Hunt Slonem at Lee Jofa in Boston

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Hunt Slonem at a salon style event sponsored by the Lee Jofa showroom at the Boston Design Center.

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Kravet and Lee Jofa are introducing Hunt Slonem’s new Groundworks collection of wallcoverings, carpets and fabric.   The line is both fantastical and elegant, full of iconic Hunt Slonem imagery and colors.

Bill Elinoff, owner of FDO Group and the Lee Jofa and Kravet showrooms, organized  this salon setting for designers to connect with Mr. Slonem in a more casual and intimate setting. The event was the perfect forum for Hunt Slonem to shine and to share story upon story about his life, inspirations, and passion for painting.

Ann Feldstein, Vice-President of Communications at Kravet, guided the discussion. Her well composed questions elicited  responses that more often than not led down the “garden lane” to another insight into this very talented artist.

Hunt,  born in Kittery Maine, is “an American painter, sculptor and printmaker best known for his Neo-Expressionist paintings of tropical birds and exotic butterflies, painted in a style he describes as “exotica”. He has traveled all over the world but it was his time in Hawaii and Nicaragua that has truly influenced his paintings and art work. He remembers vividly the color combinations as well as the wildlife.” {source}

From the moment I met Mr. Slonem while meandering before the event in the Kravet showroom,  I was starstruck.  His warm personality shone nearly as brightly as his colorful clothing.  Our bold outfits, him in lemon and lime and me in poppy pink made for quite the photo!  It was a mutual admiration society ~ he loved my dress and I loved his bunny tie and ensemble.

During the salon talk, Hunt Slonem touched on many subjects from personal to interior design to influences on his artistic style as well as his latest book, When Art Meets Design.  He spoke at length about his many homes (including his two Louisiana mansions: Albania and Lakeside).  He truly is a gentleman and his homes most certainly reflect this.

When speaking about his Southern homes Hunt shared the history behind each house and the connection he feels to it. His restorations are very thoughtful…

“The marble mantels, the millwork, the doors and windows, everything was still here. We repaired the walls and painted them, but we left the millwork as it was. You can over-restore a house by stripping or sanding away all the imperfections and old color in the baseboards and trim. I don’t like to paint over trim~ I leave it the way I find it. I don’t even refinish the floors.”   ~HS

As you can see by this photo, Mr. Slonem is a voracious collector.   In his homes he calls this design style “cluttering”. He also believes that rooms evolve and that color is an anti-depressant.  I must agree!

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His use of color captures my soul.  I adore this pink room, which is featured in the book. In fact, when he was signing my book, he asked me if I had seen this photo ~and of course I had.   I was even able to recite this Audrey Hepburn quote that he included in his book…

”I believe in pink. I believe that laughter is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”

I just love this philosophy and that he included it in his book with his pink room.

We also go to know more about Hunt Slonem the artist.  Hunt is a very committed artist who works nearly everyday painting. Here in Boston we are so lucky to have his work at the DTR Modern Gallery on Newbury Street. These paintings were on loan from DTR Modern and it was a thrill to see the color, dimension, and mixed media in person.

While the paintings we saw were modestly sized (approx. 9″x12″), I learned that Hunt Slonem also creates large scale paintings and murals.  Hunt Slonem’s work  can be found in collections, museums and in public spaces all over the world.

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No blog about Hunt Slonem would be complete without mention of the bunnies!  Hunt shared that in 1980 he discovered he was born in the Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese Zodiac calendar.  This was the springboard for his bunny fascination and now he has been painting them for years. Bunnies are hung in his NYC loft studio as signature feature,  called the “Bunny Wall” ~some paintings have even been hung wet!

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“I paint my work and I enjoy painting. It is the glue and fiber of my existence. Nothing else satisfies me. I get my ideas by working daily.”  ~HS

 Hunt  is a prolific painter with a unique sense of whimsy and a vibrant, identifiable style.  The new Groundworks Collection is a magnificent way to add a touch of Hunt Slonem magic to your home!

Take a peek…

I will be hanging this dramatic wallpaper in my Loo room…

Finally, I want to share one more insight into this sensitive, evolved man. I loved the story behind another one of his favorite painting subjects, birds.

“My birds are my friends (he has 60 finches) and companions. They have great personalities and are very inspiring. Birds also represent the soul and they reflect love in Christianity, while in Hindu-Indian philosophy the body is represented by a cage and the bird reflects the soul.”  ~HS

Just beautiful!

I encourage you to treat yourself to his latest book, When Art Meets Design.  It is not only beautiful to look at but the text and quotes are inspiring.

I bought mine as a Christmas present to myself ~ and then was lucky enough to have it personalized!

Meeting Hunt Slonem was a wonderful experience.  He was open, authentic, and humble. He answered every question with contemplative and sometimes humorous responses. His talent and sense of whimsy and style are self-evident.  What a love!

“ I never leave a wall bare. It makes me nervous” ~HS 

Me too!

xo,

Pamela

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