as friends stayed at the country house to celebrate.

“The reason for having the wedding at our vacation house in Connecticut was that it’s a large, calm, inviting space, and many of our friends and family had been there before,” Brad says. “But once we put up the tents and covered the pool for the dance floor, it felt like another place entirely! Even I was surprised by how great the place looked. I have already had a book printed of photos from the wedding, and it’s really fun to look at when we are at the house because all sorts of things from the wedding are still in sight, and the memories are easy to replay. It certainly makes our pool even more fun and special now when we visit to think that all of our family and friends were there, dancing like crazy above it, celebrating our marriage.”

What’s next for the happy couple? Brad’s working on an album due out in September, while Christian’s expansion into the realm of home decor and lifestyle is in constant motion alongside his fashion lines for spring/summer, pre-fall, and fall/winter 2017.

Also in the works is a coffee-table book with photographs shot by Brad, featuring Christian’s gowns.

His collaboration with Bed Bath and Beyond will continue with more products in the coming year as well. “We’re going to be doing candles, fragrance diffusers, bath towels, and soaps.” Christian says.

“Those are fun; it’s just something that I like to do when I’m not doing clothes. It’s a hobby of mine that’s turned into a business, and that started when I was designing cell phone cases for Best Buy and using photographs and prints of my clothes that we turned into packaging. I think that’s going to turn into a signature, hopefully, so everything feels like ‘fashion’ and feels like what I’m doing with my clothes, but it fits into your home and your lifestyle.”

The cottage is full of artwork found all over the world and other pieces given by friends, such as the beach scene here by Charleston artist Teil Duncan.

Opposite: The blue upstairs guest bedroom is a calm, cool contrast to the bright greens and pinks below, perfect for relaxing with a sketchpad or a good book.

70 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

“

We’re going to be doing candles, fragrance diffusers, bath towels, and soaps. Those are fun; it’s just something that I like to do when I’m not doing clothes.

”

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 71

“

I think something that sets Christian apart from many designers is his ability to listen to clients and their needs, paying attention to their personal style and still creating something that is true to his aesthetic and vision.

”

O

ne thing’s for sure: you can still expect bold colors and exciting prints from Christian’s coming collections, which are often inspired by his world travels and the women he meets and designs for along the way. “It changes a little bit every season,” he explains.

“We just made a lot of clothes for Michelle Obama, which is amazing and kind of fun, because obviously she’s leaving the White House soon, and it was nice to have a moment with her because I think she has such amazing style, just so chic and elegant.

“There are always my favorite people whom I love to dress,” he continues. “We’re doing another project with Kristin Chenoweth, which is going to be fun, and we just sent a bunch of things to Céline Dion for her tour, which is kind of cool. And then, we always work with people we love, like Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Lopez. It’s funny because it’s just such a random mix of women and I just love all of them, so that’s the best part.”

“I think something that sets Christian apart from many designers is his ability to listen to clients and their needs, paying attention to their personal style and still creating something that is true to his aesthetic and vision,” attests Nicolette. “He has an

72 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

The cottage’s newly renovated attic is now Brad and Christian’s serene master bedroom and bath.

74 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

“

I like a room that’s decorated and I like a dress that is a dress, but I want to make sure there’s always some quirky playfulness to it.

”

incredible understanding of body shapes and how fabric lays on those bodies— and he’s sensitive to every person’s level of comfort and personal style needs. So many designers work in a vacuum and create clothing that a person needs to fit into, with no variation or customization (as if we’re all mannequins that come in a standard size), but Christian truly creates with a person and their body in mind.” She goes on to describe his lifestyle brand. “I think Christian has become such a respected authority in style and design that it is only natural that the brand is extending into other industries, especially home decor, fragrance, and so on.

Fashion will always be the core of his brand, but his design sensibility and personal style are so strong that they translate really naturally.”

Christian says he’s still figuring out just where his home decor audience lies, but his current fans can expect not only more of what they already love about his work but also different styles and looks that will suit their varying tastes in home decor as well as clothing. “I always say that I want things to feel playful, but also a little bit romantic and glamorous,” he explains. “I like a room that’s decorated and I like a dress that is a dress, but I want to make sure there’s always some quirky playfulness to it. I think fashion and interiors in general should never be too serious; you should have fun—you should express yourself. I think those are really important things.”

www.ChristianSiriano.com

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GLAMPING Camping Gets a Makeover

THE AMAZING ADELE

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HOME & DECOR ISSUE September/October 2016

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Glamping Camping Gets a Makeover

BY LAUREN SHAW PHOTOGRA PHY BY ROMONA ROB B IN S

Picture it: It’s an Instagram-worthy evening at Grayton Beach State Park on Florida’s Gulf Coast, and the stars are out on full display. A toasty fire is blazing, and the smell of roasting marshmallows fills the air.

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A

s the evening comes to an end, you head back to your air-conditioned tent, set your alarm clock on the bedside table, and snuggle up— not in a sleeping bag, but on a queen-size bed. What a perfect end to a day of camping in the woods.

Well, if that doesn’t sound like the camping trip you remember, then you don’t know glamping!

Going on a camping trip doesn’t have to entail “roughing” it in the woods anymore. The essence of glamorous camping—”glamping” for short—is a luxury outdoor getaway that is nothing short of magical. With comfort at your fingertips and all the amenities of home at the campsite, glamping is an undeniable craze that removes any negatives that coincide with being outside, especially in humid Florida weather. Current consumer behavior trends reveal that overall experience and emotions are key to luxury-seeking customers. And more and more consumers, it seems, want to find luxury and a sense of gratification in all facets of their travel.

“Glamping, or ‘fancy camping’ as we like to call it, is when you replace the inconveniences of camping with comfort and enjoyment.”

Capitalizing on the glamping movement in Northwest Florida are Micah and Danielle Heller, who founded their own luxury-tent accommodation business, Fancy Camps. “Glamping, or ‘fancy camping’ as we like to call it, is when you replace the inconveniences of camping with comfort and enjoyment,” Micah shares. “We had fantastic consulting from our kids, Sophie, Olivia, and Taylor, on the venture. They were particularly helpful with testing the tents and mattresses in the backyard.”

The inspiration for Fancy Camps came to the Hellers while watching the History Channel one night. “There was a show about the wealthy, from maybe fifty or V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 83

Fancy camping is designed to let campers get right to the good stuff—making memories. more years ago, and how they would go on safari with all the luxury they were accustomed to,” Danielle explains. “We thought we could use that concept to create a business and give campers a unique retreat they may not have experienced before. Everyone enjoys the time spent around a campfire and the smell of bacon cooking when you emerge from your tent in the morning, but most hate the effort it takes to create these memories. That is where Fancy Camps comes into play.”

Remove the elements of an overly packed car, sleeping on the ground, and—the most burdensome task— pitching a tent. Take in the amazing natural views surrounding your campsite as you enjoy the feel of enchanting seclusion and relaxation. Fancy camping is designed to let campers get right to the good stuff—making memories.

“We really want guests to have a great travel experience that is unique, unlike anything they have done before,” Micah says. “Fancy camping has become so popular

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because it is such an easy and comfortable way to spend time with family and friends. When you fancy camp, you just show up, and all the rest is taken care of. For the die-hard campers who say that hard work is part of the experience, my wife and I will not charge any extra for those who want to show up early and stay late to help us with setup and teardown!”

Endless adventures, connecting with nature, and, of course, luxury are what make fancy camping such a desirable escape. “We see people from many walks of life enjoying our tents,” Danielle says. “From college students to families with young kids to couples who are still in love after forty years of marriage—most just enjoy spending time in the great ‘fancy’ outdoors, making memories with those they care about.”

Fancy-campers are able to indulge in all the luxuries usually associated with staying at a fine hotel: spacious canvas tents are well-appointed with a bed, nightstands, area rugs, lamps, chairs, tables, and a cooling unit for ultimate relaxation. The campsite itself is

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Even avid campers are taking kindly to more glamorous camping options, as there is truly no excuse not to be comfortable while doing what you love.

even prearranged with string lights around the entrance of the whimsical tent, a fire pit stocked with a pile of firewood, and outdoor seating perfect for dining or stargazing. While most Fancy Camps sites are provided with the aforementioned amenities, they can be supplied with additional items or decor, if specifically requested. Whether it’s an entrance lined with colorful wildflowers or a s’mores or wine package to avoid an extra trip to the store, Fancy Camps has made sure that no stone is left unturned when it comes to living lavishly in the woods. Even avid campers are taking kindly to more glamorous camping options, as there is truly no excuse not to be comfortable while doing what you love.

“People should fancy-camp if they want a truly unforgettable outdoor experience,” Micah says.

“Travelers are encouraged to tell us what special or unique thing would make their trip over-the-top. If it is possible, we will make it happen!”

Offering campsite services in Grayton Beach State Park and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa Beach and Saint Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, Fancy Camps continues to expand and evolve as the demand for glamping increases.

“Private locations in Bay and Walton Counties in Florida have requested tent accommodations,” Micah says. “We’ve even initiated taking our show on the road for larger events like music festivals, outdoor weddings, or corporate events, and we are adding more locations as opportunities present themselves. Fancy Camps is currently working on a location in historic Saint Augustine, Florida.”

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 87

Whether it’s an entrance lined with colorful wildflowers or a s’mores or wine package to avoid an extra trip to the store, Fancy Camps has made sure that no stone is left unturned when it comes to living lavishly in the woods.

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V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 89

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Though many consider fancy camping an ideal weekend retreat, there are plenty of other occasions perfect for this glamorous escape into the wild.

Think about fancy camping for family reunions, corporate retreats, birthday parties, girls’ weekends, hunting trips, and more.

While it continues to become more and more difficult to leave the hustle and bustle of work, home, or life in the city, finding joy in the beauty of nature—in an upscale and stylish way—might be just the push travelers need to get outdoors and get fancy camping.

To plan your own Florida glamping experience, contact Fancy Camps at (850) 628-9696 or visit their website at www.FancyCamps.com. Find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest at @FancyCamps.

Style and set direction by VIE Tent decor from Fancy Camps, Anthropologie – Miramar Beach, and Robin’s Nest Antiques & Uniques Hair and makeup by Brenna Kneiss Wardrobe from Anthropologie – Miramar Beach

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O C T O B ER 2 2 BEST OF THE EMERALD COAST benefiting Junior League of the Emerald Coast

O C T O B ER 3 1 HALLOWEEN ON THE BOOLEVARD

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N O V EM B E R 26 - D EC EMB ER 17 FREE PHOTOS WITH SANTA Saturdays in Grand Park

2 017 C A LENDAR O F EVEN TS J A N U A RY 1 3 - 15 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL benefiting The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County

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A P RI L 2 7 - 30 SOUTH WALTON BEACHES WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL benefiting Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation

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Daisy vases from Mad Art Studios at Fusion Art Glass in Miramar Beach, Florida

FR OM A SH E S T O

THE ART OF GL ASSBLOWING

BY A M A N DA C R OWL E Y P H O T O G R A P H Y BY R O MO N A R O B B I NS

F

or over twenty years, Russ Gilbert has been honing his craft. His talent: conceiving and executing beautiful works in glass. Listening to Russ describe the process of creating a glass paperweight, one gets the feeling that his journey parallels his art: “Working from the inside, starting at the core, building layer upon layer to form a strong, dense, and beautiful weight.”

As a young man, Russ grew up on a farm in a tight-knit rural community. “I was happy to teach my neighbors about all aspects of farm life,” he reflects. One evening, he stopped by his neighbors’ house and found them making small glass animals with blow torches.

Fascinated by what he witnessed, he asked them to mentor him in the art of making glass. This chance visit was the genesis for his future destiny. As his

passion grew, Russ decided to continue studying glassblowing in Corning, New York, and he participated in workshops at the Corning Museum of Glass. Now widely known and respected by his peers, Russ has created art pieces that can be found in homes across the country.

Russ’s love for his craft is evident as he patiently explains the details and technical terms of glass art.

“There’s flamework, which is probably the second most popular or known style—the artist uses glass and a torch,” he states. Russ is considered a master in flameworking, the technique which first sparked his passion for glass art. Also called “lampwork,” the style is credited to father-and-son duo Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, who made intricate and carefully detailed glass flowers using a lamp and bellows

V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 95

Left: Floral garden sculpture with glass by Russ Gilbert and metalwork by Mac Corley Right: Large wave vessel from Blaker-DeSomma Glass Opposite: Russ Gilbert creates glass art in his studio

beginning in about 1886. “Thankfully, we have torches now!” Russ laughs. As developing technology has changed the field of glasswork, the technical skills required to master the craft have remained. Talent is only a small facet of glass art: passion, practice, and vision sustain the artist.

Russ’s first gallery opened in 1996 in Ruskin Place—a flourishing artistic community in Seaside, Florida. Since then, Fusion has moved to a much larger retail studio and gallery in Seaside’s Central Square and also boasts a second location at Grand Boulevard Town Center in nearby Miramar Beach. The galleries’ popularity and success are partly thanks to Russ’s belief in displaying a wide range of pieces and styles from over 150 American artists. With values ranging from

around $16 up to $30,000, there is something for everyone. Fusion’s collection has grown exponentially over the years and now offers a variety of high-end home decor, from wall art and intricate light fixtures to bowls, paperweights, and vases. Fusion also sells art outside of glasswork, including jewelry and ceramic pieces.

