Welcome, I would like to introduce you to Gayle Virgina Ellis (Guimont). She is the Lady of this house and would like you to come have a seat with her. 

Here you will find two wooden chairs that her granddaughter reupholstered to match the drapes. Her granddaughter, Madeleine, also created the ceramic pieces in the sitting room to honor the Lady of the House. 

The Lady of the house hails from Sweden and France. Half and Half, with her mother being Swedish (Anderson) and her Father being French (Guimont). The patterns and forms have thus been inspired by these countries, drawing a line in the 15th century to aim focus. As this was when sgraffito became popular.  

Her granddaughter did research into the family and into patterns of the 15th century, finding that on the Swedish side they are related to a King. You will see this conveyed through the use of gold and royal blue strewn about the room. The French side of the family has greatly impacted the iconography of the room. While yes, there is still Swedish imagery, the French takes hold of the viewer. 

So please sit, and have a glass of wine.

I created this sitting room in honor of my late grandmother and her heritage in Sweden and France. I wanted to recreate a room from the 15th century. 

 I drew my inspiration and designs from the 15th century in both countries, looking at forms and patterns. Not only pottery but also furniture, textiles, buildings, metalworks, and stained glass. I chose to keep all of the pieces black, white, and gold so that there is more opportunity to look at the melding of cultures than the fighting of color. 

Before I created any of the pieces I spent many hours researching the era and countries. I printed out many images that I then created altered stencils with, using those to direct my sgraffito line work. To further the value of these works I added gold luster, hoping to catch the viewer's eye and bring them in for a closure look.