The siding on the building that houses Kevin Red Star’s studio is burnished wood, giving it the look of an old weathered barn. Unassuming. Natural. Two words that could easily apply to Red Star himself, despite his reputation as one of the most highly respected...
When the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco was badly damaged by fire following the deadly earthquake of 1906, architect and engineer Julia Morgan was hired to design and oversee the building’s restoration. Known for her hands-on approach, the 34-year-old architect arrived early on the first...
When The Sea Ranch Lodge, overlooking the ocean in northern Sonoma County, reopened last October after a three-year-long renovation, the occasion represented not merely the return of a Western landmark. It also served as a stirring recommitment to a California enclave like none other. Stretching...
Modern Molesworth-Style Chairs by How Kola Furniture In 1998, after leaving a job in Wyoming’s oil fields, artisan Tim Lozier started How Kola Furniture — named after the Dakota/Sioux term for “welcome friends.” He wanted the company to focus on building Thomas Molesworth reproductions. Now, more...
In 1932, sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude was deep in thought as she walked by the Empire State Building during construction. Two steel beams in the fledgling structure appeared to form a holy cross in her mind’s eye. The image so impacted her that she decided...
Intuitive. Charmed. Spirited. These words could describe interior designer Angela Todd, who defines herself as a visual storyteller. She came to the design business in her early 30s with a background in business and a creative side that had, until then, expressed itself musically as...
Have you ever wondered what your art collection is worth? Do you need an evaluation of your assets for insurance purposes? Do you plan to donate artwork to a non-profit? Should you have your original art collection appraised? If you’ve thought about these things, then the...
If ever there was a designer with expertise in Spanish Colonial furniture, architectural objects, and art, it’s Samuel Saunders. His hacienda and warehouse showroom in Nogales, Arizona, are filled with inventory from various continents, which he and his late partner Eddie Holler discovered during years...
An apt metaphor for Michael Blessing’s career-defining moment of inspiration might best be described not as a light bulb going off, but rather as a neon tube suddenly glowing. It happened six years ago, following two years of continuously painting oils of classic Western neon...
By the time Catharine Carter Critcher set off on her own for Taos, New Mexico in 1920, she was 52 and had been making her living from art for almost three decades. She had spent five years in Paris, started an art school there and...