With so many works of art on display, admirers are immediately drawn into the store. “I want it to be real and down-to-earth, not stuffy,” says Russ. “I don’t mind if people take pictures in the gallery. If someone really likes a piece, they should remember it. Then, maybe a year from now, they will go online to find other pieces by that artist.” He continues, “Looking at beautiful works of art is inspiring. It’s great when people feel a connection to a piece.”

Searching out fresh and diverse talent year after year may seem challenging, but the community of glass artists is tightly knit, and the intrinsic value of an artist is quickly known. Despite all of the recommendations he receives, Russ only displays top artists in his galleries.

Due to the difficult techniques used when working

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“LOOKING AT BEAUTIFUL WORKS OF ART IS INSPIRING. IT’S GREAT WHEN PEOPLE FEEL A CONNECTION TO A PIECE.” with glass, there may only be one piece produced that earns a gallery spot at Fusion. Holding the artists in his store to the highest standards allows Russ to maintain a variety of the best glass art and ensure he provides his clients with one-of-a-kind pieces.

Russ’s history of creating glass works is extensive, but he is constantly finding new inspiration and ways to perfect his skills. “Nature. Nature is my inspiration,” he states. Living near the breathtaking beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, the calming state parks in the area, and the beautiful lakes of the Florida Panhandle, Russ is continually inspired. He is also influenced by the work of the Blaschkas. “Their skill sets were amazing, especially since they were using a gas lamp

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Right: Flameworked ornament at Fusion Art Glass in Miramar Beach Below: Russ adding the final touches to a piece Opposite: Fusion Art Glass in Seaside, Florida

and bellows to achieve miraculous works of art,” Russ comments. Respecting the talent and dedication of those who pioneered the art glass movement and shared their skills with others is important to Russ.

Having been inspired by the Blaschkas’ glass flowers, he hopes the work in his galleries will do the same for other aspiring artists.

Fusion’s latest venture is in the interior design sphere, as Russ and his team have recently been commissioned to create three pieces of art for the newly expanded Henderson Park Inn at Henderson Beach Resort, an enchanting beach getaway in Destin, Florida.

“They’re using all local artists with diverse styles,” Russ relates about the project. “I’m making three pieces—all using different techniques—for the inn.”

Russ’s ability to create using different styles of glassworking will not only showcase his talents but also produce pieces that best complement each space.

For the area behind the lobby’s front desk, Russ will create a flamework piece; the restaurant walls will be adorned with seven groupings of fused glasswork, and the center of the spa will feature a furnace-made piece. His work is just beginning for this project, but it is sure to make a bold statement in the resort upon its completion in 2017.

“Designing the decor with our art for a client in NYC has recently opened many new doors for us to become place makers with our hand-blown glass art for hotels, residences, and boutique spaces that want a unique and fresh impression,” Russ comments. “I like creating custom pieces that act as an exclamation to a space.” A thoughtfully placed piece of art can bring a home to life, create conversation, and unite the home’s different areas with cohesive design elements.

Passion for glass artwork radiates throughout the entire Fusion team. “I’m really lucky; they’re all good people,” Russ says. The mentor–student concept that Russ appreciated during his youth has stayed with him and can be seen at Fusion today. When using

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the furnace, Russ is assisted by a member of the team, who in turn learns from Russ’s experience and through practice alongside him. Additionally, Russ’s daughter, Gillian, has recently joined the team as business manager. Many of Fusion’s staff have earned degrees in glasswork or fine arts. Russ leads a fun and hardworking group of nine members who all enjoy coming to work. Surrounded by so much creative energy, talent, and color, it’s no wonder working at Fusion is a blast!

Russ’s unrelenting dedication to the study of glasswork is admirable, but he doesn’t see it as a job. “I am paid to play; I love coming to work,” he says with a smile. He exudes excitement, and his love of creation is contagious. “There’s nothing, and then there’s something. That’s the hook—the passion, the creation, the possibility of what you can make.”

Given that philosophy, we might all be inspired to create something.

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THE JOY OF

GOOD FOOD Fresh Fall Recipes from the Garden

BY COLLEEN SACHS PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROMONA ROBBINS

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As the summer draws to a close, home gardens are giving us the last of their summer bounty, often in copious quantities. When there is too much to eat right away, your choices are either to feed a crowd or make something that can be put away for later. With these recipes, you can do some of both.

Blackened Grilled Okra Blackened grilled okra is the creation of Ted Foret, owner of Treehouse Farms in Bruce, Florida. It is a great way to cook an abundance of okra at a cookout.

This preparation lets the flavor of the okra shine through with just a hint of smoke and spice to make it interesting. When grilling okra, it is important to use a vegetable grate on the grill to keep the okra from falling onto the coals.

ALL THE INGREDIENTS HERE ARE TO TASTE:

Fresh whole okra Olive oil Seasoning, such as Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning or Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning Place the okra in a bowl, drizzle it with olive oil, and sprinkle it with the seasoning. Toss it to coat it.

Grill the okra over a medium-hot flame, turning occasionally, until it is tender and starts to darken along the ridges. Serve warm and enjoy!

F R E S H FA L L R E C I P E S

FROM THE GARDEN V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 103

Pesto and Pecan Focaccia While much of the summer garden in the Florida Panhandle has given in to the heat by July, basil continues to thrive in the late summer months.

When plants are pinched back so they don’t bloom, they look like shrubs by the end of the season.

Quite simply, basil tastes like summer. To enjoy it long after the end of the season, make pesto, which freezes beautifully and is the star of this focaccia. Pecans stand in for pine nuts in the pesto to keep things local. This is a rustic dish, so don’t worry about being precise with amounts or the placement of toppings.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe dough (recipe below) 1/4 cup pesto (recipe below) Olive oil Coarse sea salt or kosher salt 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese Lightly oil a jelly roll pan, two nine-inch cake pans, or two ten-inch cast iron skillets. Stretch the dough into the pan, allowing it to rest for a couple of minutes between stretchings, until it reaches the edges of the pan. Loosely cover it with a towel and let it rise in a draft-free place until it doubles in volume (about 30 minutes).

Once it has risen, press your fingers into the stretched dough, forming little impressions all over the top.

Spread a very thin layer of olive oil over the dough.

Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the mozzarella and tear it into pieces. Scatter it over the dough in the pan. Then, add the pesto over the mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees until it is golden brown and cooked through (about 25 minutes). Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

This focaccia pairs perfectly with homemade pasta, but is easy to enjoy as a snack or meal on its own!

F R E S H FA L L R E C I P E S 104 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

FROM THE GARDEN

DOUGH

This dough has a soft texture but holds up to toppings. The bottom crisps rather than turns soggy. You can also use your favorite recipe or purchase ready-made dough from a grocery store or local pizzeria.

INGREDIENTS:

1 package active dry yeast 1/2 cup water at room temperature A pinch of sugar 3/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional oil for oiling the bowl 3 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons salt Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add a pinch of sugar and let the yeast proof for five minutes to make sure it is creating bubbles. Add the milk and olive oil to the mixture.

Place the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Cover the processor and start it. Gradually pour the liquid mixture into the spinning processor. Continue to process until a soft ball of dough forms on the blade.

You may need to scrape the sides a time or two. Rest the dough for five minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for two minutes.

Place the dough in a large bowl generously oiled with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a draft-free location to rise until it has doubled in

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size (45 minutes to an hour). Punch the dough down and proceed with focaccia preparation, or cover and refrigerate it, or freeze it if you plan to use it later. Bring it to room temperature before using it.

F OR T H E PE S TO INGREDIENTS:

2 cups basil leaves 1/2 cup good quality olive oil 1/3 cups pecans, toasted and cooled to room temperature 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese Salt to taste Wash and dry the basil leaves. Place the olive oil, pecans, and garlic in a food processor. Process until smooth.

If preparing the pesto for immediate use, stir in the cheese. Season with salt to taste.

If freezing, spoon the mixture from the food processor into ice cube trays. Once frozen, remove cubes from the trays and store in a freezer bag. Alternatively, spoon the mixture into a single freezer container, float just enough olive oil to cover the surface, cover tightly, and freeze. Add the grated cheese to the mixture once it thaws.

F R E S H FA L L R E C I P E S 106 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

FROM THE GARDEN

Eggplant Caponata Happily, eggplants also produce fruits into the late summer. Ted’s favorite way to prepare eggplant from the garden next to his farmhouse is to remove the skin, cube the eggplant, deep fry the cubes until golden brown, sprinkle them with salt while still hot, and eat them immediately. This method results in little melt-inyour-mouth bites.

However, when it comes to making a bumper crop of eggplant last into the winter, make caponata. This chunky, briny concoction has a hint of sweetness that brings out the flavor of the vegetables. It is wonderful spread on toasted baguette slices or as a filling for a sandwich with fresh mozzarella slices.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup olive oil 6 ribs celery, chopped 1 large onion, chopped Sea salt or kosher salt to taste 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/2 cup currants or raisins 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 medium eggplants, peeled and cut into half-inch cubes

1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves, chopped 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained 40 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 1/3 cup drained capers 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup tomato paste Black pepper to taste

In a large pan with high sides, heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the celery, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until celery and onion are soft (around five minutes). Add the pine nuts, currants or raisins, and garlic. Cook for another two minutes.

Add the eggplant and sugar, and cook for five more minutes, and then add the oregano, tomatoes, olives, capers, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

Refrigerate for up to one week, or freeze in small portions for up to six months. Your guests will want to come back for more!

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Walnut Zucchini Cupcakes Garden patch recipes don’t have to be savory. These walnut zucchini cupcakes are not too sweet to eat unadorned for breakfast, or with lemony cream cheese icing for a sweeter treat. Toasting the walnuts adds nuttiness and texture, and the ginger adds warmth. The cupcakes freeze well for breakfast or treats well into the winter.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups cake flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped 2 large eggs 3/4 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 cups (about 8 ounces) shredded zucchini

F OR T H E F RO S T I NG : INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces softened cream cheese 1 stick (8 tablespoons) softened unsalted butter 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, whisked to get rid of lumps

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 14 muffin tins. Combine the first five ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to blend well. In a mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, and oil together until smooth. Add the zucchini to the mixer and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until the dry ingredients are combined with the wet ingredients.

F R E S H FA L L R E C I P E S 108 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

Using a scoop, place the batter into the muffin tins until each is three-quarters full.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pan for five to ten minutes. Then, remove the cakes from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and place individually wrapped cakes in a large freezer bag to store. Defrost in the wrapper at room temperature when ready to use. Frost with lemon cream cheese frosting if desired (recipe below). Bon appétit!

In a mixer, blend the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. This will take about two minutes at medium-high speed. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix until combined. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the powdered sugar, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. The frosting can also be frozen after wrapping it tightly. Once thawed, rebeat to a smooth texture.

FROM THE GARDEN

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ART IN ITS PLACE T H E E X P L O R AT I O N O F G O R D I E H I N D S

By Sallie W. Boyles

•

Photography by Romona Robbins

Pablo Picasso, one of the most influential agents of avant-garde art, once said, “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”

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The same words could sketch a portrait of artist Gordie Hinds, although cubism, symbolism, and surrealism are not his inspiration. “I don’t go for a lot of superartsy stuff,” he says. To describe his bold, colorful strokes and the vintage quality of Gordie’s work, his wife, Susan, an interior designer, uses the term Hemingwayesque. Gordie says his style is impressionistic—evocative but not exact. “You don’t have to ask, ‘Is that a woman or a cow?’” Gordie offers. In the same vein, he contends, “I’m more of an illustrator than an artist.”

This page: American Flamingos at Key Biscayne Opposite page: Sailfish

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any would agree that his ability to tell a story is Gordie’s signature, and his personal bio sheds some light as to why.

After successes in designing, merchandising, and promoting catalogs for companies including Orvis, Columbia Sportswear, and Dunn’s Sporting Goods, he spent almost twenty years as an independent marketing and media consultant for notable clients.

“If the consumer buys it, you’re a genius,” Gordie remarks. “You’re a supergenius if you figure out why.” Quite simply, he declares, “I picked it up and enjoyed it.”

Above: Heading to the Break – Woodies and Surfers Opposite page: Row Boat

The outdoor industry further appealed to his love of fishing, hunting, and riding horses, and Gordie admired the iconic look and feel of the scenes that graced such catalogs. “The guys who did those covers were combat artists,” he says, relaying that their ability to capture battlefield action proved an asset in depicting nature and all it has to offer.

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WHILE INFLUENCED BY THEIR TECHNIQUE, GORDIE’S PORTRAITS AND SCENES—LIFE ON THE BEACH, ANGLERS IN ACTION, BOATS AND SAILING, HORSES AND RACING, DOGS AND WILDLIFE, LANDSCAPES AND STILL LIFES, BASEBALL AND OTHER SPORTS—ARE PRODUCTS OF HIS FIRSTHAND OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIENCES. While influenced by their technique, Gordie’s portraits and scenes—life on the beach, anglers in action, boats and sailing, horses and racing, dogs and wildlife, landscapes and still lifes, baseball and other sports—are products of his firsthand observations and experiences. “I get inspired by putting myself in the environment,” he says. “It’s rare that I paint from imagination.”

