The Eternal Child inside talented Stuart Gilchrist
BPP: Identity: Who you are? And who you
really are?
Stuart Gilchrist: I am a 49 year old Interior Designer/Artist
4th generation Northern Californian.
In both my
art as in my designs primarily I find inspiration within every aspect of this
unique region. I am blessed to have been raised here. Rich in Diversity. Be it
Agricultural, Institutional, Military, Sport (including Western Rodeo) and
Industrial. Technological breakthroughs and cutting edge Commerce. It is all
here. I identify with this region and it is importance to the rest of the
world. It’s History. It’s Present. It’s Future. It is important for me to give
this region the credit it deserves. I am a product of it. It has been my
educator.
I have a clear understanding of It’s place on the planet and how it
was shaped by a tumultuous (and still active) series of merging un ignorable
tectonic plates. Creating beauty and havoc amidst fog and rain. Snow and
sand. The richness in the resources. All
within close proximity and ease of quick daily personal travel. Once aware of
this fact it is easy to see. Outsiders may. Locals rarely. The grass is always
greener. Inspiration in the natural beauty and the application of man made
structures and the tools to exchange. Old and new. In use or abandoned.
Secondly and
more easy to grasp is my own upbringing. I draw inspiration from my parents.
Having been raised by a family of Lawyers, Educators and Engineers, every
bridge, waterway, and tunnel, every law, proposition and senate intent. Every
strata, stone, plant and animal was made very clear to me at an early age. Why
it is here and how it was made. How long it will last. What we can do with it
when it has been left abandoned. Its people. The Indigenous. The Explorers. The Immigrant. We here are but
from two of these categories. My parents felt strongly that I be made aware of
this. We traveled throughout the world, and yet my Mother always shared, with
great enthusiasm, what we hade an abundance of at home.
The third
layer in my inspiration, my humor if you will, is a softer sensitive one. I
attribute this to my “well traveled” Grandmother. She traveled in style. Alone.
Like «Auntie Mame». In sharp contrast to this was her fascination with tribal
communities all over the world. She would bring hand made objects back with
her, sometimes smuggled within her clothing, in order to share the richness she
had discovered. Ignoring hideous taboo warnings of removal. Sometimes shipping
artifacts in advance ( a trait I have used myself, I assure you, with utmost
respect).
The fourth
and strongest influence is a direct result of my Father. A Man who loved to
entertain. He loved to produce fare that was “not on the menu” so to speak. My
father brought Frank Lloyd Wright to my attention when I was three. Probably
sooner. He also insisted that I “Read between the lines”. I never new what that
meant as a child and now I do. A prototype is key.
In other
words I grew up with eclectic surroundings. Bad eyesight corrected at age five
inspired an appreciation for abstract expressionism. Having eccentric parents
gave permission to embrace this. My love for luxury formed my profession.
Presidio Terrace Media Room - Photo by Angie Silvy
BPP: If you could say something
important you've learned all these years of your life, to the other people and
they were able to listen to you, what would you like to tell them?
Stuart Gichrist: If I am
allowed to simply implement all of the lessons I learned from my parents ( and
my mentors) I would be a great success. I am almost there. Lesson here is to
educate. Mentor. Apprentice. Teach. Learn. Listen. Speak. Share. Share with
whatever tool you can figure out to use. You get the picture.
Presidio Terrace Hall - Photo by Kathleen Harrison
BPP: What is your real dream, the one that keeps you
awake at nights and if one day it will come true, you will feel your heart calm
and peacefull?
Stuart Gilchrist: My real
dream is to see a fraction of my vision realized. I am almost there. To teach
this to others is the remainder of that realization. I am almost there. Once
accomplished the rest will follow. So much follows by the simple act of
«doing». The power of attraction.
Presidio Terrace Living Room - Phtoto by Kathleen Harrison
BPP: How is life for the people in your
country today? What do you wish to happen to them and to the people of this
planet at large?
Stuart Gilchrist: In the United States of America a
large number of the population, I feel, has somehow forgotten the great gift
that their forefathers worked so hard to create for them. They came here for a
reason. To escape. To start. To follow a dream. Has this dream been realized?
At what cost and to whom? Is there room for more? Is there room for
improvement? These are issues I secretly fear is taken for granted. My country
seems to rest on the laurels of their parents who are now so silent. It may be
due to the ease in which our country is allowed to build, spread, and grow away
from their ancestral roots. No substance other than what can be gleaned from a
television. An Idol. A lottery. Sounds so easy.
I fear that the rest of the
planet is eyeing us. Waiting for us to wake up. If not find a weak spot so that
they can enter and enjoy the freedom and wealth that we take for granted. I
hope the rest of the world can simply take the best of our culture and use
within their own beautiful surroundings. Respect the past. Pave the future.
