Hi Friends! I can’t tell you how excited I am to share this project with you! We were asked to be a part of creating art from a 2 ft. by 17 in. green resin apple for the oldest private school in Houston–Kinkaid.  This Tastemaker Apple Project was headed up by decorator Alex Stillwell and PaperCity publisher Monica Bickers who asked 14 well-known creatives to participate. We were honored to be grouped with such inspiring creations from such famous artisans. They are all magnificent! I thought you would love seeing them all as much as I have!!

Cubist by Miles Redd

Miles Redd embarked on his interior design career after graduating from NYU, honing his skills with antiques dealer John Rosselli and decorator Bunny Williams. In 1998 he opened his own design firm in New York City.  He is known for his quirky brand of cozy glamour, and his trademark approach to design has brought to life rooms infused with boldness, fantasy and sophistication. Miles’ fabric, Cubist, for Schumacher, inspires this apple’s design.

Apples on Apple by John Derian

 John Derian’s decoupage is handmade in his studio in New York City, where he employs a small staff of artisans to assist with production. His designs are sold at upscale home stores, in catalogs and gift shops worldwide. The full range of John’s work, including his ephemera, ceramic and furniture collaborations, is available at his own retail shops in Manhattan’s East Village where he has an ever-changing assortment of vintage and antique imports, bed and table linens, stationery, plate-ware, lighting and original art work by Hugo Guinness. Apples decoupage on an apple is bright and colorful and waiting for a home.

Untitled by Hunt Slonem

 Hunt Slonem is an American painter whose work uniquely combines representational imagery with Abstract Expressionist renderings. Best known for his colorful paintings of tropical birds, butterflies and rabbits. He is considered an integral member of the Neo-Expressionist movement. Untitled, is crafted with oil and acrylic painted bunnies on a red diamond dusted apple. 

Butterflies & Foliage by Gracie

 Since 1898, the Gracie family has offered the finest range of hand-painted scenes, antiques and lacquer. Our studio paints each order by hand, and each project is a unique work of art. The artists are capable of any level of customization, which is evident in the apple.  Master Artist Taki first prepped the apple with a base coat of red Cashew Lacquer then covered it in 24-carat gold leaf. Once the gold leaf was applied, he hand-painted the butterflies and foliage.

Volute of an Ionic Column by Curtis & Windham

 Over more than two decades, Curtis & Windham has pursued excellence in architecture and landscapes.  In 1992, founding principals Bill Curtis and Russell Windham established the practice in Houston, and today with a design team of professionals spanning three disciplines, their work continues with a shared appreciation for the timeless design principles that are found in both historic and modern design. The Ionic order forms one of the three classical orders of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian. 

Pomme Purple by Christopher Spitzmiller

Christopher Spitzmiller’s iconic ceramic lamp designs draw inspiration from classical forms and traditional gem like glazes. The lamps are of timeless appeal and luxurious quality. Beautiful classic forms are drenched in bold vibrant rich glazes. Each one of a kind lamp is set in a hand turned hardwood base, which is water gilt with 23k yellow gold or 9k white gold for a silver finish. In Pomme Purple, Spitzmiller has turned the apple into a functioning lamp on a 23k yellow gold base. 

The Fay Apple by Ashley Woodson Bailey

A self-taught photographer, Ashley’s signature “florography” art prints launched in 2014. Her eponymous brand naturally expanded to include wallpapers, fabrics and limited-edition products as her desire to live among the flowers grew. Her inaugural collection “Dark” was inspired by the transition of the flower from blossom to fading stem and the deep desire to preserve this metamorphosis as a frozen moment in time. Ashley created this design in memory of her grandmother, Toody Fay Byrd.  The mockingbird is both for the BYRD’s and for the state bird of Texas.  The Florida Blue snake is a nod to Ashley’s new home of Florida.  Toody Fay Byrd always taught Ashley to be strong and smart and to use her voice to tell incredible stories from the life she has led.