On one occasion, when Gordie did just that, he says, “I woke up and said, ‘I’m going to paint some crows.’ So, I painted three crows sitting on a limb against a stark white background. I was pretty pleased with them but got it out of my system!”

Living on the Gulf of Mexico and being an avid boat captain and fisherman with some tournament trophies on his shelf, Gordie finds plenty of subject matter to catch his eye and interpret. “When I first moved here,” he says, “one of my

buddies was the owner of a boat company, so I got one. They say when you get your own boat, you never fish, so I got my captain’s license.” He now provides private yacht management through his company, Angry Fish Yacht Management, but previously had a great run operating fishing charters, too.

A lover of horses as well, Gordie begged for one of his own as a child. “I couldn’t understand why everyone didn’t want to be Roy Rogers,” he says.

As he puts it, “I was born a Navy brat. My dad was a career officer (he retired as a U.S. Navy Captain), and we moved every twelve to eighteen months.” Gordie was in his late twenties when he finally bought his first horse. He then learned to rope and entered competitions in his thirties.

P R I M E

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“I started breeding by accident when I bought a mare in foal,” he shares.

Jokingly, he says, “I knew nothing about birthing no babies but ended up selling the colt for more than I paid for the mare.” Horse farming suddenly became serious business. “I raised, trained, and showed performance horses with an eye toward selling them.” Over a decade, before a single buyer took over the entire farm, his stock won twenty-six world championships.

“I love horses and the lifestyle,” Gordie muses. “I miss it a lot.”

Even so, happily married for a year to Susan, he says, “I have nothing to complain about: I fish. I paint. I live at the beach. I just want to paint and get better.” In that endeavor, Gordie says, “I’m more of a learn-by-doing sort of person; I hate studying. I have a lot of scenes in my head, and I’ll say, ‘I can do that,’ and then sometimes not. I sketch almost constantly. I almost always have a sketchbook in my hand if I’m not fishing.”

Now that a large volume of his work is commissioned, Gordie has no problem going with the flow and painting what his clients desire, especially

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since people want what they admire in his paintings. “I just did a dog commission that was an absolute joy,” he says. Yes, he loves dogs, too; his own are friendly greeters at the gallery.

Surprisingly, in light of his rich portfolio, Gordie has had no formal artistic training, aside from some classes in high school. He remembers receiving encouragement from his kindergarten teacher, a young woman working on her PhD, when she put his art aside to show his parents. She told them he had a gift. Gordie says, “I remember thinking, ‘I’m five. What can you tell from a five-year-old?’” He personally thought, “Not much.”

He didn’t pick up a paintbrush until later in life—thirteen years ago.

“My ex-wife had an art gallery, and I was between boats,” Gordie says, referring to a period of running his charter business. “I was bored, waiting for a boat delivery, not happy, and in her gallery more than I should have been. She got tired of it and gave me a board and some paint. I painted two fish and sold them both in the same day.” Once he was busy running charters again, he recalls, “I’d wake up at one or two in the morning and paint until I had to go to the marina each day.”

His pattern of rising before dawn to paint hasn’t changed, only now he has his own studio in the back of Gordie Hinds Art Gallery at the Gulf Place Town Center in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, where his work is on display. Susan also operates Spaces Redefined, her interior design business, from her office there, but 116 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

Left: Gordie Hinds This page: Under a Yellow Sky Right top: Western Lake Right bottom: Untitled

HIS PATTERN OF RISING BEFORE DAWN TO PAINT HASN’T CHANGED, ONLY NOW HE HAS HIS OWN STUDIO IN THE BACK OF GORDIE HINDS ART GALLERY AT THE GULF PLACE TOWN CENTER IN SANTA ROSA BEACH, FLORIDA , WHERE HIS WORK IS ON DISPLAY.

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half-finished paintings in my studio,” Gordie admits. “I’ll finish most of them, but not today.”

Accordingly, he enjoys painting with acrylics, which dry quickly and allow him to move on. “I would love to do more with oils, but the drying time … for me to have to put it up on the wall and wait two weeks for it to dry, I’ll take it down, and it’ll never get done! I’d love to do more pencil sketches and ink washes. I started doing some to teach myself, and they’re really difficult. You can hide behind color,” he notes.

Like many artists, Gordie can be his own toughest critic, but he doesn’t let fear of failure stop him. “There’s nothing he can’t do,” declares Susan, his most ardent fan.

the wee morning hours are Gordie’s alone. “I’m usually here from 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. until midafternoon,” Gordie informs. Likewise, the sign on the door reads, “Hours: Randomly Open or by Appointment.” “Most days I forget to unlock the front, but I’m open!”

Above: After the Breeze – American Pharoah Above right: Gordie Hinds works in his Santa Rosa Beach studio.

During those times, Gordie’s usually working with music playing (Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Tommy Dorsey, Elvis, or AC/DC) and two televisions broadcasting baseball games on low volume. “It all drives Susan crazy,” he confesses. “I have ADD.” Whether or not that’s the case, he both craves the stimuli and gets distracted. “There are probably thirty

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He’s preparing to prove that point with his next venture, a book. “The working title, Art in Its Place, is premised on the notion that the ultimate accomplishment of most art is to have it seen and enjoyed by others,” Gordie explains. Although talkative and engaging, the artist is refreshingly shy about self-promotion. Rather than shining the spotlight solely on his works, he’ll show them in the context of their settings within some spectacular homes in Florida and across the country, in addition to commercial venues.

Readers can view more of Gordie Hinds’s work online at GordieHindsArt.com or visit him at the gallery. “People love his art, and they love it all the more when they meet him,” says Susan. “Once you know him and he opens up, all of his art makes sense.”

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MASTERS

OF THE

MODERN AGE I C O N I C AR T C O L L E C T I O N R E UN I TES IN PA R IS

By TORI PHELPS Photography courtesy of FONDATION LOUIS VUITTON

Louis Vuitton is synonymous with exclusive handbags and luxe pieces of luggage.

But through its Paris-based Fondation Louis Vuitton, both a museum and an emerging cultural touchstone, the legendary design house is now an art world VIP, too. he institution has forged a substantive reputation within a few short years, but its latest exhibit leaves no doubt that it is, indeed, a force to be reckoned with. In Icons of Modern Art: The Shchukin Collection, the young Fondation Louis Vuitton showcases a collection of works that helped launch an artistic revolution. And it hasn’t been seen by the public at a single location for seventy years.

Visitors will come face-to-face with paintings by Picasso, Monet, and Van Gogh—just a few of the heavy hitters on display from October 22, 2016, through February 20, 2017. But the exhibition is as much about the man behind the collection as the artwork itself.

Among the richest and best-known industrialists in turn-of-the-twentiethcentury Moscow, Sergei Shchukin was born to money, married money, and made even more money in the textile trade. After the first of four children had arrived, Shchukin and his wife cemented their fairy-tale image by moving into the Trubetzkoy Palace. It was then, at the height of social and economic success, that Shchukin turned his attention to art collecting.

It was a clichéd hobby of the wealthy, but his interest wasn’t feigned. Art was a family obsession, from an uncle who regularly hosted famous painters in his salon to a younger brother who had moved to Paris to dedicate his life to art.

Shchukin’s love affair with French Impressionists began with the purchase of two Pissarro street scenes, followed by his first Monets: Rocks at Belle-Île and Lilacs at Argenteuil. In the ensuing decade (1897–1907), his collection expanded to include thirteen Monets, eight Cézannes, and sixteen Tahitian Gauguins. Works from Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, and many other artists followed, filling the walls of his palatial home.

Opposite Page: Vladimir Tatlin, Nu, 1913.

Courtesy Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

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Then came the tragedies. Within a few years, two sons committed suicide, he lost his wife suddenly, and his younger brother died in Paris while Shchukin was visiting the city. Feeling somehow responsible for these gut-wrenching events and seeking to bring some meaning to his life, he wandered across the Sinai Desert, ending up at the sixth-century Monastery of Saint Catherine.

Whatever he was looking for, he apparently found.

Shchukin returned home and continued his avantgarde art pursuits, becoming enthralled with newcomers like Matisse, with whom he built a genuine friendship. He was also a Picasso devotee, and by 1914, Shchukin owned fifty Picassos. While the thought is gasp-inducing to modern audiences, his contemporaries were gasping for a different reason.

So unimpressed were they by these artists that his wealthy cronies assumed tragedy had driven Shchukin mad. There was such an ugly outcry at the unveiling of Matisse’s The Dance and Music, in fact, that Shchukin was almost swayed into not buying them.

In the end, he didn’t really care what his peers thought. Shchukin understood the significance of his collection and decided to open his palace to the public a few days a week. He was acclaimed for his courage by art lovers and progressive artists, and his home-turned-gallery was a very real reason that Russian Cubism, Proto-Cubism, Constructivism, and Suprematism gained a sizeable following.

Above: Georges Braque, Le Château de la RocheGuyon, 1909. © ADAGP, Paris 2016.Courtesy Pushkin Museum, Moscow Opposite Page: Henri Matisse, La Desserte, Harmonie en rouge, printemps-été 1908 © Succession H. Matisse. Courtesy Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg

Shchukin returned home and continued his avant-garde art pursuits, becoming enthralled with newcomers like Matisse, with whom he built a genuine friendship. He was also a Picasso devotee, and by 1914, Shchukin owned fifty Picassos.

It wasn’t long before people took notice of the impressive collection. Everyone from intellectuals to art critics and young painters wanted to get inside the Trubetzkoy Palace, and Shchukin’s collection influenced other affluent Muscovites to begin purchasing French Impressionist works. By 1905, Shchukin was perhaps better known for his collection of radical artworks than for his business prowess.

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The First World War and the February Revolution’s overthrow of the Russian monarchy changed Shchukin’s life forever. Seeing the anticapitalist writing on the wall, he fled Moscow in 1918 with forged passports and diamonds hidden inside a doll.

He lost his home, his country, and the breathtaking art collection he’d poured his heart and soul into for most of his adult life. The quiet life he found in Paris with his remaining son, new wife, and young daughter was a consolation, though—and far less complicated than what his collection was about to face.

Three months after Shchukin’s departure, Lenin decreed that the Trubetzkoy Palace and its 256 pieces of art now belonged to the people. Shchukin’s collection eventually joined that of his friend, Ivan Morozov, and those of other collectors to create the eight-hundred-piece State Museum of New Western Art (GMNZI), the world’s most illustrious modern art museum.

In the early 1930s, some Shchukin collection pieces were transferred to the Hermitage in Leningrad.

Ten years later, on the brink of the German invasion, Moscow museums shut their doors and shipped their treasures beyond the Ural Mountains. At the end of the war, Russia again underwent a seismic ideological shift, and realistic art was deemed more appropriate for the new Socialist regime. Stalin decreed that the GMNZI and its contents should be nationalized—a nicer term than “stolen”—and the artwork divided among provincial museums.

Anything held back would be destroyed.

Shchukin understood the significance of his collection and decided to open his palace to the public a few days a week. He was acclaimed for his courage by art lovers and progressive artists.

This mandate wasn’t something the directors of the Hermitage Museum and Moscow’s Pushkin Museum could stomach, however. They pleaded and bargained

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Edgar Degas, La Danseuse dans l'atelier du photographe, 1875. Courtesy Pushkin Museum, Moscow 126 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, pieces from the Shchukin collection quietly began reappearing, first at the Hermitage and then on other museum walls. Today, the masterpieces Shchukin so fearlessly threw his money and reputation behind are once again available for public viewing.

with the academic community, finally convincing decision-makers to split the art between the two museums. So passionate (and panicked) were the directors that the division was completed in a single day. For decades, the pieces were kept under wraps, waiting for some future time when artwork was no longer considered a national threat.

That time arrived as a whisper rather than a shout. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, pieces from the Shchukin collection quietly began reappearing, first at the Hermitage and then on other museum walls. Today, the masterpieces Shchukin so fearlessly threw his money and reputation behind are once again available for public viewing.

Not that most people have had an opportunity to see them. In fact, Icons of Modern Art marks the first time this collection will be presented outside Russia. For the landmark occasion, the curators culled pieces that narrate the beginnings of

Paul CĂŠzanne, L'Homme Ă la pipe, 1890-1892. Courtesy Pushkin Museum, Moscow

modern art and how it impacted—and was impacted by—world events. Fondation Louis Vuitton has done its part by devoting the entire 25,800-square-foot, four-level Frank Gehry–designed building to the exhibition. Also, thanks to curatorial magic, visitors will experience a unique layout that evokes both the architecture of the Trubetzkoy Palace and the method in which Shchukin displayed his collection.

The exhibition is a gleeful celebration of art’s triumph over oppression. It also highlights the extraordinary artistic exchanges between France and Russia in the early twentieth century.

While the project also includes an impressive program of dance and music events, as well as an international symposium, the art is clearly the main draw. Of the 160 pieces, 130 are from the Shchukin collection and represent the main thrust of what he accomplished from 1898 to 1914. Impressionists and Postimpressionists are represented by artists like Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro, Cézanne, Degas, and Gauguin. Among other household names are Matisse (representing the Fauves) and Picasso (representing the Cubists), whose work alone occupies a whopping twenty-nine spots in the exhibition.

