New Member: Jerri Holan

Jerri Holan, FAIA

Artistic License is thrilled to announce the induction of our newest member, Jerri Holan.
Ms Holan is a noted  architect with preservation expertise, and the principal of Jerri Holan & Associates, AIA.   She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects who has served on the Board for the Fulbright Alumni Association and the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association and is currently the Chair of the American Institute of Architects’ Historical Resources Committee (SF Chapter).

The Kaiser House, Oakland, California

Ms. Holan completed her Masters degree at UC, Berkeley (Go Bears!)   As a Fulbright Scholar, she conducted postgraduate work at the Arkitekturhøgskolen in Oslo, Norway, which culminated in her book, Norwegian Wood, A Tradition of Building.  Her projects are frequently exhibited in “Small Firms, Great Projects,” sponsored by the American Institute of Architects.

Look for more of Jerri's work on her website Jerri Holan & Associates, AIA with more coming soon to ArtisticLicense.org


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Guild Members win Prestigeous Palladio Award

Congratulations!! to Steve Rynerson and Paul Duchsherer for winning the prestigious Palladio Award for Residential Restoration, for their collaborative work on the restoration of the McDonald Mansion in Santa Rosa.
This project included the work of many guild members and you can see more images of the progress of this restoration here.

Cheers!!

Brotha Clint from the Bayview Opera House, and Judy Nemzoff, Director of Community Arts and Education for the San Francisco Arts Commission, at the Artisans Ball, December 8, 2012.  photo by Adrian Mendoza

CHEERS!  The members of Artistic License would like to thank everyone who came to the fabulous Artisans Ball last month at the Green Room in San Francisco.  The event celebrated the Guild's 30th anniversary and raised $4,500 for the Bayview Opera House and its community and arts programs.

Here are some highlights from this swell affair!  Thanks to Adrian Mendoza for the photography.

Guild members Erik Kramvik, Allan Dragge, Steve Rynerson, and Riley Doty enjoy the view of City Hall from the loggia of the Green Room.

Guild members Tim Hanson and Lorna Kollmeyer greeting people at the Artisans Ball.

The very elegant Karen Kiely and Neill Allen dancing at the Artisans Ball

 Jill Pilaroscia (a founding member of Artistic License) with wallpaper designer and Hall of Fame member Bruce Bradbury and his partner, Romeo.

revelers at the Artisans Ball

Lorna Kollmeyer and her band, the Dunes, performed at the Artisans Ball

Guild members Bruce Bradbury, Paul Duchscherer, and Steve Rynerson on background vocals

Dancing at the Artisans Ball

Guild president Chris Yerke with a State Senate Resolution honoring Artistic License presented by Brotha Clint of the Bayview Opera House.

Paul Duchscherer sits in with the band...  did you know he can sing?  Well now you do!

Melinda Morey, Erin Mahoney, guild member Lynne Rutter, and Erika Von Petrin.

Artistic License members Paul Duchscherer, Elise Shadow, and Erik Kramvik.

Chris Yerke and Peter Morenstein at the Artisans Ball.

all photos in the post © by Adrian Mendoza

Jane Powell 1952-2012

It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of our dear Jane E. Powell, author, linoleum expert, historian, and notorious curmudgeon. 
Jane passed away  peacefully on the morning of November 11, 2012 surrounded by friends in her beloved Bungamansion in Oakland. She will be greatly missed by countless fans and friends, and especially by us. 

Ms. Powell was a restoration consultant, house restorer, lecturer, and author of six books, including Bungalow Kitchens; Bungalow Bathrooms; Bungalow Details: Exterior; Bungalow Details: Interiors; Bungalow: The Ultimate Arts and Crafts Home; and Linoleum.
A long-time Artistic License member and former president of the guild, Jane was well-known as “the bad girl of bungalow writing”  and often described herself as  "historian, author, and notorious curmudgeon."
As a hands-on restorer, she brought ten vintage homes back to life and sold them to appreciative buyers, as well as restoring her own home, the 1905 Jesse Matteson house, affectionately known as "the Bungamansion."   The practical experience of restoring houses armed her with the kind of concrete knowledge that can only be gained by screwing up, and thus she was uniquely qualified to help her clients avoid many of the pitfalls that go along with restoring an older home. As a restoration consultant, she helped homeowners as well as house museums with their kitchens, bathrooms, interior and exterior paint colors, and other aspects of restoration and renovation.
Ms. Powell wrote for magazines including Old House Journal, Style 1900, and American Bungalow. She wrote a monthly column as well as feature articles for the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, and her opinion pieces appeared in the Berkeley Daily Planet, the Oakland Tribune, and on Oaklandnews.com. She also appeared on HGTV's Curb Appeal and Food Network's Ultimate Kitchens.

