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  1. Bob Knox

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    Bob Knox (New York, 1953-) is an American artist from New York. His art appeared on the cover of the New Yorker magazine numerous times in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

    The New Yorker, 1989, cover art by Bob Knox

  2. Recently Acquired: Vintage Masterpieces by Amos Ferguson

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    by Laurie Ahner

    I recently spent a week in England where I was fortunate to discover these four vintage paintings by Amos Ferguson.
    These brilliant and captivating works of art are extremely special for many reasons:
     Amos_NoahAndThe Ark

     

    They were created in the 1960’s when Amos had just started his career as an artist.
    They were purchased directly from Amos during his days of selling his art at the markets in downtown Nassau, near Paradise Island. They have remained in the same collection for over 45 years and are in excellent condition, preserved for posterity.

     

    Amos_Bethlehem

    The works are fresh and spontaneous. This was Amos at his best, when he knew he had been divinely inspired by God. Amos always said that his talent was a gift from his Creator, and his work has a spiritual quality that is distinctive and refreshing.

     

    Amos_Adam-Eve

     

    The many details and the inclusion of multiple animals in the “Noah” painting, the charming pink hats on the 3 kings in “Bethlehem,” the bold and uninhibited rendition of “Adam and Eve” crowded by so many bright red apples and the intense and vivid red colors in the compelling work “Red Sails” comprise a most appealing, winsome and irresistible sense of composition and design that comes through profoundly.

     

    Amos_RedSails

    These paintings are radiant in their color and their message. A distinct ardor emanates from these works, which  are a true reflection of the character of the artist himself: his deep pride and independence, his tenderness and original vision, his generosity and his strong faith.

     

    I have been collecting and selling the art of Amos Ferguson for over 30 years. Amos became a dear friend of mine; I am proud to offer these incomparable and superior examples of this Master artist’s unique style and spirit.

     

    Laurie-Amos

    See more artwork by Amos Ferguson here.

     

     

  3. Voodoo Flags

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    Galerie Bonheur presents a collection of fine Haitian Voodoo flags. These unique textiles are meticulously made with sequins and beads by Haitian artists, following a long time tradition of beaded artwork in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Each of these original works of art is different and symbolic of the spirituality of the Haitian people. The flags or “banners” as they are also called, sparkle and shine when hung on a wall or made into a pillow. Truly colorful and singular artworks.

     

    From “Masterpieces of Haitian Art: Seven Decades of Unique Visual Heritage” by Candice Russell. Schiffer Publications Ltd, 2013

    Vodou Flags:

    Hand-sewn squares of cloth with sequins and beads express belief in a pantheon of spirits or Iwas guiding every aspect of life. Voodoo flags are ceremonial artifacts, but for people outside of Haiti they are more than ethnographic relics; they are contemporary art objects reflecting exceptional skill and mastery of design.

    The Vodou religion synthesizes trial beliefs brought to the island from Africa by slaves and the rituals of Roman Catholicism taught by the French during their years of colonization. Voodoo ritual borrows from Catholic liturgy, incorporating, for example, the use of an altar covered with candles and surrounded by pictures of saints. The Vodou flag powerfully embodies the marriage of the two faiths.

    Motifs portrayed on flags reflect the personality and likes of the particular spirit, the Iwa, identified by its own scared day, favorite tree, and special colors. Expedience and lack of materials may dictate the use of alternative fabrics and adornments in contradiction to the Iwa’s preference.

    Read an article The Hypnotic (And Very Glittery) Beauty Of Haitian Vodou Flags by Priscilla Frank at Huffington Post

  4. Larkin Lane Designs by Lark Champion

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    Larkin Lane Designs takes authentic textile crafts from around the world and interprets them with a modern and elegant aesthetic. Founded by Lark Varley Champion in 2015.
    Lark Varley Champion, Larkin Lane Designs

    Lark grew up surrounded by art and artists from around the world. From a young age, she traveled extensively with her family on buying trips for her mother’s international folk art gallery, Galerie Bonheur. “We always teased my mom that she was only bringing us along to help her carry back more art, but we knew she was intentionally exposing us to the world and to the artists she loved. My mom’s passion for art with integrity has always been my greatest inspiration.”

    After 15 years as an interior designer, Lark decided to combine her love of exquisite textiles, design, travel and art, and thus was born Larkin Lane Designs. “I believe in tradition, within a family, within a culture, and within a craft. My hope is to interpret these centuries-old textile craft with a modern aesthetic that is both elegant and accessible.”

