This Dark Space!

When humankind first entered the cave for shelter. They had the need to express themselves artistically. Dark, moody atmospheres are often cast as brooding malevolent hovels. Actually quite the opposite. They evoke solemn spiritually and awakening. The key to any dark interior is the balance of light and shade. Caravaggio, the italian artist used this often in his paintings. In modern film, the silver screen could evoke an entire range of emotions from fear,danger to bliss, peace and solitude through the play of light and shade.,
Today's modern interiors continue to imitate that same idea of comfort that our ancestors would seek in a their own shelters.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, (29 September 1571–18 July 1610) was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. He was the first great representative of the Baroque school of painting, noted for his intensely emotional canvases and dramatic use of lighting.[1] He is widely considered one of the greatest painters in European history.
"What begins in the work of Caravaggio is, quite simply, modern painting".

sincerely,

john

The House that Jack Built

JACK LARSEN
Jack Lenor Larsen, internationally known textile designer, author, and collector, is one of the world's foremost advocates of traditional and contemporary crafts.

His awards are many and his designs are in collections of international museums. Larsen is associated with schools and art centers worldwide.


Jack Lenor Larsen founded the firm that bears his name in 1952. Over the past five decades, Larsen the Company has grown steadily to become a dominant resource for signature fabrics.

The "Larsen Look" which began with Mr. Larsen's own award-winning hand-woven fabrics of natural yarns in random repeats has evolved to become synonymous with 20th century design at its pinnacle.

Known as an innovator, Larsen has won many awards and is one of four Americans ever to be honored with an exhibition at the Palais du Louvre.

The merger between Larsen and Cowtan & Tout, the USA subsidiary of Colefax and Fowler Group Plc., took place in 1998. For five years Jack Larsen was a design consultant to the group and played a key role in the development of new designs.

More than a weaver, Mr. Larsen is a scholar, world traveler, and an authority on traditional and contemporary crafts. His home, LongHouse, located on 16 acres in East Hampton, NY, was built as a case study to exemplify a creative approach to contemporary life-style. He believes visitors experiencing art in living spaces have a unique learning experience--more meaningful than the best media.

Inspired by the famous Japanese shrine at Ise, LongHouse contains 13,000 square feet, 18 spaces on four levels. The gardens present the designed landscape as an art form in its own right.

The grounds also offer a diversity of sites for the preservation of multifarious species where they can flourish for generations to come.

Mr. Larsen's most recent book, Jack Lenor Larsen: A Weaver's Memoir, was published by Harry N. Abrams in the fall of 1998 and reprinted in 2002.


Interview with Jack Larsen by Patricia Malarcher of Surface Design Journal

To view some of the magazine articles written about LongHouse Reserve and Jack Larsen please click on the links below. (To view the files you will need a free Adobe Reader)

The Modern Estate, Spring Issue 2008
Architectural Digest, June 2003
Gardens Illustrated, October, 2003
Art & Antiques, September, 2001
House Beautiful, June 1997

Click to view Larsen design "A Living Archive" at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

For Larsen Inc. click here


PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY
1927 Born to Norsk-Canadian parents in Seattle, WA

1945 Enrolled at school of architecture, University of Washington
1946/47 Studied furniture design, started to weave. Moved to Los Angeles to concentrate on fabric
1949 Returned to Seattle to study ancient Peruvian fabrics; opened studio
1950/51 Cranbrook Academy of Art (Michigan), Master of Fine Arts degree; Opened New York City studio
1957/60/64 Reported the Trienale di Milano for Interiors Magazine
1958-60 Consultant to the State Department for grass weaving projects in Taiwan and Vietnam; visited Southeast Asia
1960-62 Co-Director, Fabric Design Department, Philadelphia College of Art, Pennsylvania
1962 Designer and director of traveling exhibition, Fabrics International: Visited West Africa, Morocco, and the Transvaal
1964 Design Director and U.S. Commissioner, XIII Trienale di Milano
1965 Completed Round House at East Hampton, New York
1966-67 Vice President, Architectural League of New York
1968-69 Co-curator, "Wall Hangings," The Museum of Modern Art, New York
1974 Designed "Visiona IV" exhibition, Frankfurt, for Bayer Ag
1975 Artist-in-Residence, Royal College of Art, London
1976-81 Chairman, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts; Honorary Chair from 1981.
1977 Curator, "Wall Hangings-The New Classicism," The Museum of Modern Art, NY
1979-80 Retrospective, Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Palais du Louvre
1981 Co-director, "The Art Fabric: Mainstream" traveling exhibition opening at the San Francisco Museum of Art
1981-89 President, American Craft Council, Emeritus, from 1990.
1983-84 Editor, "Design Since 1945," Philadelphia Museum of Art
1986-89 Curator, "Interlacing: The Elemental Fabric" opening at The Textile Museum, Washington, DC
1986-91 Curator, "Splendid Forms" at Bellas Artes Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1988 Curator, "The Tactile Vessel: New Basket Forms," Erie Art Museum, Erie, PA
1991 Established the LongHouse Foundation, East Hampton, NY


2001-02 Retrospective Exhibit, "Jack Lenor Larsen: The Man and the Cloth", Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN.

Other venues: American Textile History Museum, Lowell, MA, The Mingei International Museum, San Diego, CA

This information was gathered from the website www.longhouse.org
Please visited the website and take a virtual tour of the gardens and the interiors. Jack's textiles that he wove are very unique. He truly was very innovative to the designer textiles industry. His fabric was probably one of my most favourite fabric's to choose for client's. Now my favourite collection is Mark Pollack's textiles. Mark designed textiles at the Larsen studios before he went out on his own many years ago.
Enjoy,
john

friday night blitz

Tonight! it's cloudy, humid, rainy. I am watching "Steel Magnolia's" as suggested by a friend. It is the wedding reception and they are getting ready to cut an armadillo shaped cake. OK That is how my evening is going. I hope my inspiring photos get you into the mood to decorate. I am going to finish this movie and relax.
take care,
john

some of the wild things i found for inspiration.

coverlet in bedroom.

another pillow in living room

apple green bench cushion with large black and taupe vertical striped pillows

art up against an apple green living room wall.

a pair of brown table lamps for the bedside tables

Bedroom pillow shams

This is my inspiration for a small apartment that I am doing for a friend/client.
Beleive me it all works. Ok i will use a solid beige sofa.(maybe!!!!).

take care,
john

Dreaming of a New Adventure!

Good Morning,
I seem to have finally come to the end of horrible ordeal of struggling through STAGE 3 COLON CANCER. After a year and a half, my cat scan and blood test have come back with no disease. So my nightmare is over. I am hoping to wake feeling refreshed and ready to start on a new adventure in interior design. here are a few inspirational pictures.
Good health to you,
Remember to take one day at a time and take time to walk around the park and enjoy what you have. Make it beautiful!
love, John

Room of the week

I have been writing blogs for many months discussing history of design periods, furniture, featuring high profile designers, etc.
Now I would like
to evoke a response from many of my readers from john thompson designer and facebook. I am hoping that you will look and see what you like about this room.
THERE IS No right or Wrong answer. We develope our taste when we communicate, when we think, when we look deeper.
Here is your chance to really be involved in learning more about design. Have fun with this. I will leave this blog up all week long.
thank you,
John

P.S. if you don't like this room, feel free to comment also.