Jane at the Bungamansion benefit in 2011, photo by Melanie Hofmann

She was a popular and entertaining speaker, and lectured at conferences including The Grove Park Arts and Crafts Conference, Pasadena's Craftsman Weekend, Seattle's Bungalow Fair, the Restoration and Renovation Conference, and many others. She also spoke for preservation organizations, neighborhood associations, home builders groups, and historic district organizations across the country, and even at kitchen showrooms and retail businesses. In addition to the talks based on her various books, she spoke on related subjects including historic preservation, development issues, and the built environment.

Jane is survived by her sisters, Nancy Klapak, Mary (Rob) Enderle, Karin and Brian Klapak her niece and nephew and many loyal friends. A memorial service is planned for January 2013. Donations can be made to the East Bay SPCA-Oakland in honor of her many cats at Jane’s website via PayPal www.janepowell.org/tinykitties .    Sympathy cards or donations can also be sent to her sister Mary Enderle at 389 Photinia Lane, San Jose, CA 95127.

Textile Studio & Friends

Textile Studio and Friends - a pop-up shop opens in Rockridge!

 

Guild member Dianne Ayres of Arts & Crafts Period Textiles has opened a pop-up shop at 5550 College Ave. in Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland. 

Textile Studio & Friends at 5550 College Ave

The shop features a antiques and contemporary works, mostly Arts & Crafts style, alongside Dianne's famous hand-crafted textiles, antiquarian books and ephemera as well as contemporary books, including a complete selection of books by Jane Powell.  Other Artistic License members whose work  is featured in the shop include Theodore Ellison, Jana Olsen, and Debey Zito.  

Textile Studio & Friends at 5550 College Ave, Oakland

Visit Textile Studio & Friends at 5550 College Avenue, Oakland through the end of the 2012.

The Artisans Ball

click image for tickets!

2012 marks the 30th year of Artistic License in the Bay Area!

To celebrate, we are throwing a gala party and fundraiser benefiting the historic  Bayview Opera House restoration and community programs.  Join us Saturday, December 8, 2012  at the Green Room in San Francisco for the Artisans' Ball!

Advanced tickets are now on sale! 

Bayview Opera House  - Ruth Williams Memorial Theatre 
is a nonprofit community cultural and arts center.

San Francisco Arts Commission serves as landlord for this City-owned building, which opened in 1888 as the South San Francisco Opera  House. It is San Francisco's oldest theater and on the National Register of Historic Places

Fireplace Ideas for Bungalows

Recently published in Old house Journal:  Jane Powell's  look at the wide array of Arts & Crafts-era fireplaces.  

Green Motawi field tiles are combined with landscape and other decorative tiles in a seemingly random layout designed by Guild Member Michelle Nelson

"Fire fulfills a deep and primal role in the human psyche. Even today, when fires are no longer needed for heating or cooking, fireplaces are routinely installed in houses. In Arts & Crafts homes, the fireplace took on almost religious significance, and even bungalows in warm climates were built with one. Gustav Stickley was a big proponent, writing in The Craftsman, “The big hospitable fireplace is almost a necessity, for the hearthstone is always the center of true home life.”

Read the rest of the article at Old House Journal.

Adrian Card featured in Canson newsletter

Canson's recent newsletter features Adrian Card

Guild Member Adrian Card, who specializes in harpsichord decoration as well as historically-inspired decorative painting, is featured in this recent newsletter from Canson, makers of fine art papers including Rives paper designed for printmaking. 
Adrian prints custom papers from his own hand-carved woodblock designs for use in antique and reproduction instruments.



click on the image to view the article at larger, readable size.

Decorative Painting at the Historic MacDonald Mansion

Ladies' Parlor: Glazing and antiquing on woodwork, trim and pocket panel doors

Master decorative artist George Shadow's masterful contribution to an important historic restoration project in California.


Guild members George and Elise Shadow of Classic Art and Design, Inc. have been working for many months on the interior finishes for the historic MacDonald Mansion, in Santa Rosa, CA, also called Mableton.  Here now is a sneak peak at some of the stunning finished rooms featuring some of  George's outstanding work.

The Mantel of the Ladies' Parlor, marbleized to match the true marble.

