kathryn hunter of blackbird letterpress calls baton rouge, louisana home. she never thought she’d stay, but loves the town’s mix of politics, colorful history, academia, the lush slow life and art splashed in. her partner david cano (a metal worker) bought the house 7 years ago and did much of the renovations himself. the result is cozy and comfortable, and we’re excited to show off the place in a sneak peek. click here for the complete post that continues after the jump, and don’t miss more of kathryn’s work (especially the bird banners!) in her etsy shop. [thanks, kathryn!] -anne
[above: This is what we like to call the "old lady room", I guess because it is full of vintage images, old photos of family, things like that. The four poster bed was my grandmother Mimi's. I worked in Yellowstone National Park for three years in the early 90s, looking for adventure (a place that still calls to me). I started collecting vintage Yellowstone memorabilia back then. I really like the souvenir plates. The photos were taken by F.J. Haynes, the first official Yellowstone photographer. You can have prints made from the original negatives from the Montana Historical Society in Helena. The pillows were made by Gabriella Green.]
CLICK HERE for the rest of kathryn’s sneak peek after the jump!
Our living room is a warm and cheery place and we like a lot of color. We have many artist friends and we have a weakness for collecting art. On the rug is the top dog of our four hounds, Quito. The work in the background on the right is by David’s mentor, Emerson Bell. He was a very loved artist in Baton Rouge.
The bike is an old Raleigh that Craig Booksh just refurbished for me, with red cables, chain, grips, and chain guard. The bear is one of the most striking pieces we have and was made by David Smith. The painting on the right is a portrait of me done by Mary Beyt.
Our bedroom is sunny to say the least. After a tree fell on our house during Hurricane Gustav (September 2009) and gave us a new temporary skylight, I updated the color to be brighter. I made the Harriet Tubman wall quilt when I was in undergraduate school. The fabrics are reproduction prints from the era and height of the Underground Railroad. The quilt blocks are traditional blocks that were used for communicating to the brave people that came and helped slaves escape. Above the bed is the first incarnation of the blackbird flags. Since then the images and fabrics have been boldly updated. Virginia Fuselier did the diptych painting of a parade in small town Louisiana (image from back in the 50s). (we like parades and festivals here in LA). David made the marble topped bedside tables. Pillow is made with Amy Butler fabric.
My friend Leanne gave me this vintage lamp. At the time I was making plaster molds to make ceramic pieces. I made a mold of this and created a fortune telling doll for my MFA thesis show. (tile in the back is by Anna Belenki). I lost my 15 year old dog, Hayden, this past January. She, of course, was my best friend. My good friend Barbara Donovan makes beautiful pottery that we love and I commissioned her to make Hayden’s jar. It is so wonderful and depicts her favorite things, the number one thing being cheese. Barbara surprised me with the depiction of a card on the front I had made of Hayden as the Virgin Mary, tears to my eyes. The drawing of Hayden is one I made in 2007, it’s painted on an old Louisiana property map.
David is a metalworker and runs an architectural fabrication and design studio. He made the burglar bars to mimic the “lights” in the old windows that had to be replaced by aluminum windows (what he could afford at the time). We lost half of the fence from the fallen tree during Hurricane Gustav, but the gate remained untouched.
The dining table was made by Leanne McClurg Cambric, with sexy legs and all. The pitcher and salt and pepper jars were made by Barbara Donovan. The framed print on the left is by David’s great grandfather, Francisco Antonio Cano. F.A. Cano is a celebrated artist in Colombia that thrived around the turn of the 20th century. The painting is by Clark Derbes (also seen on d*s).
Our kitchen is well used and easy (David is the chef in this house). The tile above the stove has young images of my mother and grandmother. The ceramic artist, Bobby Silverman, used my screenprinting frame to test some glazes and I was lucky to get to keep the result. The dog drawing is Leanne Cambric’s. Metal wall piece is by Robert Moreland. And the dessert bowls on top of the cabinet are by Pam Caskanett Stanley.
