Saturday Art Saves: Vox Populi

Chair with old wedding shoes

Each Saturday I focus on a different artist that I admire. From potters to painters, chefs to collectors, seamstress to songwriters, lifestyle to lovers... anyone who set the paintbrush, pastry brush, hands and heart on fire to create.

Those who inspire art to flow where it may.

Vox Populi is a Latin phrase which means, "Voice of the people". Pascale Palun the owner of Vox Populi showroom/studio in Avignon listens, then gives a voice to old worn things.

Two pairs of satin shoes from the 1800s sit on a chair of equal history. The chair has been stripped of its brocade, left in its muslin cotton undershirt. The satin shoes most likely were for a bride, now they are filled with straw.

The bride who wore them stands by in spirit, no longer needs to sit instead she smiles down on Pascale for honoring her shoes on a familiar throne.

The voice of the people, the voice of history, is a sound that creatively moves us to feel something we often cannot label, allows us to be stirred emotionally without understanding why, and can conjures up a silent beauty that only our hearts understand.

One of many of Pascale's trademark items are sconces made from glass negatives. Pascale frames the negative in flat iron, then creates a see through frame in thin rod irons, the light she puts behind the negative, forming a reverse shadow box.

I have known Pascale for over ten years, her creative work is handmade, using only antique items, her eye for detail in nothing shy of perfection. Vox Populi has influenced many of artists and has been unfortunately copied by large companies.

Yet her style holds true: Hand made, using antique items with her signature eye for detail.

Thin round tube iron work is her main love. Pascale makes chandeliers, sconces, birdhouses, typewriters, cages, etc from twisting, curling, looping thin iron into lace and lattice.

Then she dangles and decorates her iron pieces with crystals, bobbins, ventouses, and other antique items.

Under crystal domes that are hand blown Pascale has created paper thin gauze skull mask, or as she says, "the skin".

Her studio is a cabinet of curiosities, one literally does not know where to look first.

One of my new favorites of Pascale's artistic endeavors are her oversize, life size portrait cushions. I bought the one with the man's portrait. Ange, or Angel was his first name, he was the son of the original owners of her showroom/studio, which is an 1800s massive, beautiful old home in the center of Avignon that has never been restored...ever. Even the toilet which is a porcelain god that I can worship to, and wanted to take home, is in flo blue with a lid like a chair top!

Pascale made a print of the Ange's portrait (that hangs in her studio), then transfered it to fabric creating a cushion.

French Husband said, "It is like I will sleep with an angel." I poked him reminding him I already have one by my side.

(Pascale's cushions were featured in "Suits" TV Show.

Pascale Palun, who hates to have her photo taken. I told her I know few who do. I also told her she was beautiful, in which like many of us, cannot take a compliment said, "I would rather you take a photo of my objects, of things I have collected."

But you know beauty cannot be contained, it is a source that has no boundaires, it runs with those who are willing to capture it, hold it, give it, share it... live it. Pascale breaths it giving it wings.

Recently Pascale has a stunning article in

The World of Interiors.

A glimpse into a small section of her studio making my hands itched with creative desire to do something, I don't know what, it was stronger than me. Have you ever felt like that? Where your senses are heighten, your hearts starts racing and you feel creative energy exploding inside? Going into Pascale's (and her husband Bruno's) studio:showroom made me feel as if I had fallen in a river of inspiration! I could not help dive deeper and emerge golden.