Bad Apple by Ashley Longshore

Ashley Longshore is a Louisiana-based painter, gallery owner and entrepreneur.  She is the owner of the Longshore Studio Gallery, located on Magazine Street in New Orleans. Longshore’s art focuses on pop culture, Hollywood glamour and American consumerism and has been compared to the artwork of Andy Warhol. She has worked with celebrity art collectors including Blake Lively, Salma Hayek, Eli Manning, and Penelope Cruz. In 2018, The New York Times described Longshore as an “avatar of pop feminism to thousands of followers”. Bad Apple mixes Ashley’s sense of style and humor into a work of art.

Garden of Eden by Liz Marsh

Liz grew up with a Mother who loved the hunt and explored antique shops for treasures and early inspirations came from Paris flea markets and antique fairs. Always obsessed with Interior Design (her chosen field since 7th grade civics class), Liz felt having posh lamps made a room complete. Liz began making decoupage lamps back in the 80’s and created lamps for Brunschwig & Fils in the 90’s before moving to Paris where she exported antiques. After returning to Houston, the fashion biz beckoned and she was the Director of Jimmy Choo, Bottega Veneta and Dior. There is always a strong correlation of fashion to art, her first love. Back in the creative business, she works in every medium and creates a myriad of works. Garden of Eden brings fashion and art together for an incredible apple.

Pixelated by Reagan Corbett

 Reagan Corbett, a native of Houston, Texas, received her BA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin, College of Fine Arts.  She also studied at the University of Paris Sorbonne. Reagan currently resides in Houston where her career as an emerging artist has taken flight. As color has proven to play an instrumental role throughout all of Corbett’s work, it is no surprise that her apple features over 100 hand mixed colors. The combination of “pixelated” colors, diamond-dust and a 1950s-1970s color palette makes this apple sculpture the epitome of Corbett’s work. The viewer is invited to experience every dimension of Pixelated Apple by carefully spinning the sculpture’s rotating, diamond-dust base.

Dutch Delft by Ann Wolf

Ann Wolf is an interior designer living and working in Houston, Texas. Ann is inspired by her worldwide travels, but also by the Houston based craftsmen and artists in her own backyard. This apple, painted after a 19th Century Dutch Delft Jar and fitted with a brass liner, reflects her passion for combining beauty and functionality. Display it closed as a beautiful object or take off the lid and use it as a cachepot to bring life to your room.

This is the apple with a shot of it taken at our studio with a textured plaster backdrop.  We had originally molded a plaster butterfly for the top and coated it in gold leaf.

Here is the Apple with out the gold butterfly. Which do you like best? We had such STRONG opinions both ways!! Which did they choose?

Without

Giardino Segreto by Segreto Finishes

 Segreto Finishes, with a staff of close to 50 artisans, considers creating beauty in their clients lives through perfectly crafted backdrops, not only a passion, but their mission. With work featured in Architectural Digest, Veranda and House Beautiful to name a few, they have become Houston’s premier firm for finishes. Considering architecture, interiors, surfaces and personal lifestyle, their team considers it an honor to customize individualized plans, which lend both interior and exterior surroundings a whole new perspective. Monochromatic and natural, this sculpture evokes the sense that we are perfect in our own simplicity.  Each element of the floral branches were first artistically formed from clay, then a molded to create multiples of the same design elements. Formed to the apple’s shape, the piece was then coated in a lime-based plaster evoking nature at its best, while transforming the piece into a living-breathing piece.

Here is where the butterfly is now!! I hope you enjoyed seeing all of these wonderful creations!!  Which is your favorite????  This year the auction is open to the public so you can bid!! I hope you all have a great week!!  Happy bidding!! xo

Each apple is a one-of-a-kind wonder, representative of the sheer creativity and talent from top tastemakers of our time. Bidding, which starts at $1,000, is open to the public and runs from Monday, February 18 at 10 am through Saturday, February 23 at 11:59 pm at kinkaid2019.ggo.bid.–Paper City