Isn’t that a beautiful vision? I tend to notice this when I travel outside of
the USA. Am I a fool? I see beauty. Is the USA advanced because of a slight
tolerance for contrast? Perhaps. Once again. This is a big place. A VERY big place.
In the past twenty years most Americans see only what they see within the
airport terminal. What is to buy, where do I sleep, What do I eat. Can I charge
it and plug it in and where is my connecting flight?
The internet is soothing
this out a bit. The rest of the world, eyes fixed on our culture, please
appreciate the strong differences you have made truly yours. We study it and
embrace it when we can. Our version is so unberably unauthentic. The Bay Area
is far more respectful of the cultures that have made us who we are. We are
fortunate to live within such rich natural beauty we tend to exemplify
«tolerance». Tragic one must use tolerance to describe a simple interaction
with ones neighbor and yet this too is the human condition. Hence the need for Art.
Art. Art. In any medium.
A Flat in the Castro Dining room - photo by Kathleen Harrison
BPP: If you had the chance to be a child
again, will you choose to do the same life you do?
Stuart Gilchrist: If I were a
child I would hope to be the son of Charles, Diana, (even) Elizabeth or another
family who has the ability to maintain and the power to alter history, select
appropriate support and do this without fear. Small in scope so as not to «get
out of hand» yet have compassion. I identify with this family for a variety of
reasons. History is still being written. I have high hopes for the upcoming
monarchy.
You must understand I also have a firm grasp on the history of that
monarchy, its individual struggle to remain a family representing a small rock
outcropping so close to the fertile Europe, and all that... Otherwise I am
thrilled to be the child that I am. Here in Northern California. Son of my
parents. Silly as this may sound.
Presidio Heights Dining room - Photo by Angie Silvie
Menlo Park Diningroom close up - Photo by Kathleen Harrison
BPP: Which exactly was the
moment you understood what you want to do in your life? How did you feel at this
very moment?
Stuart Gilchrist: I was 18 in
1980. My father gave me a book. Interior Views. Design At Its Best. by Erica
Brown. Published the same year. It not only shared stunning and diverse images
of 48 of the worlds finest Interior Designers works, but gave insight into
their business practices and how they started their careers. In six months of
«breathing» from this book I was enrolled at The Western Design Institute in
San Francisco to study Interior Design and I have never looked back.
Stuart Gilchrist's drawing
Stuart Gilchrist's drawing
From the Furniture Collection of Stuart Gilchrist : Regency Armchair
- Image courtesy: Stuart Gilchrist
BPP: Something yours:
Do you want to tell us something we didn't ask you until now?
Stuart Gichrist: Having been
given the gift of drawing, clearly, with focus and conviction, I have had doors
open rather quickly. I admit my charm has had some bit of help as well. I knew I needed to see more of the world and
I headed to New York, Washington D.C., and Hollywood. All three experiences
were very good for my career.
I have traveled all around the world, covering
places my Grandmother did not. Japan. Germany England, France, Italy and Spain.
I have traveled to China, as she did, early on to witness (what I hoped to be
)the “Great Dragon” awake and its crude and brash rush to return to its place
in cultural dominance, erase scars of the “cultural revolution” and its painful
residuals. I would be happy with just “cultural contribution”. We shall see.
Self portrait - Photo by Kathleen Harrison
Image courtesy: Stuart Gilchrist
Stuart Gilchrist: Today I
spend half of my time with an Apple. A Mac of some sort. I take photographs,
share them in albums, combine them for texture, in an effort to share a vision
I have. All with a limited understanding of the tools available to me. It is
extremely exciting. At all design meetings I produce and now share sketches
used for that same purpose. I break from my work to produce and share abstract
images of hilarious cultural contributions to our society. All for the purpose
of entertainment.
Any opportunity to share my love for rust, decay, luxury,
contrast, irony, beauty and the human condition I will do so. I have ideas for
many more albums. I have found that this recent endeavor has actually brought
me closer to my clients. I am able to share my vision (or whatever it Is I
have) with my clients on their time, When it is appropriate.
The real Stuart inside - Image courtesy: Stuart Gilchrist
One of the first drawings of young Stuart -Image courtesy: Stuart Gilchrist
Stuart Gilchrist's drawing 1 for BPProject
Stuart Gilchrist's drawing 2 for BPProject
Stuart Gilchrist's drawing 3 for BPProject
If you want to know more about Stuart Gichrist visit:
http://www.stuartgilchristinteriors.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stuart-Gilchrist-Interiors/125724344173439
Interiors& sketches by Stuart Gilchrist - Photos © by Angie Silvy & Kathleen Harrison
All rights reserved
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