You Are Invited!

"Alexis Lavine Watercolors" is the name of a solo exhibition of paintings by National Watercolor Society artist Alexis lavine that we will have going on here at Hampton House May 5th- May 30th. The opening reception will be held on the evening of May 7th from 5:30- 7:30 p.m., and you are invited!

Alexis Lavine is an artist who has devoted the last two decades of her life to watercolor painting. Her watercolors' are full of luminous color, rich shadows, and beautifully drawn shapes. With meticulous attention to composition, she crafts paintings that are descriptive and yet expressive, realistic, and yet abstract. Her award winning paintings have been included in numerous juried and gallery exhibitions, and they hang in private and corporate collections throughout the country, as well as overseas. She lives and paints right here in North Carolina.

A couple of her paintings are on display right now at major exhibitions across the country, such as:

 "Red Hat Ladies Share a Secret"

This painting is on its way to the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield, Missouri, where it will be part of an important survey of American Watercolors called "Watercolor USA 2015." This exhibition is held at the museum every year, and is made up of paintings from all over the country, juried from hundreds of submitted entries. This is Alexis' fifth year in a row of having her art displayed.



 

"At the Crossing"

This painting is at the American Watercolor Society show, in New York City, this month. This is the most prestigious watercolor exhibition in the country every year.







If all of that doesn't make you excited to come see this artist's work, I don't know what will!

So tell your friends, tell your family, and mark your calendars because you won't want to miss this!

See you soon!
Hampton House Art & Framing

Spring Art Show!

If you like Alexis Lavine's artwork (and who doesn't?!!) then you'll definitely want to be ready for an art show in the spring, showcasing her work. As soon as we have an official date nailed down, we'll share it with you! But in the meantime, you'll just have to be satisfied with looking at pictures of her art...or you could just come in and see the pieces we have here!

See you soon!

Hampton House Art & Framing

    "Southern Comfort"

"Gardner's Overlook"

 "Sunset Cafe"

Featured Artist: Kristina Miller

Our featured artist this month is Katrina Miller, and her piece Daisy Trio (see below) is simply stunning, don't you agree?

Come and see more lovely pieces we have available by Kristina Miller. It may be just the thing to cure your winter blues, and besides, it would make being snowed in a lot more colorful!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Hampton House Art & Framing

Gallery Events & Happenings

Do you ever wonder what to do on a cold, winter day? We may have some ideas...

How about stopping by Hampton House Art & Framing to see some special and interesting exhibits that we have going on right now!

One of the exhibits we have includes art by painter, Robert Dance. Dance was one of the very first artists that we represented upon opening in April of 1977! He has a beautiful shell collection available to view that will take you straight to the coast, as well as plenty more originals and reproductions. Here's my personal favorite:

It's an original of one of only five acrylic paintings that he's ever done!


John D. Gall is another artist that we represent. John taught printmaking at Guilford College, and has a fascinating and fun botanical series here at the gallery.  They are all original, one of a kind works on paper, and are created using pen and ink, ink washes, watercolor washes, tinted gesso, and prismacolor pencils.

John also has a couple of his pieces available to view at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh right now. ( You can check that out here: http://adamcave.com/2014/09/12/57/ )

Come escape from the cold, and surround yourself with wonderful art. Who knows? You may just end up with some of these beautiful pieces on your own walls...!

See you soon!

Sincerely,
Hampton House Art & Framing



PS. Be sure and check out the websites of these wonderful artists while you're at it...

John Gall's website: http://johngallart.com/

Robert Dance's website: http://www.robertbdance.com/

New Products From Larson Juhl to Kick Off the Year!

Wouldn't it be wonderful to finally frame all of the special and beautiful art that you have, and make that room pop?

We're here to help you see that through! And not just with any frames, but custom ones. We mostly use Larson Juhl frames for all of your framing needs, and to kick off the year, they have come out with some great new products!

Angus

Made in Italy, this faux leather collection showcases the look of time-worn vintage beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zeppelin

Drawing inspiration from the world of aviation,
this collection reflects the clean, modern look of
industrial machinery.

Jepara II

Jepara II expands this elegant collection with a new deep shadowbox profile and a new Champagne finish.

Bauhaus

Drawing inspiration from the 

famous art school in Germany, 

this collection pairs simplicity 

with functionality.

Can't you just see your art in these beautiful frames? We look forward to seeing you soon, and helping you with your framing needs! 

Happy framing,

Hampton House Art & Framing

Introducing a New Employee!

Allow me to introduce myself!

My name is Alexandra Plitt, and I have recently started working here at Hampton House Art & Framing. I was born and raised in Winston Salem and I love the area. Besides working here, I am an artist with a love for filmmaking and photography, and I run my own videography/ photography business called "Alexandra Plitt Productions & Photography".

Being an artist myself, I appreciate so much what Hampton House Art & Framing is doing. Not only are they into wonderful art, they're into the people behind the art. They care about the local community and they care about quality, and because of that, they will take the best care of your art, do the best job framing your art, and make it a pleasure to work with them in the process.

I feel very grateful to be able to work with such wonderful people and be surrounded by such beautiful art!

I hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,
Alexandra Plitt

How about this for a new direction in custom framing...and custom art as well!!

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/10/art-is-best-displayed-in-a-frame-that-follows-you-around/

How great would it be to have one of these goodies? Practical? Not at all. Fun? You bet.

Really custom framing and an answer to one of life's most sought after questions.

Many years ago, the North Carolina Museum of Art assembled a show of frames through the ages. These frames were mostly European and dated back to the 1500's. They were truly custom frames as they were all made specifically for the paintings they held. The beautifully strange thing is that the art was left out of the frames so only the frames were on display. It was magnificent! The only problem I had was that I couldn't (and didn't) touch the frames. That's one of the neatest things about handmade frames, the feel(hey, there could be, and are, weirder fetishes).

The National Gallery (I'm assuming of Ireland) is hosting a similar show in case you couldn't get to Raleigh. Just pop on over for a bit.

And now the moment you've been waiting for: The answer to that ever important life question, "Just how many frames can my Senator buy yearly on the tax payer's dime?".

Here's the answer(it's number 5). In unrelated news, we'll be opening a new shop in the basement of the Dirksen building...wherever that is.

Peace out my friends, until next time!

But I can't frame that!!

What about art you can't custom frame? What? Art you can't frame? That's hooey, you say. Not when it's as cool as this stuff is. While this can totally be called custom framing (maybe in the truest sense of the phrase), it has nothing to do with an actual physical frame. The beauty lies in the maddening preparation these guys must have gone through to create this beautifully stunning art. Check it out and love it because it's cool. But for art you can frame, don't forget the talent at www.hamptonhouse.net.

PS. How's that for a random post after too long of a time? Boom!

Why would you want to custom frame anything?

Really. Why would anyone want to go to the expense and hassle of bringing their stuff to a snooty frame shop when they can just order a frame off line and do it themselves? Good question...sort of. This is the first in a series of what you may find to be boring posts about answering the above questions. So strap in and let's get going.

 Firstly, it's expensive. Let's face it, custom framing isn't cheap, it can be quite expensive. Especially when done right. That family photo you just snapped could easily cost $200.00 to frame (and more depending on the products you choose). You've got to pay for the frame(usually the most expensive component), mats(I think they should always be acid free), glass(UV filtering is the best) and labor. That's alot of money when you think about it. Although, when you look at how long you'll enjoy that family photo, especially if properly framed, it really doesn't cost that much. That piece professionally framed piece on your wall will last longer than any clothes or car you'll buy and longer than most furniture as well.

Typical Pottery Barn style frame

Super awesome custom framing

Even more super awesome custom framing