The Powder Room, with gilt ceiling dome and glazed woodwork

Gents Parlor Ceiling with faux walnut beams, coffers, and crown mouldings

This project also features outstanding design work from guild members Paul Duchscherer, Steve Rynerson and copious amounts of wallpaper from Bradbury and Bradbury.
Read more about the progress of the Mableton restoration.

Lynne Rutter in the Spotlight

Guild member Lynne Rutter is featured in the San Francisco Chronicle  "Stylemaker Spotlight" this week.


Check out her interview in which she discusses her current projects,  the benefits of traditional paints, commissioning custom work from local artisans, and why you need to hire professionals with expertise in historic buildings.

"Island Creatures" at the Alameda West End Library

mural detail: blue heron

The West End Library of Alameda was designed by architect Carl Werner and built in 1936 as a Public Work Administration (PWA) project.  The recent restoration included funding for a public art commission.

In competition with over 100 artists, Debey Zito and Terry Schmitt,  the creative forces behind Debey Zito Fine Furniture and Design, were chosen to create artwork for a  4’ x 28’ wall above the circulation desk.  

Debey designed a frieze mural incorporating Terry’s carvings devoted to the wildlife of Alameda Island. With over 20 miles of shoreline, the citizens of Alameda are never far from the creatures they share their island with.

The completed mural at the Alameda West End Library

The mural is carved in black walnut and polychromed to compliment the stained oak original to the library.  The artwork is “framed” with an arch, tapered posts and waves. Leopard sharks and surf fish swim in the bay, crab and shorebirds on the sand, hills and water and least terns fly under the bridge. 

The bunny frieze was created using a combination of carving, cast plaster, and faux finishing

For the children’s section of the Library, Debey and Terry enlisted ornamental plasterer and fellow guild member Lorna Kollmeyer, to cast a 21 foot long plaster frieze of romping rabbits and  monarch butterflies, after their original carved wood model. The plaster work was then faux finished to match the wood carvings. Flanking this frieze, four be-speckled hares carved in wood, are relaxing and reading books.

mural detail: native grasses

The work was unveiled to the public on April 14th 2011

The Alameda West End Library is located at 788 Santa Clara Ave, Alameda, California.

photos in this post by Nathanael Bennett Photography

click on images to view larger.

McDonald Mansion Interior taking shape

Architect Steve Rynerson and historic deign consultant Paul Duchscherer have collaborated for the last five years on the renovations of the McDonald Mansion in Santa Rosa.  

The Sonoma County Press Democrat has today published a great article about the interior renovations at the McDonald Mansion (also known as Mableton) in Santa Rosa, CA, as led by guild members Steve Rynerson and Paul Duchscherer.
The new interior features the work of other guild members as well:  wallpapers by Bradbury and Bradbury, and faux bois finishes by George and Elise Shadow of Classic Art and Design.

view of the McDonald Mansion exterior. 

Full article in the Press Democrat,  and more images here.

Previous articles about the McDonald Mansion history here.



photos by Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat  ©2011        

Woodworker's Guide to Handplanes

Scott Wynn's new book, available at amazon.com!

Guild member Scott Wynn is not only a talented architect but a skilled woodworker and an expert with traditional hand tools.

He has just published a book on hand planes which he both wrote and illustrated:  
Woodworker's Guide to Handplanes: How to Choose, Setup, and Master the Most Useful Planes for Today's Workshop


Congratulations, Scott!

Arts and Crafts Dining Room a Collaborative Beauty

A San Francisco dining room designed in the Arts and Crafts style by Debey Zito Fine Furniture and Design,  became a wonderful opportunity for collaboration between several members of Artistic License.  

As part of the room's design, a frieze panel of California poppies was hand-carved by Debey's partner, Terry Schmitt. To carve the frieze for the entire room was cost-prohibitive, so ornamental plasterer Lorna Kollmeyer cast them in plaster. 
The new plaster frieze was then painted with a faux bois finish by decorative painter Lynne Rutter to match the furniture-quality paneling that Debey and Terry installed the room, and painted the iridescent poppies using mica powders and pigment.
Terry also sculpted the plaster Eucalyptus leaves which Lynne gilt with 23k gold leaf. 


This project is featured in the Spring 2011 edition of Arts and Crafts Homes magazine,  where you can see more details about this "Collaborative Beauty."

