In Ellen's House

Ellen B and Mary P near Charleston

This is Ellen and I a few years ago in South Carolina.  Ellen has a stunning old kitchen house that is decorated in her Auntie Mame style. 

 A kitchen house for my french friends,  was an "out building" of a large mansion in the time when the residents kept slaves to work plantations. This was in the southern states before the civil war in the USA.  The food was prepared by slaves in the kitchen house and carried over to the main house adjacent to it . 

  Now on the walls of the kitchen house are quite a few of the paintings Ellen bought from me during her visits to Nice years ago.   I had forgotten them actually, so it was a tiny thrill and pleasure to see my friend and to remember painting them. 

Original Still Life by Mary M Payne

Original still life by Mary M Payne

Nude in Oils by Mary M Payne

Carafe and pear with grapes.   Original oil painting by Mary M Payne

Living room wall, Charleston S.C.   photo by Mary M Payne

I did paint a copy of this same Lempicka of the woman in the car on this wall, but I am not sure if she bought mine or that is still wrapped up in my archive.   

Here is looking farther into this sumptuous room. 

The nude on the right below is an early Lempicka that I copied and Ellen admired and put in her dressing/bath area. 

And this banana tree below is a series of three in different color ranges that Ellen grabbed right off my easel before the gouache was dry. 

 It is true that I , like most artists,  like to have my work go out into the world.   

Ask me about anything you see on this blog that strikes your fancy and maybe one day I will see a picture of it on your own wall or better yet, visit it again while seeing you.