Like the man who accumulated most of the collection, Icons of Modern Art has an unapologetically ambitious agenda. The exhibition is a gleeful celebration of art’s triumph over oppression. It also highlights the extraordinary artistic exchanges between France and Russia in the early twentieth century, but perhaps most importantly, it’s a reminder that one person’s unwavering support of new creative expressions can change the art world—and the rest of the world—for the better.

Christian Cornelius (Xan) Krohn, Portrait of Sergei Shchukin, 1916 © ADAGP, Paris 2016.

Courtesy Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg 128 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

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FACE YOUR FEARS Dear Friend, Have you noticed, as you walk through your day, that suddenly you can smell something, see something, or hear something familiar, and it can take you, in your mind and heart, to another time? I like to call these “God moments.” These are special times.

Most often, we are at rest and not striving. These are the times that God can indeed speak to our open hearts.

For example, every summer, my family would take a trip to Kentucky to visit relatives. My grandmother had a big garden in the backyard of her home and was a true Southern cook. We would have green beans (cooked down) with new potatoes, fried creamed corn, and country ham, along with her wonderful homemade biscuits. All it takes for me to go back there in my mind is the smell of freshly cut green grass in the summertime.

Recently, as I was watching the Ellen DeGeneres talk show, I had another “suddenly” moment.

Ellen’s guest was a little girl named Emma, a gymnast who was only three years old. After watching her perform, Ellen asked her this question: “Do you get scared of falling ever, Emma?” Without any hesitation, Emma replied, “No, you just get back up!”

“No, you just get back up!”

That statement, coming from this little girl, caught my attention.

The Bible talks about having the faith of a child and that “childlike faith” is what truly pleases God. It is not our grown-up faith. A child simply asks for what he or she wants and expects to have the request fulfilled. It is only after being told by someone that you cannot have what you asked for that you begin to doubt.

Obviously, Emma had been taught that all she needed to do was to get back up and begin again.

Rather than being taught fear, she was told to just keep getting up and she would achieve her goal.

So often when we fail to achieve a goal or suffer a setback, we tend to take it into our hearts and begin to believe that we are not “good enough.”

Instead of getting back up, we sit down out of fear, and the trusting faith that we had as children begins to disappear.

You see, it is a natural thing for a child to trust.

Being untrusting is a learned emotion and is totally unnatural.

The truth is, God wants us to see ourselves as He sees us: totally loved, accepted, and adored, with nothing lacking and nothing missing. We simply must remember in our hearts that, thanks to this great love, we truly have nothing to fear.

Blessings, Pamela Dowling

In addition to writing, Pamela Dowling is an entrepreneur, visionary teacher, and speaker. She resides in Destin, Florida, known as the beautiful Emerald Coast.

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Photo courtesy of Ashford Castle 132 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

Eye for Detail

An

The Stunning Mosaic Art of Jane du Rand

b y n i c h o l a s g r u n dy p h oto g r a p h y c o u rt e s y o f j a n e d u r a n d

C

ertain art forms surge in popularity before waning into obsolescence.

Some of them make brief comebacks, coming into vogue and disappearing again. One of the most resilient art forms, however, is mosaic. All around the world, even the most unobservant people cannot miss the stunningly intricate figures and scenes leaping out from ancient sites—some dating back thousands of years. One artist in particular has embraced mosaic art like no one else has in present times, adding her own modern twist to it and thereby propelling the medium into the twenty-first century and beyond.

Jane du Rand is a seasoned artist, having worked with the tens of thousands of tiny tesserae that make up her often-gargantuan projects. Hailing from South Africa, where she operated her Durban-based studio for more than fifteen years, she now travels the world, producing true masterpieces, and she is commended for her efforts. Despite commencing in an orthodox manner, Jane’s route to artistic success was somewhat circuitous. After starting her studies in Cape Town’s most prestigious art school, she soon changed the course of her career altogether and became an architect. “For me personally, art school was simply far too individualistic and cutthroat,” comments Jane. “Later in life, as my projects grew in scale, I quickly realized mosaic art, in particular, requires a tremendous amount of teamwork. Yes, I focus on the piece as an individual, but the final result is thanks to many, not just one.”

One aspect of her studies in art school did, however, carry on through her years as an architect. “After transferring, I continued with my pursuit of ceramics each week,” says Jane. When her creations continually broke in the kiln, they provided ample material to start experimenting with mosaics. She quickly developed a keen interest in the art form, and when a friend and colleague approached her to create a piece for a pool, she simply responded with, “Yes, I can do that!”

From there, she launched a magnificent career, sharing her passion and prowess with the world. Her architectural background provides a strong sense of spatial awareness, allowing Jane to bring life to a man-made environment. This is clearly evident when viewing her works that inhabit a number of buildings in Europe, Chile, Australia, and South Africa and stateside in New York City. One of her mosaics can even be found inside a boat!

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b When her creations continually broke in the kiln, they provided ample material to start experimenting with mosaics.

b

In fact, Jane’s work on the Catherine and Maria Theresa river cruisers for her regular client, Red Carnation Hotels, led to one of her most interesting mosaics yet. After providing the ships with a tad more ballast—rather aesthetically pleasing ballast, to be exact—Jane was hired by Red Carnation to complete a large wall at Ashford Castle, the company’s premier five-star hotel near the west coast of Ireland. The stunning fortified venue was expanding to include a new spa area, and Red Carnation asked Jane to sum up the history of both Ireland and the castle through a single work of art. Arguably, this was her most challenging piece thus far, and Jane set out at short notice to deliver stunning results. After visiting the castle in January of last year, she completed the necessary pieces by May, expressed the 3,500 pounds of material via air freight to Ireland, and was on the ground at Ashford Castle a week later toiling away. Standing proudly behind

b She calls her style more of a collage of tiles and glass, employing her own fired and glazed ceramics to add her personal identity.

the swimming pool, the completed mosaic wall highlights Ashford Castle’s medieval history, harking back to the thirteenth century. The mosaic’s centerpiece is the Celtic tree of life, an emblem from Irish folklore symbolizing the link between Heaven and Earth.

Producing a 3,500-pound mosaic wall takes an enormous amount of work; however, the Ashford Castle wall is far from being Jane’s largest project. That honor goes to her epic mosaic rising seven stories above the South African city of Johannesburg. Jane covered the elevator shaft of the Melrose Arch building with beautiful deep cobalt blues and gleaming yellows stretching across an area of 7,500 square feet. The towering project covers the building’s exterior, exemplifying how location is one of the many factors Jane must take into account when creating

b

The walls of the spa at Ashford Castle hotel in County Mayo, Ireland, contain a detailed depiction of the country’s history created by Jane with 3,500 pounds of tile and other materials.

Left: Photo by Rinn Garlanger

her works. Whether she wants to add vibrancy to the floors of a private home, envelop a wall next to a pool, or embellish a high rise’s facade, each scenario presents different challenges.

Overcoming such hurdles requires years of experience in deciding what materials to use and how to finish and install them. That is where Jane’s experience as an architect comes into play. The concrete walls behind the Ashford Castle mosaic presented no major obstacle in terms of their load-bearing capacity or the humid air in the spa area. However, other structures, such as the drywall on a recent project in Sydney, Australia, can be a different story. For certain wall types, Jane and her team must first locate key supporting components and reinforce the structure V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 137

b It’s this sense of togetherness that Jane hopes to foster through her community projects.

b throughout, even though the weight of the mosaic will be spread out quite evenly. Her mural at Long Island’s Great Neck Station faced the toughest test of all, thanks to the region’s extremes of temperature. The vast difference between the plummeting depths of winter’s subzero weather and summer’s searing heat can occasionally cause certain sections of tile and plaster to expand and contract, resulting in cracks and shifts.

In terms of the materials she uses, Jane by no means limits herself to traditional methods. Although she’s influenced by different eras and artists—most notably Spain’s Antoni Gaudí—Jane quickly saw the merit in trying out new mediums and techniques. She calls her style more of a collage of tiles and glass, employing her own fired and glazed ceramics to add her personal identity. “On one of our community projects in South Africa, we actually used a number of old car reflectors, proving that even in disadvantaged communities you can make art from that which you find discarded,” explains Jane. She doesn’t limit herself to mosaic art, either. Back in her hometown of Durban, Jane completed a part-painted, part-mosaic wall at her children’s school. For this, she also enlisted the help of the young students both in designing and completing the work.

It’s this sense of togetherness that Jane hopes to foster through her community projects. In Port Elizabeth, South Africa, she helped train locals and involved them in the creation of a stairway mosaic at a public park.

The program was made possible by the Mandela Bay

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Development Agency, and Jane encourages all levels of government to get involved in assisting those from less fortunate backgrounds. Without this support and input, these plans would never have come to fruition.

Traveling and meeting new people have influenced Jane’s work greatly, and so has becoming a parent. Jane’s exhibition Loathing and Loving and Giving aims to provide a glimpse into the inner conflict she feels being both a passionate artist and a loving mother. She often finds herself torn between the extremes of needing time to focus single-mindedly on her work and her natural desire to spend time with her family. Jane is fortunate, however, to live in close proximity to her immediate family members in her recently adopted home of Brisbane, Australia, where she receives great assistance and inspiration from all of them. This support network is particularly handy when she travels overseas to complete her intricate works. The level of detail they have is only possible to attain with enough time to focus her creative energies. If we’re lucky enough, she’ll have a spare moment in the future to grace our shores again here in the United States and demonstrate once more her unique eye for detail.

www.durandmosaic.com

(Featuring The Firebird, Scheherazade and the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet)

Moon Mouse · Stars of American Ballet · The Nutcracker · From Russia With Love

Introducing David Ott & The Northwest Florida Ballet Symphony Orchestra This season we are pleased to announce the creation of the Northwest Florida Ballet Symphony Orchestra led by renowned conductor and composer, David Ott. Join us at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center as the NFB Symphony Orchestra provides live musical accompaniment for The Nutcracker and From Russia With Love: A Celebration of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

with

By ROB MARTIN Photography by CHRIS LUKER

Most children who are fortunate enough to grow up near a patch of woods are probably too engrossed in their playtime to see the natural world for what it is: the ultimate teacher.

But this was not the case for architect Jeff Dungan of Birmingham, Alabama.

Jeff spent his childhood exploring the thickets on his family’s rural Alabama farm and the surrounding countryside, taking in all the shapes, textures, and materials that would one day play a pivotal role in his designs. During these cherished forays, the would-be architect realized that he could draw upon the same bits of inspiration to create his own environments—ones in which people would live and work while being enriched as well. “We spend so much time of our lives in houses and buildings that others design,” he explains. “I strive to make each new project as memorable as I possibly can.”

The true driving force behind Jeff ’s impressive array of built structures is his deep love for architecture both as a profession and as an art form. “It’s never boring,” he confides. “One day, I can be working on a very large house in Chicago or Boston, and the next day I’m figuring out the details for a tiny house on the coast of Nova Scotia. No two projects are ever alike.” This willingness to undertake a wide range of assignments has garnered him commissions across the country and around the world. In fact, Dungan and his firm have completed jobs in such diverse places as Ireland, Costa Rica, and the Cayman Islands. “I find it fascinating to delve into different landscapes and climates along with incorporating the various vernacular styles of a certain area or region,” he points out. “Tackling new territories invariably leads to an endless flow of ideas and stylistic elements to pull from.”

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“WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME OF OUR LIVES IN HOUSES AND BUILDINGS THAT OTHERS DESIGN. I STRIVE TO MAKE EACH NEW PROJECT AS MEMORABLE AS I POSSIBLY CAN.” Not only has Jeff made such endeavors his mission, but he’s also filled his office at Jeffrey Dungan Architects with a roster of talented, like-minded individuals who share his commitment to great design. “The firm is a close-knit group of twelve professionals with a passion for making people’s lives better through our involvement,” he adds. “We work closely with our clients to accommodate their needs and lifestyles with architecture of lasting beauty and permanence.”

Apparently, having such ambitions leads to success.

Annually, since 2006, Dungan has been honored with awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Along with being named a fellow of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. Likewise, Jeff is a recipient of two Shutze awards, named for one of the South’s most renowned classical architects, Philip Trammell Shutze.

Apart from his firm, Jeff holds a strong kinship with the contractors, craftsmen, and artisans who bring his designs to fruition. From plasterers and masons to upholsterers and furniture builders, this architect knows that it’s a collective effort from everyone involved that makes a project successful. Often these people bring that extra “something” to a project that gives it added character. “Spending my time with these creative people is life-giving to me,” he confides, “and I look forward to what crazy things we enjoy dreaming up each day.” Jeff and his team also collaborate with a plethora of interior designers around the country to merge both the interiors and exteriors of their work into a cohesive experience.

The culmination of these influences is readily seen in the renovation of a South Alabama farmstead, which Jeff and his talented team have recently finished. Originally a small cabin that was no longer

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feasible for a growing family, the abode had become inadequate for managing the three thousand acres that surrounded it. Wanting to preserve its rustic charm while enlarging the house for its outdoorsloving owners, Jeff made a surprising decision.

Instead of striving for some grandiose statement as architects are apt to do, he chose a subtle, more relaxed approach to foster the impression that the structure had evolved over time. “I wanted the resulting renovation to not look like an architect had anything to do with it,” he admits. “Rather, I sought to create the notion that it had grown over time as needed, by down-home people who were in touch with the land.”

