September! So Much! So Beautiful! So Amazing!

September has much to be said for, amazing weddings, events and connections. A great summer I had indeed. So many wonderful experiences.  And as we go into the fall season, I don't even know where to begin except for at the beginning. Aurora and Eugene wedding began the month of September to a lift off of amazing! Another great wedding in the first of the month of September was at the Darlington House, La Jolla Alicia + Jeremiah Wedding. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and work with Zapher Dajani, Founder of The Abbey Catering and Design.

September 8th, introduce the second week of the month with another fabulous event hosted by  The Knot ,"Cocktails and Connections" showcased several unique wedding ideas, including Sylhouettes by Sylvia. I can't say enough about the venue- Rancho Las Lomas, one word-"stunning"! Property owner Jeanne Lawrence, equally as stunning and such a gracious host. Natalie Good, her talents amazed everyone! A Good Affair Events and Productions provided the most amazing decor, florals, colors,  vendors and need I say more.  No wonder they are The Knot's 2011 Best of Amazing Picks. Amazing!
And that is it for the first part of the September. 

Labor Day Weekend 2011

End of summer signified by a Labor Day holiday. Hot days are still ahead of us. I like that part only a little bit. Great for outdoor  events and long evenings. Events I cut silhouettes for  this weekend were eventful and fun. Very impressionable, Eugene + Aurora wedding on Saturday, September 3. Guests were memorable and absoluetely friendly.   I found out some history and quite romantic about this wonderful villa.....

Villa Collazzi

Villa Collazzi

The Alverno Villa is a duplicate of the Villa Collazzi located on the outskirts of Florence Italy. Villa Collazzi has been occupied for several centuries by the Bombicci Fomi family, and legend has it that the Villa is the only one ever designed by the immortal Michelangelo. The Villa del Sol d’Oro is one quarter scale to the original. Nestled at the foot of the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains in the picturesque City of Sierra Madre, the Villa was built in the “pure” Italian Renaissance Style in 1922 by the famous Pasadena architect Wallace Neff and was completed by 1928. The estate wasbuilt by Dr. Jarvis Barlow for his wife, who had visited the Villa Collazzi and wanted a house just like it. This design was a radical departure from the Mediterranean style that that Neff perfected in his other homes. He used entrance rotunda and iron work in several of his later homes. Originally built on thirteen acres of trees and flowers overlooking the entire San Gabriel Valley, the Villa had five master bedrooms, four bathrooms, and ample help quarters, one of the first electric elevators in the area, porches on three sides, and spacious patios. On the grounds were garages, stables, caretaker’s home, swimming pool, bath house, and tennis courts. The building is comprised of two stories and a tower. It is said that the walls aremade of two rows of hollow tile to keep the building cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The lower story houses the reception rooms, dining room, drawing room, and library. The upper floor includes the living quarters and a spacious ballroom. The tower was built to obtain a better view of the valley.

Alverno Villa

Dr. Barlow himself supervised the planting of the trees which included: orchids, tulip, Japanese Magnolia, strawberry tree, flaming eucalyptus, monkey tree, camphor, sapoitas, English Yew, coral, and carob. To frame the southern façade, a sunken garden was added, lined on either side by Italian cypress. The Villa is now part of Alverno High School, a private Catholic girl’s school, which
has been educating young women since 1960.

My Passion for Silhouette History

Something has to be said about rates for a silhouette artist today... I love the history of the art and rather keep it the way it was intended. As it was never intended for aristocrats, to trace lineage.They used oil paintings from famous painters of their era. Silhouettes were gawdy for the rich, back in that day.

Silhouettes were for the average working folk. Many times, traded for a meal, a nights rest as a silhouette artist would travel from township to township. Oil paintings didn't belong in huts and small cottages anyway.  There were no cameras at the time to  capture images. Silhouette art was very practical centuries ago.
As silhouette art moved to the U.S.  after many folks immigrated from Europe. Silhouettes art also followed and artists traveled to local and world fairs, for a minimun fee for each silhouette. And as time has progressed, compared to the world of art, silhouettes remain "A Lost Art".  However, not so lost. In order to share with the others in this day in age a fee within reach, (compared to todays standards) it is not impossible. In my opionion it is not worth putting a hole in the pocket book to experience a lost art.

I love that I can share my art at will. I love that I can offer a very fair price keeping loyal to my passion of silhouette art and the history of silhouettes. And I do! It would not be practical for me to trade for a meal. However, a tattoo, or maybe something of value. It has been done. I value my talent and more importantly, it is to be shared.