Jewett Farms Custom Cabinetmakers

A few weeks ago I took a little day trip up to my favorite spot of Newburyport, MA. I previously shared some photos of my drive around Portsmouth, NH and the beautiful coastal route from Portsmouth to Newburyport. The reason for my trip to the Northshore was an invitation to a luncheon and showroom tour of Jewett Farms & Co.  - a custom cabinetmaker based in York, ME. I wasn't familiar with Jewett Farms and they didn't have a showroom in Newburyport when I lived there, so decided it was a great excuse  take a road trip!

Jewett Farms was founded by Matthew Lord and was joined shortly thereafter by Mike Meyers in 1999.  Since then, they have created a wonderful business model focused on beautiful, custom cabinetry made by hand from wood that comes from sustainable sources.  Starting out as a two man operation where the pair worked on entire projects from rough wood to packing for delivery, this model has been replicated even as their business grew to include some of the region's finest craftsmen and women. Each project is assigned a team which works on it from start to finish. Visit their workshop and you won't see pre-cut doors and drawers stacked up. All projects are designed, built and finished completely to order.

The passion that owner Mike Meyers and Newburyport showroom manager Elena Bachrach show for their workmanship and clients is palpable.

During our tour, we talked a lot about process. From design stage to delivery - the folks a Jewett Farms will work directly with homeowners or through a designer, architect or builder. They don't dictate style and their work shows a remarkable range of styles and detailing. From the classic old New England style above with custom punched-tin door inserts to the beautifully finished entertainment center below - if it's made from wood and needs to store something - the folks at Jewett Farms can do it.

Well, when I was painting my own kitchen cabinets, I sure wish I could have done this type of finishing below. But, I just knew there was no way! Don't you just want to run your fingers over this? Like buttah!

While most of their showpieces are based on very traditional designs, which is mostly the only thing that sells here in New England, they are able to create some more contemporary cabinetry as well, such as the display below, complete with shaded glass front cabinets and concrete countertops.

As a proponent of the smaller house movement that seems to be growing in popularly, I really appreciated Jewett Farms owner Mike Meyers saying that some of his favorite projects are for smaller homes and that they regularly service a more middle class clientele.  While there is certainly a premium on custom handmade goods, these are worth saving for and I get the feeling that their clients are more like family than simply "installations".

Coming next, a photo tour of my beautiful Newburport. 


Note - Aside from a tasty luncheon, I was not paid for this endorsement.

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Meet the artist: Gina Garner

A few weeks ago, I received a comment on one of my posts from an unfamiliar name. I clicked through to Gina's blog Art and Alfalfa and found the most enchanting collection of hand painted tiles and dishes with scenes and images reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance.  I was hooked. I immediately emailed Gina to see if I could share some of her work here on ::Surroundings:: and happily, she agreed!

Gina's blog name comes from where she lives, in the middle of an alfalfa field in Utah, in a Palladian style home she has built with her husband.

Throw away the passport, I'm moving to Utah! Gina teaches workshops in Historic Tile painting and Decorative painting as well as giving private lessons.

Here are some examples of Gina's work:

I love the 3-D quality of this piece above.

This is Gina's signature image.

Hello!

Luckily for us, Gina has an Etsy shop and sells on Ebay, Big Cartel and in several Art Galleries.

So, I invite you to check out Gina's blog Art and Alfalfa which focuses on her art, her country lifestyle and some cute animal stories too!

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Gorgeousness in White

Debby Krim

As an experiened artist, Debby has been fascinated by the use of media to capture feeling and the world around us. Fine art photography has been a passion since high school when she purchased her first SLR camera. She has specialized in capturing the wonders and details in nature using the media to deliver images that focus on individual beauty to creating a complete experience of a time or place. She spent a few summers studying at Rhode Island School of Design before heading off to Boston University in 1976, and ultimately moved on to the School of Education.

The road to becoming a full-time fine arts photographer had detours between her first SLR in high school and her first show in 2003 The success of this first show provided a launching pad for her focus on fine arts photography as her primary artistic media. She was accepted at the more competitive juried shows including Providence Fine Furnishing, Paradise City Arts and DeCordova Arts in the Park.

Her work is currently on exhibit at Diana Levine Fine Art and can be seen in the movie The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock.

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Meet the Artist: Laura Schiff Bean

Dream Sequence No. 5
Mixed media on panel
40 x 33"

I'm just loving these works by Laura Schiff Bean! Very Degas meets Chagall. Dream-like and surreal.

Says Laura "The empty coats and dresses of my recent work reflect on identity as both journey and construct, accumulated and fabricated from the critical moments and turning points that indelibly mark our lives. Clothing simultaneously transforms and disguises, exposes and hides; my paintings represent the subconscious in the act of transporting the past into present and future imagination."

Dream Sequence No. 1
Mixed media on canvas
60 x 48"

Dream Sequence No. 4

Mixed media on panel 60 x 40"

If you're in the Boston area, you can see these beauties in person:

LAURA SCHIFF BEAN "Journey"

March 7th - April 5th

Opening Reception with the Artist
Friday, March 13th, 5:30 - 7:30

RSVP Requested: 617-262-4400 or info@LanoueFineArt.com

Click here to preview the show online


Lanoue Fine Art 125 Newbury St. Boston, MA 617.262.4400 www.LanoueFineArt.com

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Deborah Parker, fashion and textile designer

And old colleague of mine from my days at WGBH TV emailed me to let me know that local fashion designer Deborah Parker is hosting her first fabric sale.

Deborah has been selling her overstock fashion fabrics to the likes of Emma One Sock, The Material Girls and others for a while now. Now she's opening up her studio to fabric and textile enthusiasts here in New England for a special one-day sale. Fabrics will include rayon prints, wools, cotton prints, voiles, silks, velvets, home decorator weights and lots of fashion fabrics, rich in texture, all at wholesale prices.

Date and time: November 15, 2008, from 9am to 3pm.

Location: 37 Broadway, Arlington, MA (Entrance is at the rear of the building.)

Parking is available at the rear of the building.

Meet The Artist: Christos Hamawi, Painter

On Saturday night, I attended a lovely event at the Arclinea and Rimadesio showroom in Boston. They are currently hosting an art exhibit of oil on canvas works by Christos Hamawi, whose Blue Brick Studios space is located in the SoWa section of Boston's South End.

Arclinea Boston owner Philip Guarino introduces Christos Hamawi

Artist Christos Hamawi discusses his work at Arclinea Boston on June 21st.

Christos was showing several of his still life nature paintings. My favorite was the painting on the far right of the image above, and below. I forget the name (will find out), but it depicts the floor of the ocean in Provincetown. The detail was spectacular, down to the tiny little pebbles. It took Christos two years to complete this oil on canvas work.



Christos is clearly passionate about his work and speaking with him, one can't help catch onto his enthusiasm. So, if your in the South End, check out his studio, or stop on into Arclinea so see this exhibit, which should be up through July.

This is me and my friend Rob O'Connell in front of Christos Hamawi's "Urban Wilds".