Homage to William Morris - Family Heirlooms and My Old French Provincial Buffet

The subject of my latest work is of an old buffet I refinished many years ago. It was given to me by a friend who lived in the same apartment building as me. When came time for her to move away, she didn't want to bring it with her; understandably so, it weighs a ton. We managed to haul it to my place and it has remained with me ever since. Back then, the buffet was in a pitiful state: the veneer had peeled away in most places, there were water stains, deep scratches and dents; but it was still very sturdy, had nice lines and offered good storage potential. When living in an old Montreal apartment, storage is badly needed. Come to think of it, the same can be said about living in an old Victorian. I proceeded to refinish it the best way I could - by painting it.

Fast forward 20 years.

When we moved into the Dusty Victorian, we were astounded at how well it went with the William Morris theme of the Parlour/Studio. As if it was meant to be here. 

The original wallpaper design of this room is visible in the background - 

much more layers to be added.

A study in symmetry, greens and patience. I'm not an Hyper-Realist painter, it would drive me insane to reproduce exactly the patterns of the wallpaper onto my canvas. Besides, I have a camera. I'm happy with achieving a good realistic illusion of the pattern, but a little more than an impression. What I really want to achieve is a certain desired atmosphere.

Due to the height of our ceilings, the light fixture that hangs in the parlour/studio is not visible in the original shot, but I added it to the painting to brighten up the upper part. 

The two original oil paintings above belonged to Brian's grandparents, and were done around the time of the Depression by a Quebec artist. Branches of pears and apples painted in an impressionistic style - a theme very appropriate to William Morris.

Today, I've started on the buffet and I have about a week's worth of work done to date. Like the red chinoiserie cabinet, the canvas size is 18" x 24". More heirlooms to come once the buffet is done.