    Lark lives in Columbus, Georgia with her husband and their three children.

    Otomi pillows, Larkin Lane Designs

    Visit Larkin Lane Designs’ website

  5. Fred Cohen

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    Fred Cohen is an artist based in New York. He studied architecture in college and worked in the field of interior design for over forty years. Early in his career, he was inspired by the design system used to break down visual arts into basic elements and began incorporating the method into his practice as a painter. Cohen explores the system of color and design while finding a way to investigate his evolving understanding of the world. Cohen explains why he paints, “I paint because I have to. It has become my pathway to relating to the world around me and inside me. It enables me to share.”

  6. Black History Month

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    To celebrate Black History Month, we are featuring noteworthy Black artists, and selected artworks by both Black and White artists that signify the Black history and culture. Please inquire.

     

    (b. Alabama, 1947)
    The depiction of torture and lynching is heart-wrenching, yet her tremendous compassion and sorrow overwhelmingly permeate the severe subject of slavery in the South.
    MFW_01
    MFW_02
    (Trinidad, Boscoe: 1921 – 2007; Geoffrey: 1930 – 2014)
    Although the Holder brothers are originally from Trinidad, they left a remarkable legacy in the arts of America as multi-talented Black artists.
     

     

    (Illinois)
    Hampton’s abstract artworks reflect his quest to find totality. As a pioneer in Visual Arts, he makes visual statements about the mutable reality which challenges and redeems the human spirit. Hampton has been the subject of many publications, and his work is in the collection of Saint Louis Art Museum.
    BlackHistoryMonth
    (b. Georgia, 1941)
    Kennedy paints from her memory of her life in the South as a sharecropper. Her life seemed never easy in reality, nonetheless, the tone of her artwork is light, blissful and innocent. Her Black neighbor, Miss Daisy, who often appears in her work, certainly plays an important role in her life as well.

     

    (b. Missouri, 1972)
    Norton carefully examines the American social issues in his art: Black and Native American history, racism, and gun violence, to name a few. The subject is generally harsh yet his work resonates gentle and thoughtful feelings because of his meticulous drawing techniques and the use of sensible composition of figures and abstract textured patterns.

     

  7. Phillip Hampton

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    Words of Phillip Hampton (1922-2016), “what is reality and what makes reality real?” has inspired artists to create works of art for more than half a century. His quest to find the totality, the essence of particular realities has been assisted by the experimental approach he takes in the creation of all his works. By bringing to his studio an ever-changing set of raw materials, including paint, Hampton makes visual statements about the mutable reality which challenges and redeems the human spirit.

    Hampton’s use of the analytic and scientific method visual spiritual statements makes him unique. Moreover, this approach has propelled him from figurative art from his days as a student at the Kansas City Art Institute to his recent abstract collages as Professor Emeritus at Southern Illinois University.

    As a painter and a black American, Hampton is a pioneer. He has been the subject of many books, including Cedric Dover’s American Negro Art and Samella Lewis’ Black Artists on Art. The artist’s landscape and figurative arts respectively compare to works by well-known black American artists as Hale Woudroff and Robert Blackburn. As an art professor, Hampton has inspired artists. As an individual who divines the totality of being in the various realms of reality, Hampton is simply a great artist. (Text by Dr. John W. Nunley)

  8. Sandra Sheehy

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    Sandra Sheehy is an artist from Norfolk, England (b. 1965) who creates beautiful mixed media works composed mostly of embroidery and beadwork. She has no formal training in the art of embroidery, but was drawn to use thread because of the great range of colors available.

    The emotional qualities and charges of each color are important to Sheehy, as her works are celebrations of love, color, and pattern. She began making this work as a way of creating love tokens for her husband, and since that time her inspirations have multiplied. Never planning a piece before starting, Sheehy likes to lose herself in the process of making until each piece is finished. Of her work, Randall Morris says, “Sheehy’s work is explosive in its orchid-like voluptuousness. It occupies two planes of vision in that one can look at these obsessively stitched, beaded, and drawn constructions from a distance and close-up and get different readings.

    The message is a very personal and deep, resounding universe that doesn’t quite throttle itself on its own details but sends a message of rough, intricate beauty.”

    Sandra Sheehy, Galerie Bonheur