Proper siting of the house, coupled with capturing extended views of the fields and land features, was another key component of Jeff ’s intents. “Wellexecuted rooflines, particularly for a renovation like this one, are essential in making the house appear as 148 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

“I ENVISIONED A SOUTHWESTERN KIND OF RURAL COMPOUND, WITH A BUNKHOUSE FOR THE COWBOYS AND FARMHANDS, AND THE MAIN HOUSE FOR FAMILY GATHERINGS THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM GENEROUS PORCHES, DOGTROTS, AND BREEZEWAYS.” though it has sprung from the earth, much like a jewel set into a ring or necklace,” states the architect. “For me, it doesn’t get any better than that, and in the process, a degree of permanence is established that speaks to the eternal.”

Starting with the house’s meager spaces, which consisted of two bedrooms, a loft area, a small kitchen, and modest porches, Jeff literally wrapped and expanded the existing configuration into a much better flowing and more accommodating plan.

He also added a master bedroom wing with a sleeping porch, along with higher ceilings and large expanses of windows, which created a much more open and inviting series of rooms. “I envisioned a Southwestern kind of rural compound, with a bunkhouse for the cowboys and farmhands, and the main house for family gatherings that could benefit from generous porches, dogtrots, and breezeways,” he explains. The “compound” appearance that he had in mind was accomplished

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ONCE THE RETREAT WAS FINISHED, THE FAMILY—WHO SPEND THEIR TIME HORSEBACK RIDING, HUNTING, AND FISHING—TOOK TO THE UPDATED FARMSTEAD LIKE IT WAS A LONG-LOST RELATIVE.

by the adjacent horse pens and additional structures that support a working farm.

To further reinforce the farmhouse’s informality and connection to the property, Dungan chose materials such as fieldstone, cedar shakes, and reclaimed antique oak beams. “When selecting them, I was looking for the same time-worn, leather-boots feel that embodied the place,” he affirms. “My goal for this home was for it to appear that it aged gracefully over time, just like a pair of blue jeans.”

Once the retreat was finished, the family—who spend their time horseback riding, hunting, and fishing—took to the updated farmstead like it was a long-lost relative. Having clients respond so positively to his work reaffirms this architect’s commitment to enriching the built environment. Jeff concludes by saying, “I just really believe that architecture has the power to help people live better lives, and that’s worth getting up for every morning.”

WWW.JEFFREYDUNGAN.COM After receiving his architectural degree from Auburn University in 1992, Birmingham residential designer Rob Martin worked at a local firm and then served as architecture editor at Southern Living magazine for ten years. Presently, he runs his own custom design business and continues to write for various home and garden publications.

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AT H O M E I N T H E

By JULIA REED Photography by PAUL COSTELLO

Early on in the process of putting together my latest book, Julia Reed’s South: Spirited Entertaining and High Style Fun All Year Long, one of the titles under consideration was Julia Reed: At Home in the South. Ultimately, everyone decided it wasn’t precise enough—the book is a cookbook, after all, and its chapters are centered around eleven different parties. But the At Home title did make a certain amount of sense, at least to me. For one thing, my ambition was for the book to be as much about living as entertaining. For another, all the parties took place at either my actual homes or my spiritual ones.

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hen I was growing up in the Mississippi Delta, entertaining always meant “at home.” Our town boasts a handful of restaurants, including the legendary Doe’s Eat Place, but parties, whether a small dinner or a big dance, were held at the house of the host and/ or hostess. When I went to college in Washington, D.C., where I also held a job at Newsweek, the trend was much the same. The town was possessed of legendary hostesses—including Susan Mary Alsop, Evangeline Bruce, and Katharine Graham—whose dinner parties in their beautifully appointed dining rooms honestly facilitated much of the work of government. I was lucky enough to be the occasional token “young thing” at Susan Mary’s table (she was all about mixing) and was dumbstruck the first time I watched members of Reagan’s cabinet mingle with senators from both sides of the aisle, influential columnists, agency chiefs, and august “wise men” (and women). Guests talked and ate and drank together and things actually got done.

My own entertaining career began in this era, though on a far, far less grand scale. My tiny apartment off Dupont Circle featured a kitchen with no counters.

I’d sit on the floor and push sauce for chicken curry through a wire mesh strainer; I discovered the cookbooks that are still my bibles (Lee Bailey’s Country Weekends, Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook, and everything by Marcella Hazan). Despite the famous dig that Washington is a town of “Northern charm and Southern efficiency,” Washington in those days still had the feel of a Southern city. But, in my midtwenties, when I moved to New York, I was amazed to discover that I was one of the few people I knew who entertained regularly at home (even in my first Midtown apartment, where once again, the minuscule kitchen forced me to use my Plexiglas coffee table as a work space). On those occasions, I drew—a lot—on the menus of my mother and her dear friend and almost constant entertaining partner, Anne Ross McGee, better known as Bossy, and I could think of no better role models.

Christmas Eve was always celebrated at a big bash at the home of Bossy and her husband, Burrell McGee, while our house was the locale for a slightly more intimate Christmas night shindig (the children were allowed to get in on the act too, with champagne flutes of sparkling Catawba juice and roman candles set off on the lawn). Bossy and my mother threw 156 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

It was this remarkable creative energy and expansive approach to entertaining that so inspires me to this day. I realize now that the two women were entertaining themselves as much as their guests countless rehearsal dinners, which in the Delta are almost always given by friends of the bride’s family—it’s not an easy place for out-of-town parents of the groom to just drop in and rent a hall. They thought nothing of cooking chicken Kiev for a hundred people, of hosting an impromptu Mexican-themed wedding reception for Bossy’s niece in our backyard. Our childhood birthday parties featured pony rides, banjo players, piñatas, and puppet shows. When the McGee sisters and I were barely eight, our mothers gave a formal Easter dinner for us and our equally young friends. I have a photo of us all dressed up in pretty batiste and lace dresses, complete with matching Mary Janes, and the boys in proper shorts suits and white oxfords seated at a round table on our terrace. Bossy and Mama had spent days making ombré pastel votive candles by dripping varying shades of wax into blown-out eggshells, and doing the same thing with melted Hershey’s chocolate to adorn our dessert plates.

It was this remarkable creative energy and expansive approach to entertaining that so inspires me to this day. I realize now that the two women were entertaining themselves as much as their guests—I remember them in one kitchen or the other, yacking away, flattening and rolling dozens of chicken breasts or painstakingly dripping that wax into eggshells.

It was as fun for them to create a magical table for us as it was to do the same for decidedly more exalted guests. Once, when my father announced that the columnist and author William F. Buckley Jr. was coming to town with his wife, Pat, herself a formidable Manhattan hostess, our house was in the midst of being renovated. No problem—it was decreed that the dinner would be held outside. They had only three days to scour area antique and junk shops for four or five round wicker dining tables and chairs, which they painted white, while sage-green cotton duck was staple-gunned to the cushions. One of the guests brought his vibraphone and by the end of the V I E MAGAZINE .COM | 157

evening, Buckley had taken over the upright piano and Bossy’s gorgeous niece, Charlotte, was dancing on a table. When Pat Buckley got back to New York, she wrote my mother to ask for the recipe for the scalloped oysters featured on the menu.

Thus was born the “V.D. Dinner,” staged again for various “Visiting Dignitaries,” as Anne Ross christened them. But as I hope the parties in my book illustrate, I also learned early on that you don’t need a famous guest to justify getting out the “good” china and silver and taking to the stove. All you really need is the desire to have some fun. When I look back at the parties of my childhood—as well as at the gatherings featured in Julia Reed’s South—I am reminded of the famous column Diana Vreeland penned for Harper’s Bazaar, called Why Don’t You? Vreeland’s question was usually finished off with something typically extravagant and overthe-top, as in, “Why don’t you rinse your blond child’s hair in dead champagne to keep it gold, as they do in France?” I like to think my suggestions are slightly less extravagant but equally exuberant.

I mean, why not celebrate everyone’s favorite summer bounty by hosting a six-course tomato dinner (dubbed “Tomatopalooza” in the book) outside and pairing each course with a yummy (and, incidentally, color-coordinated) rosé? Why not stage an elaborate picnic on a sandbar in the middle of

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I also learned early on that you don’t need a famous guest to justify getting out the “good” china and silver and taking to the stove. All you really need is the desire to have some fun. the Mississippi? That’s what boats are for, after all! Why not celebrate my pal Jon Meacham’s best-selling book on Thomas Jefferson with a dinner inspired by the man himself ? After all, our third president was the original farm-to-table host.

Perhaps most important, why are you waiting to use your wedding china, your grandmother’s silver, your best wine glasses, and your monogrammed linens? I contend that Southerners have always been adept at using all our best “stuff.”

The Jefferson dinner took place in my own library. Tomatopalooza was held at the weekend home, called Brookside, of my good friends Libby and Ben Page, an hour or so outside Nashville, where they reside during the week. I’ve known Libby all my life; Ben designed my former garden in New Orleans. Brookside’s stunning garden stretches out behind a picturesque red barn and features formal parterres planted with zinnias and day lilies, eggplant and squash, corn and at least a dozen varieties of tomatoes. We set up our summer table out there, but more often guests gather around the large round table in the dining room. The edge of the table, made by a local craftsman, is inlaid with all things grown at Brookside over the years: a cotton boll, a dogwood blossom, an ear of corn, and so on. They entertain at Brookside because, as in the Delta, there is little other choice—but also because it gives them such tangible pleasure. Much of the menu comes from either the garden or the pantry—Libby is a terrific cook and an inveterate preserver. Pork, beef, and chickens come from nearby farmers.

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We ate on fine family china, drank copious bottles of leftover rosé, and didn’t get up from that beautiful inlaid table until well after midnight. It was too much fun to sit—at home—and eat and drink and laugh and celebrate life.

It was such fun to watch Libby and Ben bring Brookside into its current, glorious state. It was a big day when Ben hung the dining room curtains at last, and covered the last empty wall space with an enormous—and gorgeous—blackand-white photograph taken by our great mutual friend Jack Spencer. The photo is a close-up of a magnolia blossom, much like those on the trees just outside.

The seamless connections between landscaping, decorating, living, cooking, and entertaining are what make a stay at Brookside so utterly special and what I’ve always loved most about living in the South. One of the best meals of my life was eaten the night after we shot the cover of Julia Reed’s South in front of the red barn. Libby made us all the best BLTs ever with some of her corn relish and bread-and-butter pickles on the side. We ate on fine family china, drank copious bottles of leftover rosé, and didn’t get up from that beautiful inlaid table until well after midnight. It was too much fun to sit—at home—and eat and drink and laugh and celebrate life.

About the Author Journalist and author Julia Reed is a contributing editor at Garden & Gun and Elle Decor. She writes a column for Southern Living, contributes to the Wall Street Journal, and is the author of five books, including But Mama Always Put Vodka in Her Sangria! and One Man’s Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood.

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A Tale of

TWO HOUSES LIFE BY DESIGN

By TORI PHELPS Photography by COLLEEN DUFFLEY

Dickens had A Tale of Two Cities. Susan Lovelace has a tale of two houses.

As one of the Gulf Coast’s most sought-after interior designers and the owner of Lovelace Interiors, it’s not surprising that one of her houses is a Destin, Florida, stunner. The fact that her second home is a horse farm tends to be the conversation starter.

Chic and sophisticated, there’s nothing about Lovelace that screams “weekend stable mucker.” However, she is. She happily digs into the dirtiest jobs for her beloved horses, who are more pets than livestock.

Spending time in the barn is no hardship, though; in fact, it’s nicer than many homes, and the actual home is worthy of its own magazine spread.

Clearly.

It seems like a charmed life, having both a city house and a country house, but the road she’s traveled to get here has been littered with more than a few obstacles—some the size of roadblocks.

Changing any of it might have changed all of it, though, and it’s hard to argue with Lovelace’s unmistakable happiness.

From an early age, Missouri-raised Lovelace demonstrated a talent for design. She channeled her talent into creating window displays for her father’s

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Turning a house into a home often falls to those “small” elements, and she was determined to give clients fully finished spaces. store, but dreaming about doing something similar as a career—let alone having her own firm—was like dreaming about having her own unicorn.

In the mid-1960s, college women were encouraged to major in safe subjects like elementary education, Lovelace recalls. After a start in fashion design at Stephens College, she gave in to pressure and changed her major to … elementary education.

One marriage and two kids later, she finally found her way back to the industry she loved. She was hired on at a company where she could do drapery design and direct reupholstery projects.

Ten years after she had started college the first time, Lovelace returned to school. And this time she wasn’t leaving without a degree in interior design. “I sensed that the profession was changing and wanted to learn everything I could about it,” she explains.

She was changing, too. The next few years brought a relocation to Destin ( with three children in tow) and a remarriage that upped the kid count to six.

Lovelace got very serious about her career, partly thanks to her enduring passion for the field and partly because she and her husband had six college educations to fund.

After a stint working for another company, Lovelace launched her own design firm inside Clements Antiques and Interiors in Miramar Beach, Florida.

She noticed early on that customers came to her with the same complaint: their interior designers hadn’t completed the job. At the time, hunting down finishing decor elements was difficult and time-consuming for professionals. She set out to change that by offering often-overlooked items.

