 See "Misplaced Blue Vase" in Flower Paintings and "Captain Kirk" and "Harrison" in Portraits & Figures. This article originally appeared in the Free Lance-Star on September 26, 2003. 'The artwork came first' 
Interior designer starts with the artwork and goes from there in Fawn Lake house that's entered in FABA's 2003 Parade of HomesBy RICHARD AMRHINE Date published: 9/26/2003 THE FREE LANCE-STAR http://www.fredericksburg.com Parade of Homes entry doubles as an art gallery. INTERIOR DESIGN may be an art, but at a model home in Fawn Lake, art has driven the interior design. The home is the Fenway model by Thompson Building Corp. of Fredericksburg. It will be a stop on the 2003 Parade of Homes, sponsored by the Fredericksburg Area Builders Association the first two weekends of October. The design firm for the home is Interiors by J. Wilken & Associates of Stafford. The artwork is provided by local artists Judith Merrill, Ellen Worthy Stokes and Betsy Glassie, and portrait photographer David W. Weadon. Each was asked to supply three or four works. The concept is the brainchild of Jackie Payne, who heads Interiors by J. Wilken and wanted to come up with an innovative design plan. An admirer of the local art community, Payne offered to display the artwork and photographs--using them as the starting point for the interior decor. "The artwork came first," said Payne. "Local artists need the opportunity to display their work." And this is one way of doing that, she said. Payne said that when she has clients who want original artwork to enhance their homes' decor, she'll point them toward local artists. In the Thompson model, Payne has based color and texture selections, wallpapers, drapes, lighting fixtures, cabinetry and rugs on the artwork chosen for a given room or area. Builder Tim Thompson brought Payne in early enough that she could make recommendations on the floor plan. Rather than use pillars to separate the foyer from the family room, for example, the area was left wide open, making the most of its two-story ceiling. 
The muted-gold wall paint that was chosen for much of the home's main and upper levels blends well with Merrill's scene of autumn foliage reflected in a pond, placed over the family room hearth, and Glassie's florals with an Impressionist flavor on the opposite wall.
To the right of the family room is the first-floor master suite, with a soaring stepped-tray ceiling, large walk-in closets and luxury bathroom. The suite is home to a Stokes painting called "Captain Kirk."To the left of the family room is the kitchen with its granite counters and custom-made cherry cabinetry. The kitchen and adjoining breakast area spill into a "keeping room," as Payne called it--or sitting area, a place where kids can do their homework while dinner is prepared. It has its own hearth, and on an adjacent wall is a large Glassie floral, flanked by two tall windows that look into the wooded back yard. Next to the foyer is the dining area, where the green hues of the curtain fabric and matching chair upholstery blend with a portrait of water lilies by Merrill. The U-turn staircase leads to a second-floor hallway that doubles as a balcony overlooking the family room. There are three additional bedrooms upstairs. The bottom half of the nursery walls is done in white wainscoting, the upper half in a pink faux finish. Weadon's candid photos of a baby girl at play give the room a real--but in this room, imaginary--resident. The nursery shares a bath with a room decorated with a young boy in mind. It includes a mural done by Barbara Woodcock. She frequently works with Payne but is not one of the featured artists. Across the hall is the fourth bedroom, with its own bath, set up as a home office for the model. Payne calls it the "safari room," and Stokes' large jungle scene works well with the textured grass-cloth covering used on the lower portion of the walls. There is hardwood flooring and recessed lighting throughout the house. Payne has selected lighting fixtures that are handsome but not ostentatious. The Fenway, located at 11816 Fawn Lake Parkway, has 3,285 square feet of finished living space, plus a full unfinished basement. It has a list price of $799,950. The home's exterior is a blend of off-white, beaded vinyl siding and cultured stone that looks like the real thing, but is less expensive and easier to work with. There is a large, maintenance-free deck on the rear of the house, with access from both the breakfast area and the master suite. Foundation plants, including many holly trees, ring the home's foundation. The artists Judith Merrill has studied art in Florida, Chicago and Philadelphia. Her work has been exhibited in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and now in the Fredericksburg area. Her work can also be seen on the Web site of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Ellen Worth Stokes holds art degrees from the University of Georgia and has recently exhibited her work in Chicago, St. Louis, Georgia and here in Fredericksburg. Her local studio is Worthy Fine Art at 600 Lewis St. Betsy Glassie has studied art in Washington, D.C., as well as at various Virginia schools, including Mary Washington College. She has exhibited her work throughout the region. Her studio is at the LibertyTown Arts Workshop in the old Fredericksburg Hardware plumbing outlet off William Street. David W. Weadon enjoys "photographing people celebrating life" and seeks to do that by capturing candid moments of his subjects interacting with one another or in other ways expressing their personalities. His studio is located at 305 Hanson Ave. in Fredericksburg. To reach RICHARD AMRHINE: 540/374-5406 damrhine@freelancestar.com Date published: 9/26/2003 |