Artists' Palettes: Dana Gibson

Virginian Dana Gibson says that if she had the extra space -- preferably high ceilings in an old building -- she would put a sofa in her studio, drape it with a dhurrie (heavy flat-woven cotton or wool cloth) and set up a still life as Matisse did when he painted.

A ceramist and designer known for her decorative tole wastebaskets, pillows, textile-inspired picture frames and other accessories, Dana is currently in a studio space that she describes as rather clinical -- white sheetrock walls, linoleum floor -- but she insists on splashes of color and warmer accents to make it familiar and homey.

She says, "One thing I know is there has to be something attractive to look at when I’m working, whether it’s a painted cabinet or a pretty tin of paint brushes." (Shown above are cups recycled as containers for majolica paints.)

Her natural instinct to make a studio cozy is not surprising; decorating legend Nancy Lancaster was a great aunt of Dana’s. (Below, Derry Moore's photo of Lancaster's iconic yellow room as seen in Elle Decor.)

And illustrator Charles Dana Gibson was Dana's great grandfather.


First two images are via Matisse, His Art and His Textiles. All others are shown with permission from the artist, as is the case for each palette blog post. BTW: Mrs. Blandings writes about Dana Gibson here.



To read all of the artists' palettes posts, click here and scroll down.