She admits that decor details like lamps, pillows, cozy throws, and candles might not seem like a big deal— until you pay top dollar for a beautifully furnished home that feels cold and incomplete. Turning a house into a home often falls to those “small” elements, and she was determined to give clients fully finished spaces. Like most designers, Lovelace had rarely been able to do that. But with Clements and Lovelace, she created a new paradigm for herself, as well as for homeowners throughout the entire area.

While she was remaking the local interior design industry, Lovelace couldn’t shake the overwhelming desire to build a really big store of her own. So she did. The debut of Lovelace Interiors was a huge leap of faith, not only because starting a business always is, but also because the Destin of twenty-five years ago wasn’t the economic powerhouse it is today.

Fortunately, Lovelace’s entrepreneurial spirit was at its peak, and she was willing to work twelve or more hours every day in order to bring her dream to life.

She hardly took a day off for the next decade, but she built the business into a landmark with nearly forty employees.

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And then, she got breast cancer.

Lovelace found a lump one day while working in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and she sensed immediately that it wasn’t harmless. By the following week, she’d begun a yearlong journey that included two surgeries, six months of chemotherapy, and seven weeks of radiation.

In true type A style, Lovelace didn’t think she had time to be sick. “My first words when they told me were, ‘I can’t. I have to work. What will happen to my people?’” she shares.

She did work when she could, but she spent a lot of time recuperating at her home, which overlooked a golf course. One day, as she was surveying the scenery, she thought, “I want that golf course to have horses on it.” She had loved horses all her life and had even owned them as a girl. Her doctor had delivered the standard no-big-decisions-while-fighting-cancer advice, but the seed had been planted.

It didn’t happen right away, but as soon as their youngest son graduated from Tulane Law School, Lovelace went to Colorado and bought a horse. “My husband thought I was crazy,” she laughs. “Now we have four.”

They initially kept the horses in Colorado, but traveling back and forth was less than ideal. Thus, the couple began looking for acreage closer to home where they could stable the horses. They found it about an hour north of Destin, near the Alabama state line. It was love at first sight for Lovelace, who rechristened the 138-acre property “Double S Farm” and got to work settling her horses, her cats, and an impressive garden on the land.

Often, it seems that fulfilling a dream isn’t quite as … fulfilling … as anticipated. That hasn’t been the case for Lovelace and her horse farm, though. “It’s nirvana,” she gushes. “When I get there, the first thing I do is go see the horses, check on the chickens, see my kitties. I ache for it all when I’m gone.”

Considering what’s involved in maintaining the farm, some might find it hard to understand why.

Her beauty routine consists of slapping on sunscreen, and her fashion choices run the gamut from riding clothes to dirty riding clothes. There’s no need to impress when your daily to-do list includes scooping stalls and digging ditches.

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Their biggest project around the property was adding a barn that practically redefines the word.

The farm is physically taxing, she admits, but the rewards more than make up for the aching muscles. One of those rewards is retiring to an exquisite home at the end of a long day. Inside the wraparound porches is a gracious retreat that’s not too precious; after all, Lovelace and her husband regularly track hay and other pungent farm materials into the house.

Achieving an earthy yet refined vibe took a substantial amount of elbow grease.

In addition to redoing the wood floors, they hand sanded the walls (“there’s no Sheetrock—just wood,” she says) and pulled in a neutral color palette for the fabrics and finishes.

Their biggest project around the property was adding a barn that practically redefines the word. From her previous experience, Lovelace knew that having horses means spending a lot of time in the barn, so she decided to make it fabulous. She installed four plush stalls for the horses and then went all out with air conditioning, a TV, and a chandelier-studded space called the “Cowgirl

Cocktail Room” where the couple’s parties get rolling. Throw in the shower and laundry facilities, and it’s no wonder Lovelace says the barn is essentially luxe living quarters for both humans and equines.

However, it’s the latter that drives every decision Lovelace makes for the farm.

She’s unapologetic about the depth of her love for each of her twelve-hundredpound babies, for whom she cleans the barn almost obsessively so flies won’t bother them. And she freely admits that she hugs and kisses them and often spends hours in the barn just hanging out with them. “They’re like big dogs,” she says of her horses, “with gentle, tame souls.”

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Life at the farm is clearly much different than it is in Destin, and perhaps nothing represents the contrasting lifestyles more than Lovelace’s two homes.

Everything about the farm house exemplifies the relaxed manner in which she wants to live her life now. And yet, her sophisticated Destin house is equally her in style. “We’ll go to the farm, and I’ll take a breath and say how much I love it,” she says. “Then we’ll go to Destin, and I do the same thing. I love both areas and both houses.”

Destin is where the couple spends most of their time. As twenty-eight-year residents, Lovelace contends that they’ve lived in the area longer than pretty much everyone who isn’t a native. Their friends are there and so are two of their children. The city—along with the city house—has earned the right to be called “home,” while the farm is a beloved getaway.

This main residence embodies Lovelace’s high-style approach with a coastal elegance and a Southern character influenced by New Orleans and Saint Augustine. A timeless combination of heart pine floors and white walls is infused with deep blue and spearmint accents and rounded out with contemporary furnishings, art, and a baby grand piano.

In short, the Destin house is classic Susan Lovelace design: gracious, edgy without being over the top, and thoroughly livable. Her style is so distinct that people know it when they see it—even if it’s hundreds of miles from the Gulf Coast. In fact, a friend visiting the Florida Keys walked into a house and immediately knew Lovelace was the interior designer. “She said it was the way it was finished,” Lovelace explains. “I like things to be very warm, but I also like to be entertained. There’s rhythm in my work, almost like a dance.”

That cha-cha-cha is evident in her own two houses. Though very different, they’re both spaces that beg to be explored slowly, taking in the many details that prove she was right about the importance of finishing elements all those years ago.

Lovelace is nowhere near ready to stop designing, and she has (thankfully) long since been back to her healthy, energetic self. But she is thinking about her legacy these days. One of the things she’s proudest of is helping to nurture new generations of designers, a mission she wants to continue on a scale that includes amateur home decorators as well. To that end, Lovelace is writing a book that’s both a retrospective and a teaching tool. It will showcase elements and principles of design—like why your living room feels boring— as well as her own style mantras in a format that will be as entertaining as it is enlightening.

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Though very different, they’re both spaces that beg to be explored slowly, taking in the many details that prove she was right about the importance of finishing elements all those years ago.

Lovelace Interiors is always top of mind for her, too. While she’s taking on fewer design projects personally, the firm is busier than ever and still setting the standard for products and expert services. The “expert” aspect is something Lovelace is passionate about, always encouraging homeowners to use a professional, licensed designer, especially for large projects. Take it from someone who knows the trade: having a good eye isn’t the same as mastering concepts during years of schooling and completing licensing requirements. In addition, as she points out, “Decorators charge as much as designers, so why not go with someone who’s licensed?”

Lovelace’s assistant, Brooke Williams, emphasizes that Lovelace Interiors has fourteen designers, most of whom are licensed. “We’re the biggest, in terms of designers, within a hundred miles of here,” she says. When they say they’re a full-service design firm, they mean it. Williams attests that the staff makes free SEASIDE_halfpageAD_R&J_FM__VIE.pdf 1 8/18/2016 2:34:47 PM

Jenifer Kuntz Seaside Farmers Market Raw & Juicy Life Seaside, Florida

locally-owned and operated boutiques & restaurants

“We have something really special here, and I want to keep it going.” recommendations all day long and creates customized packages for clients—from paint color suggestions to entire home designs.

Most visitors to Lovelace Interiors become mesmerized with the furnishings and accessories on the bottom floor, but the top floor is laden with a different kind of treasure. Upstairs are racks of rug samples, drawer pulls, and flooring options and a resource room with row after row of fabric samples and wallpaper books. It’s a vivid example of the company’s “Expect the unexpected” tagline and just one way the firm proves it’s in a league of its own.

As for Lovelace, she’s delighted that the business she founded decades ago is not only surviving but also thriving. “It’s not about me at this point,” she says of her current focus. “It’s about the design firm and the work we do all over the country. We have something really special here, and I want to keep it going.”

WWW.LOVELACEINTERIORS.COM

Your sweet Southern moments Enjoy your local beaches this fall in a Southern condo or home!

GoSouthern.com • 855.971.1490 Vacation Rentals • Residential Leasing • Real Estate Panama City Beach | 30A | Destin | Fort Walton Beach | Navarre Beach | Pensacola Beach | Perdido Key | Orange Beach | Gulf Shores | Fairhope

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Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459

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H O M E S F R O M T H E M I D 4 0 0 ’ S S O U T H W A L T O N ’ S #1 S E L L I N G C O M M U N I T Y ON US 98 ACROSS FROM C A MP CREEK G OLF CLUB

1.866.563.0070 Watersound.com The St. Joe Company 2016 All Rights Reserved. “JOE®”, “St. Joe®”, “St. Joe (and the Taking Flight design)®”, the “Taking Flight” design®, “Fish Out of Water®” and “Watercolor®”are registered service marks of The St. Joe Company or its affiliates. “Watersound OriginsSM”, “OriginsSM” and “St. Joe Club & ResortsSM” are service marks of The St. Joe Company or its affiliates. The materials and features and amenities described and depicted herein are based upon current development plans, which are subject to change without notice. This does not constitute an offer to sell real property in any jurisdiction where prior registration or other advance qualifications of real property is required, including New York. Void where prohibited by law. Equal Housing Opportunity. St. Joe Club & Resorts is a private club, membership in which permits Watersound OriginsSM owners the use of facilities designated by the Club. Use of additional Club Facilities requires purchase of a separate membership upgrade. Club membership may be subject to application and acceptance, payment of fees, membership requirements, rules or other limitations, all of which are subject to change. Club Facilities are also available to other club members and persons who stay in rental program residences. The St. Joe Company does not guarantee the obligations of, nor provide any warranties for unaffiliated parties who build homes or offer services in the Watersound OriginsSM community.

Obtain the Property Report required by Federal Law and read it before signing anything. No federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property.

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ov e at

Fi r s t

Fl i g h t LAUREN AND LAYNE FIELDER 16 October 2015

It was a movie-worthy moment when Lauren McGill and Layne Fielder first met at Gate B12 of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

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The Love Story Both were traveling home for Christmas—Lauren to Destin, Florida, and Layne to nearby Niceville—and Lauren was feeling nervous about her standard poodle, Elvis, flying in the cargo hold. “I was flustered and dropping things on the floor,” Lauren recalls. “Layne was waiting patiently two seats away, just curious as to why this person (me) was so restless. After I had dropped my Junior Mints all over the floor, he took his headphones off and said, ‘Five-second rule!’ to which I replied, ‘Not at the airport!’

And the rest is history.”

The pair bonded over their shared hometowns on the Northwest Florida coast and soon began dating. “I would say, for us, it was ‘love at first flight,’ not ‘love at first sight!’”

Lauren says. When Layne proposed on his birthday, April 10, 2015, of course Lauren said yes. “He said for his birthday he wanted to give himself the best gift he could imagine by making me his wife,” she remembers.

The Venue r e g at ta b ay co u n t ry c lu b Lauren and Layne began planning their dream wedding, which would naturally take place near the beaches of Destin. The Regatta Bay Golf and Yacht Club was a perfect fit, as Lauren’s father, Bob, had attended Destin Rotary Club meetings there over the past couple years, and the scenic club grounds offered everything they needed. The ceremony would be held on the putting green with scenic views and plenty of space for their 140 guests. “Wedding planning was relatively painless, as I had my mom, Leah McGill, and our wedding planner, Heidi LoCicero, take over the reins and handle everything,” Lauren admits. “Without their hard work, sweat, and love, our wedding would not have been such a wonderful, magical event. Our favorite part of the whole planning process was the cake tasting! Chef Heidi with Bake My Day made the cake-tasting event delicious and festive.”

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I would say, for us, it was ‘love at first flight,’ not ‘love at first sight!’

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The Wedding Day Fittingly, the theme for the wedding was “Love Is in the Air,” playing off Lauren and Layne’s airport meet-cute. Their color scheme included dusty rose, gold, and sky blue—a nod to Lauren’s parents’ own wedding, which had occurred thirty-three years earlier to the day. It also happened to be Lauren’s twenty-eighth birthday. “Needless to say, the day was very special for many different reasons,” says Lauren. “One special wedding memory is wearing the Mikimoto pearls that belonged to my great-grandmother, Mae Dowell Richards. They were given to her by my grandfather, Dale Richards, upon his return from service during the Korean Conflict. It’s been a tradition to have them serve as the ‘something borrowed’ at many family weddings.”

Needless to say, the day was very special for many different reasons.

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䤀䘀 䌀䄀刀䔀䰀䔀匀匀 䐀刀䤀嘀䔀刀匀 䠀䄀吀䔀 䴀䔀Ⰰ 䤀ᤠ洀 搀漀椀渀最 洀礀 樀漀戀⸀

Another highlight of Lauren and Layne’s special day: their family and friends surprised them by breaking into song just as they were being pronounced man and wife—they walked down the aisle to a rousing chorus of “Oh Happy Day.” But, that wasn’t the only surprise.

