Art
We don't know art, but we know what we like! Truer words were never spoken, and as we decorate our house, we are confronted with the questions of what to put on the walls. On this page we will display some samples as our collection grows.
Pieces We Have
We fell in love with the work of Vadik Suljakov (pronounced 'shyull-yah-koff'), a Russian living in the US, who paints stunning images of European life. At left, "Rue de Clery" is a busy French street scene circa early 1912. (On the kiosk in the center is a poster for White Star Lines, advertising for a ride on the Titanic...) This is Mike's favorite. 
At left is "Images of Portofino," a beautiful Italian harbor scene. Also by Suljakov, this is Chickee's favorite. 
This is an original oil of a Tuscan hillside by Sharon Asher, an Israeli artist on holiday in the US. 
We have scanned reprints of original art done by Mike's grandmother, Mary Genevieve O'Connor Lambert, done in 1926 when she was in school. We miss her deeply, so they're very close to our hearts. 
One of our most prized possessions is an original watercolor done for our wedding in 1998 by Johanna Mennerstorfer, daughter of our dear friends in Austria. Just a teenager at the time she did this, she has talent beyond her years. (For anyone who remembers, Johanna caught the bouquet at our wedding). The image is of the fabulous castle Schonbrunn, the summer palace of the ruling dynasty, the Habsburgs. We visited in 1997, and it is Chickee's favorite place in all of Vienna. Art We Like But Don't Have
Michael Flohr is a young American artist with a style that we really like. We discovered his work while out celebrating our wedding anniversary in Laguna Beach. We also like the fact that his wife is named Melissa, so we are certain that eventually THIS M&M will have a piece done by THAT M&M.
We discoverd Caroline Zimmermann at a gallery in nearby Laguna Beach and really fell for her paintings. We'd really love to have one of these in our living room someday. 
Quinn Kayser-Cochran is married to Chickee's cousin Carrie, and they are great fun to hang out with, In addition, he's a FANTASTIC artist! 
Mike met James Paul Brown at a dinner in New York, and found him to be a remarkably charming and easy-going guy, who had also been commissioned to paint the official inagural portraits of the three presidents. His neo-impressionistic style takes some getting used to, but Mike liked him so much we had to feature him. A true renaissance man, he's a successful businessman, artist, marathon runner, and winemaker. He arranged for us to have a special private tour of the Santa Barbara-based winery, Sunstone, distributor of his award-winning red wines, which are aptly-named "Artiste."