a beautiful, bespoke painting by Jerry Teters: a sea-inspired art piece compliments my designs for my Design On A Dime dining room

Reflections I  by Jerry Teters

Jerry Teters of Teters Art 

commissioned this painting  for me, 

and here's the skinny...

I have never had a piece of art commissioned for me before this, and it is an eye-opening experience.  Not only did I have a gorgeous 30X30 painting custom made to be hung over the fireplace mantel in my room at Design On A Dime for this April 24 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City, but Jerry Teters generously donated the piece.  You may have read my story about Jerry's art a couple of months back.  His art is awe-inspiring, with some ethereal pieces, others quite powerful, but all presented in lovely abstract packages.

my inspiration for the art:

before the art was born and just after I received my invitation to create a room of my choice for this annual charity design event, I was immediately inspired to create a French seaside dining room for my 12x10 space.  I envisioned a sophisticated room where the owners traveled the globe leading a busy, full life, yet settle into their sleepy French seaside cottage during the summer months taking a long respite with their large, effusive family and friends coming and going.  I imagine the home is cozy, and lived-in with a casual, yet classic feel.  The table I will set in their dining room will reflect a late lunch after a long day at the beach with friends.  I wanted to bring in fresh colors of vivid blue, pale green, navy blue, touches of orange, lots of white and bits of gold and silver.  I thought to combine French-like floral patterns together for a layered aesthetic with nautical influences of rope, hemp, sea shells under glass with a curio-cabinet viewpoint.  

I found the most gorgeous vintage French Limoge plates with fish painted upon them, and a set of vintage Transferware bread plates with the same coloring in a shimmery, floral pattern.  The design story grew from there, so by the time I met with Betty Teters I had a plan.  When the Teters graciously offered to make me my very own piece, conjured up from this ideology, I was excited yet a little bit nervous.  How would Jerry (whom I had not met at this point) be able to capture the feeling I wanted to convey in this space.  I wanted the art to be a little bit different from the rest of the details, which were classic and beach-like.  Although French-inspired, the dining room could almost be anywhere from Montauk to Marseille.  I wanted the art to bring in a bit of edge, bold somehow yet soft, and since it would hang over a beautiful French country fireplace mantel it needed to stand up to this tall stylish order, yet hold it's own, and all the while providing the Piece de resistance of the room.  

details on the fireplace mantel

We talked by phone, through email, with photograph exchanges and conversations about what I wanted the art to feel like. I sent along the color schemes, but more importantly, the inspirations surrounding each and every item in my space.  I held my breathe and put my trust in Jerry.  Judging from his other works I knew the painting would be pretty.  Much of Jerry's art is inspired by nature, so it was a perfect pairing.  However, I yearned for my commissioned art to evoke the motion of the sea, yet feel calm at the same time, like the sleepy seaport town in France that I imagine in my head.  When the art was delivered to me my heart skipped a beat, and it was more than I desired.  The orange was that perfect French orange I had dreamt about, and although it is a beautiful abstract expression when I look at the painting I see the quiet harbor, the boat bursting with color on the bottom, the people one can only imagine off in the distance enjoying the day with the sun about to set.  Jerry managed to infuse an amazing sense of light onto the canvas, and it is a stunning piece of work! 

 the design of the room began with a pair of the large rare, starfish and grew from there...

Some of the other more traditional art pieces for the room includes a vintage Currier & Ives print of a sailboat I framed in a weathered frame, and a set of four reproduction antique shell prints from artist and naturalist, Ernst Haeckel.  I decoupaged the seashell prints onto Farrow & Ball wallpaper.   

 As soon as Betty delivered the piece to me, I took it to my studio and laid some of the pieces together.  Although all quite different, they play off one another cohesively and in a way that is both inquisitive and complimentary. Reflections I will hang alone over the fireplace behind the dining table donated from Thos. Moser with a pair of strong rectangular sconces from Troy lighting flanking it.  On the adjacent wall, I will hang a combined gallery of art, with a mixture of new, old, traditional and modern pieces together, some of which are shown here.  I am over the moon to include Jerry's gorgeous painting in my dining room and I am certain it will be the crowned jewel of the project. From this experience I learned the value of creating commissioned art, and also witnessed Jerry Teters ability to quickly pick up on exactly what what needed to make this design.  You can nab this piece for your home by picking up tickets to the gala and design event/sale on April 24 here.

 stop back this week and weekend for more views of the incredible art I'll be showcasing in my room at 
Design On A Dime!

 a little bit more about Jerry...

"Jerry Teters is an artist and drummer who has combined his love of these two expressions for more than three decades. Jerry holds a Masters in Painting from the State University of New York at New Paltz. He was born in Long Branch, NJ in 1953 and currently lives in New Paltz, New York.  From 1984-1990, Jerry studied painting and drawing in New York City at Pratt Institute, the Art Students League, the National Academy of Design and privately with illustrator Burton Silverman. In the mid-1990s, Jerry and his family moved to the mid-Hudson Valley where he worked as a middle and high school art teacher from 1996-2011. Jerry’s paintings, prints, and mixed medium works are owned by many private collectors and have been exhibited in group and one-person shows in New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and throughout the Hudson Valley."

--Teters Art

Happy Nesting

XO Tamara