Djurdjevic - Personal Photos - Life at Grayhawk

23 Jan 2011

Updated May 19, 2006, adds Desert Bloom II...

My New Life at Grayhawk

The end of the "living arts project"

SCOTTSDALE, May 13, 2006 - Those of you who have stayed with me from the beginning in my interior decorating endeavor, may recall that I said my "living arts project" would always be a work-in-progress. Or else it would not be a "living arts project," would it?

Well, that's true. But when work reaches the stage that no major changes are contemplated except for a touch here, a dab there, well... one can declare it as finished. Which is what I am now doing. Take a look... (or not, your choice).

If you look to the left immediately upon entering the house, this is what you would see. My office is right off the entrance hallway.

It is the last thing that I decorated and the most spontaneous. Except for that antique mahogany desk, that's over 100 years old and which I have had for over 35 years, I collected the various other pieces and ornaments in different stores and different times. I then tried to make them look as if they came from one place. Not being much of a handyman, I even painted that black halogen lamp in the corner (it used to be white) and the basket of flowers. I bought the framed drawing of the Sydney Opera House right in front of the famous structure, back in 1985, from an 80-year old painter. The beautiful tapestry was a lucky find in a local antique store. I installed it myself. So every piece has a story to go with it.

But, I'd better stop now and leave the office so our tour doesn't run over the five minutes...

And now, let me introduce you to Lizzy - my antique indoor cat. Unlike Lewis, my outdoor "watchcat," Lizzy is quite cultured and steeped in the arts. No wonder. She sleeps all the time on this art book in my living room. J

... and of the other, depicting the Louis XIV's conquest of Lisle in Flanders in 1667.

As for this close-up, that's my indoor filly with her fowl (last week, you saw my outdoor "Filly 1").

And this, of course, is a close-up of my first living room acquisition - a baby grand that no longer looks as small and lonesome as it did back in November of last year.

This is the view from the living room toward the master bedroom (straight ahead) and the hallway in between.

Besides the wooden cross I received after a speech in Australia in 1999 at a St. Nicholas church, and the St. Nicholas icon given to me by a Serbian relative in 1981 (left), you will also find here an old original Sarah Bernhardt Theatre poster in Paris (right) for a Hamlet performance in late 1800s. Her portrait on the right was done in 1910 by Nadar.

The theater buffs may already know that Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) was a fascinating woman. She was born in Paris as Henriette Rosine Bernard, the eldest surviving illegitimate daughter of Judith van Hard, a Dutch-born Jewish courtesan known as "Youle." Her father was reportedly Edouard Bernard, a French lawyer, and she was educated in French Catholic convents.

To support herself, she combined the career of an actress with that of a courtesan. At the time, both professions were considered scandalous to some degree, but courtesans were widely accepted in many social circles, and looked on as equals in cases where they were highly intellectual, and when the art of being a courtesan was merely a sideline for another more respectable career (just as nowadays, for example, actors and actresses tend to wait on tables). For more on her fascinating life, click here.

This is my little "nook for Nick" - a candle and Balthazar urn arrangement I made after my grandson Nikolai was born, back on March 14 (for more on him and the frankincense and myrrh, click here). The framed photo above is that of St. Sava Cathedral in Belgrade. The beautiful structure was restored in 1990 by a Serb architect who gave me the photo and signed it at the time.

... this is my "red and gold" room (after the "navy blue and gold" concept in the living room). The swags above the windows were Karen's idea.

They were designed and made by Olga, a Russian artist-friend from a local silk flower store. The red area rug was the only piece of "furniture" I started with. It was the only thing I saved and brought over from my Australian home. Everything else in this family room blossomed from that, starting with that beautiful Belgian tapestry - of a medieval wine harvest.

And this is a close-up of my brass antique trunk with my animal menagerie (dog, bear, money and donkey that used to be my toy when I was a baby).

Since I find technology boxy and ugly, I have tried to hide it as much as possible.

The clay "cock fight" is supposed to be a distraction from it, as are the various flowers and vegetables that I have personally made. The orange and maroon runner was hand-made for me by my Mexican cleaning ladies who have been great supporters in my artistic quest over the last sis months. The red diamond-shaped design on the table cloth on the left is handmade Serbian embroidery that I have had for decades.

A view of the kitchen and the breakfast/eating area as seen from the family room. Take a closer look at the guy on top of my fridge...

Meet Eric, my continental chef, ready to serve fruit, veggies and buns. Olga also created the tray contents, while Karen gave me the pitcher and the fruit glasses that are also on top of my fridge.

