I wanted to direct you to my new blog. It showcases my likes and loves and new art to purchase around Memphis and online. Check it out!!

http://www.hillarybutler.blogspot.com

There’s no better way to spend a sultry July day in Memphis than painting a scene inspired by water, especially when you’re with your favorite artist!  We had a remarkable turnout for the paint party at My Big Backyard this past Saturday. A huge thanks to my friend Emily Bowden who was sweet enough to come out and help. Emily teaches tennis lessons at the Memphis Country Club (anyone need a tennis instructor??) and her experience with coaching kids made her the perfect assistant!  Young artists came with their favorite adults to show off their mad painting skills. I was proud of their very creative color palettes as most of them chose complimentary colors to match their rooms and/or their individual personalities.  One of the most fun parts about kids’ paint events is watching their individuality shine forth in their artwork at such young ages. Thanks so much for coming out and painting with us. Such a sweet group of kids we had  to spend a Saturday morning with! Enjoy the pictures below and stay tuned for our next paint event!

Click on the thumbnails below to view individual pictures. Attendees, if you would like me to send you a specific picture of your child, please email me at butler(dot)hillary(at)gmail (dot)com.

The example is for sale- any takers????

This past Saturday we painted beside the fountains at one of my very favorite places in town, Memphis Waterworks. It’s one of Memphis’s best kept secrets! Waterworks is an old-world English inspired shop that serves as a mecca for the weekend yard warriors seeking antique garden elements and furniture and tranquil place to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon browsing to the sound of a hundred fountains by the goldfish ponds. I want everything in the shop. Everything!!  If you haven’t stopped by to check it out, you absolutely must go. Today. Some dear family friends designed and built Waterworks several years back and were kind enough to host our paint event. The weather was perfect and the group that came out to paint was such an incredible bunch. We painted abstract peonies using some simple techniques including texturing with paint and blending back and forth with two colors. Everyone’s peonies took on a different persona and turned out to be beautiful pieces to put on their walls. I must give a shout out to the moms there for Mother’s Day- My friend Carolyn brought her mother for an early MDay gift and my sweet mom was super sweet to help out for the day in addition to making her amazing lemon cupcakes for us to enjoy while we painted. Mom, you are the best. Happy Mother’s Day!

Great job, peony painters! The artists have been awakened in you!

Last week I headed over to my friend and designer extraordinaire, Katie Brink’s home where she put together some beautiful spring mantles for us with the painting that we will be painting at the Waterworks event. I was excited for Katie to join me in this project. Her style is such a fresh twist on the vintage modern ( I included some shots of Katie’s home below for your viewing pleasure).

Katie’s tips for spring mantles: Books! Books are great for adding height, variation, and  warmth to any display, especially mantles. Don’t have books that coordinate with your color scheme? Turn them around! The neutral page colors on books compliment and color palette!

Add depth to your mantles by varying the heights of arranged objects. This keeps the eye moving around your arrangement.

Something old, something new… Don’t be afraid to raid your grandmother’s attic or the local antique store (Memphians, Bojos on Summer Ave is closing forever at the end of April- hurry over and claim those treasures you’ve had your eye on for years) to add a flair of vintage to your mantles. Nothing adds character like vintage!

And speaking of vintage, this vase here is the real McCoy, folks! Katie inherited this piece from a family member. This shade of turquoise is so exquisite- I must have one?

For a consultation with Katie, contact her at brinkgibson.kb(at)gmail (dot)com.

I woke up this morning to the pleasant realization that my website was no longer in existence and a very creepy image of a hacker avatar replaced the site. We’ve been working all day to get the site back up, so until then, enjoy the temporary site. The old one will be back soon!!

Did anyone have a better Monday than I?  Please, please tell me you did!