Cave Paintings

It's sometimes good to hearken back to the old times, ancient times, hey, even pre-historic times.  Rocks and sticks may seem trendy right now for furnishing interiors, but for me they never go out of style. There is something satisfying about what Carl Jung called "our collective unconscious". The evolution to wall paintings came 32,000 years ago,  as far as we know.  When I decided to retrieve a few of my art pieces  from the Garden Apartment project, I was disturbed by their absence.  First I was going to draw with chalk on the wall as a substitute for the original art.  Then, I thought why not do something more permanent and paint on the wall?  This thought process happened rapidly and naturally, and in some respects seemed even better than the "original" artworks themselves.  

copy of  "Copy of Nickel" in process

latex paint on drywall

Is any thought ever truly original?  Usually, someone on the other side of the globe is doing the same thing, or someone may have done it years before.  Maybe it seemed like our own idea but in fact was something that just seeped into our unconscious.  I found this little plastic nickel with the word copy stamped on it.  As if anyone would think that a plastic nickel would be mistaken for the real thing? How baffling is that?  What is real art and what isn't?  I would regard these as originals, as as part of a series.

 "Copy of Copy of Nickel" 

latex on drywall

Renee Celeste Flanders

2011

(original below on shelf)

Perhaps I was experiencing a  throwback to the freedom felt in drawing on the wall as a child.  Do any of you recall that uninhibited impulse?  

copy of "Bouquet" on wall in process

The original "Bouquet" was never painted, but cut into the canvas a la Lucio Fontana. I had drawn numerous renditions, but never painted the lines, as they were cut with a knife.  To paint it was taking it from 3 dimensional to 2 dimensional, but with the objective to simulate the 3 dimensional original. Here I was cutting through the wall with paint.  I felt like Alice in Wonderland entering the wall through the looking glass!

copy of "Bouquet" on wall in process

 "Copy of Hand" 

latex on drywall

Renee Celeste Flanders

2011

Up against the wall, cave art!  This was a simple but satisfying way to mark my territory.  Or, it could be seen as an appeal to the gods of aesthetics to always invoke their good graces to the occupants of the apartment.  Instead of happy hunting, may they achieve great success in their artistic endeavors on stage at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Opera Theatre of St. Louis! 

Bates Motel Revisited

It was a seedy little apartment complex that I recall walking by as a youngster. Next to the train tracks, it always seemed an oddity in the old suburban environs of Webster Groves where I grew up. Little did I know that many years later as an interior designer, I would attempt to rescue it from its ignominy on the theatre circuit.  It was known as the Bates Motel, so odious and sinister were the accommodations, or lack thereof.

The Garden Apartments

Built 1960

Very obviously 1960's architecture, it was constructed of cheap cinder block, designed with the arrogance that modern style superseded all others, never mind that your neighbors were wood-sided 100 year old homes with wrap-around porches.

Scene of the Crime that Was, Unit G1

Christy Marshall, editor of At Home magazine, took on the Garden Apartments as a community project with passion.  Designers, sub-contractors, and vendors were invited to share their time, talent, and wealth.  Each unit consisted of a living/dining area, galley kitchen, bedroom and bath.  These units, now owned by Webster University, were occupied most of the year by actors and musicians with The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

Marcia Smith, of Marcia Smith Design Group, and I decided to team up to tackle the project.  Here we are at our initial site survey in the depths of winter last February.  We would not be able to return until July.

This became my life for the next couple of months:  keys to my car, my office, my home, and The Garden Apartments.

Yeah, it was nasty and a big mess.  I will say, though, the a.c. worked beautifully on 100 degree days.

July 2011: Here Marcia and I in the space about to be reborn, if it ever really was alive!  In any event, we were prepared to put it out of its misery.

Get ready,

 get set, 

GO!

Aaaahhhh, much better don't you think?  Our design concept was in keeping with the '60's architecture.  We relied on generous donations for purchases to supplement our own donated funds, and made liberal use of the Ikea catalogue to keep costs down.

Draperies by Nicky Berry of FabricWorks

Our drapery maker's daughter had on the right dress for opening night!

 Home Suite Home

It was all for a good cause.  Deborah Sharn, company manager for the Rep, was indefatigable in grappling with a myriad of details, budgets, contractors and designers.  An excellent musician as well, she sang for her supper for sure!  Marcia and I hope that the likes of opera great Christine Brewer will vie for the opportunity to reserve Apartment G1.  Instead of the Bates Motel, it is now Home Sweet Home!  On newsstands now you can see the project in At Home magazine November/December.  Check it out at:

http://www.stlmag.com/St-Louis-AT-HOME/November-December-2011/Act-Three-The-Repertory-Theatre-Apartments-Go-Through-the-Final-Phase-of-Transformation/