娀愀爀稀愀甀爀氀愀眀⸀挀漀洀

匀䔀刀䤀伀唀匀 䤀一䨀唀刀夀 ☀ 䐀䔀䄀吀䠀 䌀䄀匀䔀匀

“Shortly after we got married, I was able to give Layne a two-week anniversary gift by letting him know we were expecting!” Lauren says. “So, our honeymoon on the Caribbean island of Anguilla turned into a babymoon!” She and Layne celebrated both marriage and baby-to-be this past January by relaxing at the Viceroy Anguilla hotel and resort, and they welcomed beautiful baby Sophia into the world on July 6, 2016.

vie would like to offer our sincere congratulations to the happy couple and their new bundle of joy!

Special Thanks

wedding photography : Pure7 Studios engagement photography : Sarah Lyn Schmidt, Sarah & Paul Photography wedding planner : Heidi LoCicero cake : Bake My Day

嬀㠀㔀㔀崀栀椀爀攀樀漀攀 倀䔀一匀䄀䌀伀䰀䄀

匀伀唀吀䠀 圀䄀䰀吀伀一

hairstylist : Maria Danielle Nieves, Pin-Up Girls Hair Studio floral designer : Myrtie Blue bridal gown : Simply Elegant Bridal stationery : Frill Seekers Gifts

A Testimonial Alan, One of the reasons we chose Ficarra Builders Inc. to build our home was because of your commitment to building a home that would last in these tough beach conditions. You told us the house wouldn’t just look good but would be good right down to the bones. You said it would be tight enough to repel the driven rain and tough enough to withstand the assault of wind and salt air. Your emphasis was on structural integrity not just a handsome facade.

Given the above I thought you would be interested to learn how your work was evaluated 8 years after the home was completed. Recently we listed our Watersound Beach property and it sold for its full listing price the second day it was on the market.

We used one of the largest, most respected firms on 30-A to handle the transaction. Their person who is responsible for completing the inspections reports on their listings sent us the following message when our report was complete: “FOR THE SIZE OF YOUR HOME AND THE PROXIMITY TO THE WATER, THAT IS THE CLEANEST INSPECTION REPORT I HAVE EVER SEEN”.

They say the proof is in the pudding and the above statement confirms for me that you did exactly what you said you were going to do when you built our house. It has been a great, low maintenance, home that we have loved living in, and I anticipate the new owners are going have a similar experience.

THANK YOU! Bill Goodwin

278 West Water Street | Rosemary Beach, Florida Masterful design and modern luxury are uniquely embodied in this custom built home south of 30A. The sprawling entertainment spaces flow effortlessly outside on both the first and second level to the stunning private pool and courtyard that is perfectly tucked between the main and carriage house. 7 Bedrooms, 10 Baths, 5,463 Square Feet MLS 754199 | $7,675,000 | www.278WestWaterStreet.com

409 East Water Street | Rosemary Beach, Florida Experience luxury beach living in this spectacular home located one tier off the Gulf. Exquisitely and newly renovated throughout, impeccably designed interiors have raised the bar for Rosemary Beach living. Pristine, amazing water views. Carriage house. 6 Bedrooms, 7 Baths, 3,664 Square Feet MLS 754212 | $7,895,000 | www.409EastWater.com

RITA MONTGOMERY 850.819.5749 ritamontgomery@aol.com Pelican Real Estate & Development Company, Inc.

Monarchs fattening up at Saint Marks National Wildlife Refuge prior to Gulf crossing

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A Phenomenal Journey on Gossamer Wings anne w. schultz photography by david moynahan by

Miracles happen all around us, often in the ordinary everydayness of life, like on a morning walk. Sometimes we stroll right past these natural phenomena, neither seeing nor comprehending. Perhaps our minds are preoccupied or our attention locked on the little mobile gadgets we carry around that keep our eyes downcast and fingers tapping. We can stare a miracle right in the face and not even recognize it as such because we are so disconnected and know so little about the natural world surrounding us. Then something startles us—a flash of color or a bird’s melodic song—and we look up and around, suddenly more conscious of what’s around us. If our curiosity were aroused and we chose to learn more, we would be utterly spellbound by the sheer wonder of it all.

Consider the monarch butterfly. Weighing less than half a gram, this fragile insect, along with millions of others, takes off—propelled by some instinctual urging—for an unknown destination three thousand miles away, guided only by a mysterious inner GPS. With wings as delicate as rose petals and a black-and-white polka-dot body about the size of a slivered almond, the monarch glides on thermal air

currents and tailwinds to conserve energy for the world’s longest journey made by an insect. When sunlight strikes an outstretched wing, it highlights the distinctive patterns of orange outlined in black that resemble panes in a stained-glass window.

This miraculous journey is what inspired Leigh Ann Henion to start what she calls “phenomenon

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Monarch feeding on saltbush (a.k.a. groundsel tree) Below: Wildflowers in the Gulf coastal flatwoods are a butterfly haven.

travel.” “I learned that a monarch butterfly flies thousands of miles across a continent to the same place—and sometimes even the same tree—of its ancestors. What I experienced on a mountain in Mexico in the presence of millions of butterflies was among the most moving and emotional experiences of my life. I could not let go of it. I thought, what else do I not know about?” she shares in a New York Times interview. Like most of us, Henion had no idea how phenomenal nature can be.

“Monarchs are unique among insects because they migrate both north and south, like birds. But unlike birds, an individual butterfly never makes a full two-way trip,” explains Sallie Lewis in a science article in The Atlantic. “Instead, a succession of four to five generations must interlink to complete the round-trip migration. Once they reach the southern United States from Mexico, they search for milkweed on which to lay their eggs. The butterflies that emerge from these eggs represent the start of a new life cycle, and they are known as the year’s first generation of butterflies.”

The life cycle of a monarch and its dependency on wildflowers is as fascinating as its migration. The metamorphosis from tiny egg to earth-crawling caterpillar to chrysalis from which emerges a beautiful butterfly is so dramatic it symbolizes spiritual transformation. And wildflowers are an essential part of the process. “In their larval stage,

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“ what i experienced on a mountain in mexico in the presence of millions of butterflies was among the most moving and emotional experiences of my life. ”

monarch caterpillars feed almost exclusively on milkweed and as adults get their nutrients from the nectar of flowers,” the Defenders of Wildlife website explains. “The milkweed they feed on as a caterpillar is actually a poisonous toxin and is stored in their bodies. This is what makes the monarch butterfly taste so terrible to predators.”

According to the New York Times, the number of monarchs migrating from the United States has dropped by 90 percent in the past twenty years. Since my family and I moved to the Florida Panhandle about twenty years ago, we have sadly witnessed their dwindling numbers firsthand. Here, you don’t need a calendar to know it’s October;

wildflowers act like bright lights lining an airport runway, steering butterflies down to a succulent feast.

monarch butterflies arrive every fall in clouds of fluttering wings. They dance through the air before raining down onto masses of golden wildflowers stretching for miles along wide margins of a scenic highway skirting the beach.

With a superabundance of native wildflowers, the Florida Panhandle is one of the important “wildflower corridors” where exhausted monarchs rest up and refuel for the next leg of their journey. It’s no accident that wildflowers bloom in such large masses and high-voltage colors, for that makes them highly visible to butterflies soaring above. Wildflowers act like bright lights lining an airport runway, steering butterflies down to a succulent feast.

Monarchs showed up on schedule year after year in the same spectacular display—that is, until the practice of mowing began. Large industrial mowers clipped native grasses and wildflowers as short as a military crew cut, in places scraping down to barren patches of sand. Before long, this intensive mowing eradicated most of the wildflowers, which in turn drastically reduced the number of butterflies passing through, except at Florida state parks, where native vegetation is preserved. “During migration season, you can observe monarchs clustering in large numbers on salt myrtles blooming around the park,” says Patrick Hartsfield, the assistant park manager at Grayton Beach State Park.

A group of locals met with county public works officials to express their concerns. The locals explained it’s still possible to mow and not harm the flowers if blades are set higher and mowing is restrained until flowers reseed.

County officials agreed to comply, yet they continued on with the same destructive practices.

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Perhaps they didn’t understand the importance of wildflowers in attracting major pollinators like bees and butterflies, and what that means to humans. As pollinators collect nectar,

Blooming deertongue in coastal flatwoods

they carry pollen from one flower to the next, resulting in reproduction of the species. Monarchs and other pollinators “help pollinate over 75 percent of our flowering plants, and nearly 75 percent of our crops,” states the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service home page.

Or maybe they didn’t know about wildflower conservation programs implemented by Florida and other states for preserving native wildflowers that in turn beautify highways. The Florida Department of Transportation

created one in 1963 to “improve aesthetics while lowering maintenance costs.” More recently, the department stepped up efforts to “preserve naturally occurring stands of wildflowers and remnants of native plant communities on Florida’s more than twelve thousand miles of state-maintained roads.”

The intention is to develop roadsides into “biological corridors comprised of a diverse mix of planted and naturally occurring native flora that will increase habitat for pollinator species while safely reducing the cost of managing roadside vegetation.”

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The movement has spread beyond the States. In 2014, the United States joined Canada and Mexico in a shared commitment to conserve the monarch by restoring its habitat from Canada to Mexico. First Lady Michelle Obama planted the first pollinator garden at the White House with milkweed and other plants that butterflies feed on. “The following spring, the White House released a plan to promote similar gardens to foster the insects’ nourishment and reproduction across the country,” states Sallie Lewis in The Atlantic.

Let’s get on the bandwagon and help sustain life instead of destroying it. Everyone is able to participate in this miracle. One way is to retain native habitats when possible; another is to replant

with native species instead of introduced ones.

We can also plant pollinator gardens that attract monarchs and some of the nearly two hundred butterfly species native to Florida, as well as other pollinators like birds and bees. We can also stop using pesticides that kill beneficial insects along with pests.

Once we step out of the often stressful and chaotic artificial world we have manufactured and into the one created by God, we might be like Leigh Ann Henion and wonder what else do we not know about? That curiosity might inspire a lifetime of getting outdoors and exploring the natural world where we will recognize that miracles are happening all around us.

To learn more about wildflowers visit: www.FlaWildflowers.org

Monarch butterfly on Spanish needles wildflower

Escape to Florida’s Emerald Coast and discover a beach getaway like no other.

A destination where you can indulge in a selection of luxurious vacation rental accommodations, relax in a setting of natural splendor and play along miles of unspoiled coastline.

WELCOME TO A PREMIER ISLAND VACATION EXPERIENCE sk y h ome s ∙ beac h h ome s ∙ c ond o s ∙ e c ot ouris m advent ure s dining & enter t ainment ∙ ret ail boutique s ∙ s pa s

PENSACOL A BE ACH | N AVAR R E BE ACH , F LOR I DA

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Tom Watson

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roll out the

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CBRE has a new home

SHOP . DINE . PLAY . STAY

CBRE has more than 70,000 commercial real estate professionals in their global network and they have chosen us as one of their Florida office locations.

“We have chosen to locate our office in Grand Boulevard and within the growing corporate business environment here, due to its central location that gives us a platform to be an integral part of the future growth of local businesses, and easy access to the greater regional community that we serve.”

Tom Watson CBRE Vice President

Contact Dana Hahn, Vice President of Real Estate, at dana@howardgrp.com or 850-837-1886 ext.205 and see for yourself how having your business in Grand Boulevard is a grand experience in every sense.

495 GRAND BOULEVARD, SUITE 220 | MIRAMAR BEACH | FLORIDA 32550 | GRANDBOULEVARD.COM A HOWARD GROUP | MERCHANTS RETAIL PARTNERS DEVELOPMENT

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AMERICAN

BEAUTY National Parks Blossom in Philadelphia

By

JORDAN STAGGS RINN GARLANGER

Photography by

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Where can you find a bubbling geyser surrounded by prairie poppies, an active volcano adorned with bright red ohia flowers, and even the Liberty Bell covered in red, white, and blue blossoms—all under one roof? For tens of thousands of floral enthusiasts and casual beauty seekers, it was at the 2016 Philadelphia Flower Show, presented by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) from March 5 to 13 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. he theme of the year was “Explore America,” and elaborate replicas of some of the country’s most treasured national parks and landmarks filled the exhibition floor in honor of the National Park Service’s centennial. The annual spectacular of blooms typically features over forty professional landscape and floral designers, who create the largest exhibits for the show based on that year’s theme. They compete to impress the judges and take home the honor of Best in Show. Past show themes have included “Celebrate the Movies,” “Springtime in Paris,” “Moments in Time…A Galaxy of Gardens,” and many more.

When the National Park Service (NPS) approached PHS about creating an exhibit to celebrate a hundred years of national parks during this year’s flower show, PHS members were thrilled to have the opportunity.

“After a little further discussion with the Park Service, we decided to devote the entire 2016 show to the National Parks theme,” says Alan Jaffe, senior director of communications and media at PHS. “It turned out to be a fantastic partnership, with extraordinary participation of the NPS leadership and park rangers in the creation of special exhibits, presentations, and interaction with the flower show audience.”

Upon entering the exhibit hall, audience members walked through the Big Timber Lodge, a grand entrance garden that was designed by PHS and included beautiful chandeliers, a rustic compass rose, Native American–inspired art, and grizzly bear and

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Gr ay ton 19 68

Original G rayto

n Girl

Kitty Taylor, Broker, GRI, CRS, CIPS Catherine Ryland, Broker Associate

“Grayton Girl Team” Selling Grayton and Beach Properties along 30A.

