Recently, my daughter got a new job and moved into a beautiful corner office on the 7th floor of one of the Carlson Towers in Minnetonka, a western suburb of Minneapolis. She called with some decorating dilemmas and we worked together to make her new space her own while staying within the parameters of the companies “can and cannot” office decor outline. The view from her office looks south and west over some beautiful landscapes that include lakes and woodlands with house and house tops peaking out and even including some church steeples and barns. She moved in last fall and the view was quite spectacular. She called to see if I would paint a VERY large picture (40″ x 48″) for the one wall that was not a a floor to ceiling window or held large pieces of furniture or doors. She found a painting on the Pottery Barn website that we used as inspiration. It is titled, Sienna Barn by Sally Rosenbaum. I headed off to an art supply store and got the largest stretched canvas that would fit into my SUV, which happened to be exactly what Kerry requested. She needed a different size than was available from Pottery Barn and wanted the colors to be a bit different to coordinate with other accessories she was using. I accepted the challenge and turned my sewing room into a painting studio one afternoon and was able to replicate it enough to fit her request. Here is my version of the PB print. It works with her color scheme and has the same flavor as the scenery outside. I was comfortable taking on this task as I know from experience, if it wasn’t what she had in mind, I could always paint over it.
Kerry purchased a hand turned wooden bowl from one of my favorite artists, Jim Sannerud. He is based in Minneapolis and makes some really beautiful items that are functional and lovely. Check out his website at jsannerud.com. If you have time, watch the episode featuring his process as documented for a segment on MN Original, a PBS program that highlights MN artists of all genres. The bowl I have (below) was fondly named “Big Blue”. I purchased it from Jim at an art fair just before Christmas. I always enjoy meeting the artist who had the inspiration and talent to make such a beautiful item. I have found so many places in my home where it seems to naturally fit and am glad I didn’t talk myself out of purchasing it. I actually do not need another bowl, but this is so much more than a bowl and I am thrilled to own it.
Kerry purchased a similar one for her conference table, slightly smaller and in a rich soft green. She decided that since the Carlson Company is a MN based firm, it would be appropriate to feature MN artists in her office….a nice touch, even if one of them is her mom.
