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Today,
Théo’s work fetches a pretty
price at fine galleries and shows, and she’s in demand as an instructor at
RISD.
Most mornings, she pours herself a cup of coffee, heads for her studio,
and starts sanding furniture. After applying a primer coat, she paints the piece
a solid color.
“As I do this, I’m exploring ideas and honing them down,”
she explains. While the initial coat dries, “I choose a design, mostly using
patterns from copyright-free sources, and trace it onto vellum. Working in small
sections, I transfer the pattern onto the object." Then she paints, using
acrylics. “Sometimes I’ll work freehand, but mostly I follow the pattern.” She
doesn’t mix colors or use any shading. “I like that flat, brilliant, folk-art
look that I first noticed in Africa.” As a last step, she adds several coats of
polyurethane varnish. “I think of each piece as a series of joined images,
linked canvases that react to each other and create a story.”
Théo doesn’t regret that it took her so long to find out what she really
wanted to do with her life. “I guess I had to be a human filing cabinet for a
while and fill myself with experiences and ideas. But when I had time to let it
happen, everything came bubbling out.”
(h) A woodworker made this “spider table” for Théo. She echoed the contrast
between its fragile legs and sturdy body with contrasts in color (sweet pink
versus vibrant red and stark black) and pattern (circles versus stripes). “I
like contrasts in form, color, and pattern within each piece.” (i) The
chicken-coop chest, named for the faux wire on its doors, contrasts organic
floral forms against geometric patterns. “I was in an angry mood when I painted
it—you can tell by the spiky leaves.” (j) “I get more paint on my apron than on the furniture!” (k) A vellum pattern.(l) A full view of the Moroccan bureau, also shown on (d). “The blue reminds
me of the Moroccan sky.”
(m) “An
early piece, inspired by the delphiniums in my garden. Can you tell I was
longing for spring?” She added vine-like, wooden curlicues to the arms, and
crowned it with sprigs of bright green telephone wire for a caterpillar effect.
(n) A child’s chair from a second-hand store explodes with riotous color.
“Children deserve lots of color and pattern. Most kids’ furniture is too sweet
and bland.” (o) Another William Morris-inspired desk. “Here, the
tension between colors and designs harmoniously resolves itself.” (p) This cast-off antique table "seemed" Oriental to me, so I used Chinese motifs and clear, lacquer-like colors."
the Art of Business
Don't paint to make money. Paint for the love of painting. Anytime I try too hard to please a client or do something that seem "fashionable" I don't get the look I want.
Start selling your pieces at relatively low prices, then raise them as you feel more confident in your work.
Get a studio (even if it's a corner room) where you can leave your work out and have privacy. You need to develop your own style through trial and error (much error!), away from questioning or criticism.
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