850.231.2886 | 850.585.5334

133 Defuniak Street, Grayton Beach, FL 32459 www.graytoncoastproperties.com

The annual spectacular of blooms typically features over forty professional landscape and floral designers, who create the largest exhibits for the show based on that year’s theme.

buffalo sculptures—all dripping in blossoms and greenery, of course. Other crowd favorites included the Yellowstone National Park exhibit created by Stoney Bank Nurseries, the Redwood National and State Parks exhibit by the American Institute of Floral Designers, and presentations from National Park Service rangers in the Find Your Park Pavilion.

“This year’s show, more than any in recent years, focused on the American plant palette—those flowers, plants, and trees that are found in the amazingly diverse national landscape,” Jaffe says. “The crowds responded with great interest and emotion, sparked by connections to the sites they had visited with generations of their own families. Many guests shared memories of their visits with the park rangers and PHS staff members at the show.”

The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, which started in 1829, is the nation’s largest and longest-running

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society president Matt Rader is interviewed

by Cecily Tynan and Adam Joseph of Channel 6 ABC News Philadelphia.

Photo by Rob Cardillo

horticultural event, taking pride in introducing the newest plant varieties, garden and design concepts, and organic and sustainable practices—a mission that the NPS admires and shares.

“The National Park Service and PHS share a commitment to introducing new generations to the beauty of nature, to be good stewards of our environment, to honor the contributions of individuals to our history, and to build vibrant communities,” said Cynthia MacLeod, superintendent of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.

In addition to the major garden displays, the Philadelphia Flower Show hosts world-renowned competitions in horticulture and artistic floral arranging, gardening presentations and demonstrations, and special events. It has a huge indoor marketplace with over 190 vendors and the Bloom Philly Festival, a citywide celebration. Special events

included the Cabin Fever Country Hoedown with country music and dancing on opening day, March 5; Wedding Wednesday, a fabulous bridal expo on March 9; Flowers After Hours, an evening of music and delicious sips on March 10; Fido Friday, an invitation to flower-loving canines and their human companions on March 11; and the Flower Show Jamboree on March 13, featuring activities for families including the Teddy Bear Tea, Junior Ranger Day, and special appearances.

Elaborate replicas of some of the country’s most treasured national parks and landmarks filled the exhibition floor in honor of the National Park Service’s centennial.

“There were a number of extraordinary moments at the 2016 show,” Jaffe says. “Among my favorites were the appearance, by webcam from California, of the oldest park ranger, who recalled highlights of her career; a special appearance by Dayton Duncan, who collaborated with Ken Burns on the acclaimed documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea; and a tour for sight-impaired guests led by an audio describer through the major exhibits.”

Promising another splendid year of education and beautiful blossoms, the PHS will present “Holland, Flowering the World” from March 11 to 19, 2017.

Learn more and purchase your tickets for the show at www.PHSonline.org.

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Photo by Rob Cardillo

The Secret Ingredient for a Great Vacation:

The K itchen

Featuring homes located in South Walton, FL., along the beautiful Scenic Highway 30A.

Lately, it seems like eating-in has become the new dining-out. With access to unique spices, specialty meats, and seasonal produce at various quantities to suffice any family size, whipping up a tasty meal in the comfort of your own kitchen seems to be the preferred dining experience.

This shouldn’t stop when you’re on vacation. Whether you’re looking to save a little bit of money, in need a night off from wining and dining, or just craving one of your favorite dishes, the secret ingredient when it comes to a great vacation is the kitchen!

Emerald Escape, a beautiful home nestled in The Town of Prominence, does space right with a grand open floor plan, making the kitchen a focal point of the main living area. The space is perfect for grabbing a quick snack around the large kitchen island before heading back out to the beach. The island can even substitute as an additional dining area if needed.

Secret Ingredient A:

Room to Spread Out When choosing a vacation rental, consider the layout of your shared space, especially the kitchen. With scrumptious smells that make your mouth water and your nose dance with delight, the kitchen often becomes the gathering place of a vacation. Friends and family pull up a stool to graze on food and chat about memories made while a great meal is being prepared, so it’s important to have space.

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Secret Ingredient B:

The View

A beach vacation is all about the view, so why not capitalize on the view no matter where you are standing? Pick a vacation rental that ensures you can gaze out at a spectacular view while you’re preparing a lunch or dinner. Sometimes the best view isn’t at that high-end restaurant down the street, but rather right in your temporary backyard.

Santa Rosa Beach property, Seas the Day, offers three levels of Emerald Coast view, with the kitchen overlooking the living area and the coastline.

Allowing you to skip making a reservation and corralling a family to meet a dinner deadline, you can operate under your own timeline as if eating out at a private establishment.

Use your vacation rental to the fullest, and consider the view from the kitchen and main living area when selecting your home away from home.

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Secret Ingredient C:

Unique Features Ever wonder about floating shelves to store your dishes?

Or pillars around your kitchen island? Use your beach vacation to test out unique and fun kitchen layouts. It can open your mind to ideas you would have never considered.

For example, Seagrove property Tupelo Honey beautifully incorporated their kitchen under the staircase. From a built-in microwave and cabinets in the staircase to an angled ceiling over the stovetop, this kitchen gives endless inspiration on how to get creative with your meals.

So whether you love to whip up gourmet meals inspired by your travels or simply get together with the ones you love, a kitchen is the secret ingredient to make a good vacation great. To book any of these properties for your next beach vacation or view additional beach homes and condos along the beaches of South Walton, visit MyRQ30A.com or call 866-876-8675.

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Here’s what our owners are saying:

Thinking outside of the box pays rewards, doesn’t it? I appreciate your hard work and the bookings you have gotten for us. We feel we made the right choice in changing to ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals. We were having negative comments about guests having difficulty in getting their keys and customer service. Since we put our condo on the ResortQuest program, our guests are getting better customer service and it will result in them thinking of us again.

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2013, 2014 & 2015

FRESH SEAFOOD?

One of the first questions people ask when they visit our area is “How can we be sure we’re getting fresh seafood?”

That’s an excellent question. There is a good chance that the seafood you will be offered traveled farther than you did. In the state of Florida, even though we are surrounded by water, more than 90% of the seafood sold this year will be imported from other countries.

Throughout the United States, the huge majority of seafood is imported.

Most of it is mislabeled. Frozen seafood is sold as “fresh” and imported seafood is sold as “local.” According to Oceana, 93% of fish sold as red snapper is actually some other species. 57% of tuna sold at sushi bars throughout the country is not tuna. Most of the tilapia served in this country comes from Viet Nam and Thailand and much of it is farmed in waters with sewage run-off and the source of feed is pig feces.

Harbor Docks has been selling fish through its wholesale market since 1981. We sell to markets across the United States and Canada. We also sell to select restaurants along the Gulf Coast. Harbor Docks contracts with over 100 commercial boats to insure that we have an adequate supply of fresh fish.

We invite you to dine at our restaurants – Harbor Docks, in the heart of Destin, and Camille’s, overlooking the Gulf in Crystal Beach. But we’d also encourage you to try any of the wonderful, independent, local restaurants in our area that are committed to serving Florida seafood. We know who they are, because we sell them their fish.

check our website to find out which restaurants sell certified Gulf-to-Table fish from harbor Docks Seafood market.

DES TIN , FL | 850. 837. 2506 | h a r b o r D o c k S .co m S E A F O O D & C O C K TA I L S

Snapper and Tuna stats: http://oceana.org/en/news-media/publications/reports/oceana-study-reveals-seafood-fraud-nationwide Imported seafood stat: http://www.fishwatch.gov/farmed_seafood/outside_the_us.htm Tilapia/pig feces: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-11/asian-seafood-raised-on-pig-feces-approved-for-u-s-consumers.html

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FOR THE LOVE OF

THE HANDMADE RESURGENCE

BY NICHOLAS GRUNDY P H O TO G R A P H Y C O U R T E S Y O F T H E M E R M A I D ’ S P U R L

MANY OF US CAN REMEMBER OUR GRANDMOTHERS TO I L I N G AWAY F O R W E E K S K N I T T I N G S W E AT E R S A N D S OC K S . F O R T H E I R O F F S P R I N G , H O W E V E R , I T B E C A M E A L L TOO E A S Y TO PAY A V I S I T TO T H E L OC A L M A L L TO P U R C H A S E T H E S E I T E M S .

After seemingly fading out of favor altogether, the love of making garments by hand appears merely to have skipped a generation. Today, devoted crafters have returned in full swing and count members of all ages—and even the occasional male knitting whiz!—among their ranks. The handmade craft movement offers something for everyone, whether it’s the sense of community at knitting meetups, the pride associated with making your own quilt, or the

208 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

ability to unleash your inner creativity through the art of crocheting.

This newfound love of yarn and fabric seems to have sprung up exactly where it left off. The textile industry was previously a huge aspect of New England, where many “makers” prided themselves on their craftsmanship. On your next visit to the Northeast, take note of the many former mills

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MAKING YOUR OWN GOODS PROVIDES YOU WITH THE ABILITY TO BRING COLOR AND VIBRANCY TO YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS WITH UNIQUE, HANDMADE GIFTS.

lining the riverbanks, once home to long lines of yarn spinners. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that an entrepreneurial young woman opened a successful yarn store called the Mermaid’s Purl in Rhode Island in recent years.

Journeying over the Atlantic to Ireland, one finds the same phenomenon. There, too, we see renewed interest in trades thought to have vanished in the recent past. The handwoven masterpieces found in the old mills dotting the west coast need no longer be mere museum pieces. The intricate, traditional Irish woolen sweater has not only become a hit along the tourist trail once again, but individuals have also recommenced production in their own cottages around the country.

To fully appreciate this revival of handmade crafts, we must first understand what makes this trend appealing to so many. When you make som thing yourself, it is unique to you. The process of discovering the joy of creating is truly rewarding. For most

210 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

E AC H A N D E V E R Y I M P E R F E C T I O N A D D S TO T H E O V E R A L L C H A R AC T E R O F T H E F I N A L P I E C E . enthusiasts, the act of crocheting, knitting, or quilting is highly therapeutic, providing a relaxing, repetitive task. It’s precisely this repetition which provides another benefit, as well.As your hands whisk back and forth, purling and looping (for knitters) or chaining and stitching (for crocheters), your mind must remain active and in a great state of concentration, counting onward and upward toward the final garb. Crucially, fabric working offers a great way to take a step back from the frenetic pace of society. In a world overrun with smartphones where we frequently catch up with friends across digital screens, the serene and tactile experience of working by hand offers the perfect way to unplug completely.

As more and more people embrace this trend toward more basic lifestyles, with farmers’ markets and the patronage of local businesses surging in popularity, we are seeing an increase in the demand for more variety in fashion and home accessories. All too

often these days, we see the same factory-produced clothing worn by every fifth person walking down the street; one might imagine that their living rooms are decorated with identical plastic knickknacks. Working by hand, you’re guaranteed to produce something that stands out from the crowd and is specifically what your creative self wants.

Flawlessness need not be pursued. Each and every imperfection adds to the overall character of the final piece. For those intrigued about getting started in arts and crafts, there are numerous avenues to pursue: beading, weaving, crocheting, embroidering, needle felting, and spinning and dyeing wool.

Making your own goods provides you with the ability to bring color and vibrancy to your life and the lives of others with unique, handmade gifts.

If you too catch the knitting bug, gifting your craftwork to others is a lovely use for the various strands of yarn that may soon entangle your living

room floor! I know this all too well, for as I take breaks between writing, I must navigate carefully around my wife’s specific piles of wool—each one another stripe on a striking baby blanket. As she will attest, the feeling of finishing a new work for yourself can only be surpassed by the feeling of completing a gift for someone else. Instead of receiving a carbon copy of every other present out there, the recipient of your craft gains an item into which time, thought, and effort has been equally invested.

Thoughtful offerings to mark special occasions are not yarn’s only use. As Lizzie Shriner, owner of the Mermaid’s Purl, will tell you, she’s seen the versatile material used to produce anything and everything. Whether it’s an entire new woolen winter wardrobe, blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals, it can be done. At her weekly knitting mee ups, Lizzie’s students have created everything from lampshades to a birdhouse! When she needed an Open and Closed sign for her shop window, it was obvious how that would be made as well.

Meanwhile, back across the pond, a small but busy wool store in a quaint Irish town sees regular weekly gatherings of like-minded individuals. Working with wool has become so popular in the west of Ireland that the shop’s knitting and crocheting classes are constantly booked. Based in the small inland town of Tuam in the hinterland of Galway and Connemara, the Quilt Shop has also 212 | SE PTE M B E R / OC T O B E R 2016

IF THERE’S ONE REASON WHY SO MANY H AV E FA L L E N I N L O V E W I T H T H I S L O S T A R T F O R M , I T ’ S A L M O S T C E R TA I N L Y T H E S E N S E O F CO M M U N I T Y I T F O S T E R S . borne witness to the wave of demand for yarn taking hold back in the States.

Every summer, busloads of American tourists hop off at the seldom-visited town just to stock up on supplies. Maybe they’re even courageous enough to attempt the tricky Aran stitch, named after the set of islands sitting off the Connemara coast in Galway Bay. If there’s one reason why so many have fallen in love with this lost art form, it’s almost certainly the sense of community it fosters. While our society becomes increasingly closed off, attending classes and meetups can provide a true sense of togetherness. And, there’s always a guiding hand to help you complete your cozy Aran sweater just in time for the first snowfall.

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