A view of the kitchen from the breakfast/eating area. Once again, let's check out the guy on top of my stove...

Meet Charles, my butler, who is always impeccably dressed and terribly, terribly proper.

A parting look at the kitchen and the breakfast/eating area before we move on to the bedrooms.

A view of my master bedroom from the entrance doorway, including Irene, my Russian nude...

A view toward the master bathroom with my two Maxfield Parrish reproductions on the walls. The one on the left (Arizona, 1930) is a juxtaposition to a similar Hawaiian original theme on the opposite wall. Both paintings are even an identical size. Both are used at my home page. The one on the right (Ecstasy, 1929), is probably my all-time Parrish favorite. Its colors work so beautifully with my navy-gold-white theme in my bedroom as if the painting was just meant to hang there.

The master bathroom carries on the navy-gold-white theme from the master bedroom.

This is where Tanja and Nikolai, along with his nannies, spend the better part of April. The two watercolor nudes on the wall were given to me in 1970 by the Canadian artist who did them.

Even here I tried to soften the ugliness of technology as much as possible. The VCR machine, for example, is hidden under that white handmade Serbian lace next to the antique TV stand. The painting on the wall is from Kotor, Montenegro. I bought it there in 1990 from a young artist.

Now, compare my Grayhawk home now with the way it looked when the previous owners were still here; when Karen stormed out of it tearing up the listing form in aesthetic disgust. I first had to remove all that ugly furniture in my mind last October before deciding to make an offer on the place. Looks a little different, huh? J

Overall, decorating my Grayhawk home was truly a labor of love. Besides coming up with the concept, and then designing and acquiring things that made it come true, which I discovered was fun in and of itself, I have personally made some of the items you've seen in these pictures (not the big pieces, of course, like the furniture, but rather flower arrangements, painting certain objects, etc.).

The entire process was most surprising to me. I had no idea that I could enjoy the visual arts so much. For, I have never done anything like that before. But then, I had never done anything in the theater, either, before doing "The Professional" (a play - see "Six Brushes with Theater World").

Well, just as when the London or New York media and critics asked me how many plays I had done before "The Professional," and I would answer them with "none;" which always led to a follow-on question - if I intended to do more plays like that, and I would stun them even more by answering "not if I can help it;" so this visual arts phase of my life is now over. I've got my kicks out of it, and can move on to something else.

Meanwhile, I did learn something rather interesting from a social point of view. When a woman steps out of her traditional role as a housewife and mother (cooking, cleaning, home decorating...), and does something that men used to do, most people cheer it on as progressive; the "women's lib," if you like. But when a man steps out of his traditional domestic role (take out the trash; mow the lawn; fix the leaky faucet...), and takes up a "living arts project" like this, some women feel threatened. I even had some female interior designers worry that I may be encroaching on their territory!?

Quite amusing... women can be so territorial. Well, "what's good for the gander..." J

In any event, they don't have to worry anymore. It's over and out for this "interior designer." Back to trash and leaky faucets... (I don't have any lawn to mow anymore, thank God!). J

SCOTTSDALE, May 19 - Now that the temperatures are in the triple digits, it seems that the real desert plants are waking up. With all the early bloomers now finished, it is the cacti (saguaro-white colored flowers) and the ironwood (lavender-colored flowers) blossoms that dominate the scenery in late May. Take a look...

A sculptor once told me that ironwood is the hardest wood in the world. And indeed, it looks pretty craggy and tough the rest of the year. But not in late May. Now, it is the most beautiful tree in the desert. Its lavender blossoms practically extinguish its small moss green leaves.

And here's a saguaro in bloom. Its white flowers make it look as if the cactus has been crowned. And maybe it has. It does look as majestic as a "king of the desert" should.

Here you have the best of the desert worlds - "king saguaro" and "princess ironwood" looking as if they are locked in an embrace.

All of the above pictures were taken at DC Ranch, a part of my bike route to the Village Club.

This little bird evidently decided that it wanted to be on top of the world. So it perched itself on top of this tall "king saguaro" crown.

This saguaro and a desert tree also make a handsome couple. Saguaro is protruding literally through the middle of the tree. It's another good example of how plants can share the same desert space.

Finally, here's a desert intruder... my new FILLY is taking it all in - in stride. The mountain peak you can see in the distance is Camelback Mountain, where I used to live until last October. It is about 20 miles away (a little less as the crow flies).

By the way, the word "saguaro" is pronounced "sa_uaro" (the "g" is silent). One way we can tell tourists in Arizona is when we hear them pronounce the "g." So if you want to blend in better, sack the "g." J