Peter Bridgman 1942 - 2010

Peter Bridgman

Artistic License is very sad to announce the loss of our master wallcovering expert, Peter Bridgman, who died late last year from a brain tumor at his home in Oakland, California. Peter was an active member of the guild for over twenty years and his abundant energy and devotion to guild activities will be sorely missed.

Peter was widely known for his intricate and precise installations of period wallpaper systems such as those designed by Bradbury and Bradbury:  he installed over 450 ornamental ceilings that were designed with their hand-printed papers. His work can be seen in homes and commercial buildings all across the country. 

Turkish Parlor in the Brune-Reutlinger House (1886) San Francisco. A combination of wallpaper elements by Bradbury & Bradbury,  designed by Paul Duchscherer, installed by Peter Bridgman

 

Photos of Peter's work grace the pages of numerous publications, especially those of his longtime friend, Paul Duchscherer, author of many books about period design. No design was too complicated for Peter to handle. 

He was an expert at mural installations, being especially appreciated by mural painters for his keen eye and knowledge of art and decor.  In his later years Peter studied art restoration, spending a year in Florence, Italy, to learn new skills and techniques.

Artistic License members bid goodbye to our friend and colleague in the most fitting way, celebrating his memory with a spectacular party.

Historic Floorcloth Recreated for Hay House

The dining room at Hay House with its new floorcloth

Gracewood Design,  our brilliant Associates based in Portland, Oregon, just completed a monumental project as part of the restoration of historic Hay House, The Palace of the South, in Macon, Georgia:  a custom floorcloth of over 1,300 square feet, recreating the original 1870 floorcloth. 

Painted floorcloths were a popular and fashionable floor covering choice in English and early American interiors, prior to the invention of linoleum in the late 19th century.

Original Hay House remnant and new reproduction by Gracewood Design

Remnants of the original Hay House floorcloth were found  under cabinetry that was being removed as part of the dining room renovation. The complex pattern required six stencils to create.  To obtain the textured look of the original, an extra pattern of stenciled thin lines was added, in a slightly different hue than their red and black backgrounds.

One of five 10 x 30' floorcloth panels in production

The new floorcloth was painted in long canvas panels, using many layers of paint, topcoat, and hand-finished with wax. The finished canvases were installed wall to wall, as was the original.  
The result is absolutely thrilling and beautiful surface as you can see in the above photo.  

 
Read more about floorcloths and the Hay House floorcloth, with step by step progress photos at the Gracewood Design website.
Congratulations to our members Gwen Jones and Ken Forcier and the entire Gracewood team on this outstanding project!

Bradbury's New Blog Explores Wallpaper's Storied History

Guild member Steve Bauer of Bradbury and Bradbury Art Wallpapers has been getting noticed for his splendid blog, which is shaping up nicely into a resource for wallpaper historians and enthusiasts of period design.

Many wallpapers have wonderful stories. Stories with questions. Hard questions. Questions like "Have you ever thought seriously about the use of medieval monks as the central design motif for your Arts & Crafts dining room??"

William Campbell Wall Paper Co., circa 1912

One recent entry highlights the Western themed papers popular in the 1950's:

(pretty sure this one matched my brother's PJs.)

Have a look at Bradbury&Bradbury "the Blog" here: http://bradbury.com/blog/ for more wallpaper tales, and inspiration, too!

Chris Yerke shares his old house expertise on SFGTV

Guild member Chris Yerke recently discovered that a television program in which he participated is now available as streaming video on the San Francisco Government TV website. Filmed in 2006, the program was filmed as part of the San Francisco Building Department's brown bag lunch series, and aired on San Francisco cable channel 26. The program features contractor Chris Yerke, CEO of Restoration Workshop, Ltd. and carpenter James "Tools" Gauvin of Matarozzi Pelsinger in a panel discussion of old house issues.

This one hour program visits the thorny issues like weatherizing period homes, replacing windows, finding period house advice and craftspeople, and finding appropriate materials and hardware. It can be viewed by visiting the SFGTV.gov site, and scroll down the list of programs and select "This Old House."

Jane Powell at "Bathonista"

A whole blog dedicated to bathrooms? why yes, it's iBath.com's aptly named Bathonista, where this month author and reigning guild president Jane Powell answers five questions about early 20th century bath design.


"This is absolutely the best time for restoring or reproducing a bungalow-style bathroom, as both vintage pieces and great reproductions are available for all the various bathroom parts."
- Jane Powell

Everything you need to know about bungalow bathrooms can be found in Jane Powell's book, Bungalow Bathrooms, which is due to be released in paperback this August.