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$5.99 US/CAN FEBRUARY 2012

MODERNdesign

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No surface is left uncoveredin the Gifford house/gallery.The entrance hall showcases

works by Saul GrayHildebrand, Alexis Pittmon,Frances Scorzelli, and Dan

Levin, among others.

ArtfullivingThis Stunning Light-Filled MontecitoHome Showcases The Work Of More Than Sixty Santa Barbara

Contemporary Artists

TEXT BY LESLIE A. WESTBROOK

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CIRO COELHO

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ABOVE A large head made of tea bags bySanta Barbara City College graduate ChloeGray rests unexpectedly on a platter in thecenter of the large circular UFO dining

table by Ferruccio Laviani for Emmemobili,imported from Italy. Other works in thedining room are by Penelope Gottlieb,Cass Ensberg, Zack Paul, Nancy Gifford(“Rip in Time” on back wall) and “The

Priest” by Henry Rasmussen (right wall).LEFT The glass-walled living room, diningroom and master bedroom look out to amagenta powder coated sculpture by

Santa Barbara City College professor EdInks. The wood construction on the wall is“Vessels” by Nancy Gifford, and hangsaside her collection of Buddha heads.

“The best wayto find good

artists is toask other

artists…theyall know

each other.”—Nancy Gifford

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The roots of Nancy and Michael Gifford’sstunning, light-filled, Montecito home filled with con-temporary art evolved from a simple adobe packingshed on a fifty acre lemon orchard that was part of aturn of the century estate. Over the years, the originalthick-walled adobe was slowly expanded to suit theneeds of various owners: first as a garage, then as amusic room and later as an enlarged living quartersnow including four bedrooms, four and half baths, anoffice and art studio.

“When we purchased the house from a sculptor,we didn’t change the footprint but we did reconfigurethe interior spaces. He had already converted and

enlarged the garage into a sixteen foot high studio,” saysNancy Gifford, a former high fashion model who isnow a contemporary artist in her own right.

After two years of renovation, the couple finallybegan the fun task of decorating. Their collectionevolved organically out of Nancy’s immersion in thelocal art scene. “We had no idea that we were going to fillthe house with the artwork of Santa Barbara artists,” shesays. “But I spent those two years during the renovationvisiting studios in Santa Barbara and now have the workof more than sixty local artists.” The pieces on displayinclude whimsical drawings, bold paintings, quirkyassemblages and both indoor and outdoor sculpture.

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The biggest obstacle was finding the artists thatwere doing the more edgy work that suits the couple’spersonal taste. When Nancy began her search, she foundthere were few galleries locally that handled many ofthese mid-career contemporary artists. She did her owninvestigative work. “The best way to find good artists isto ask other artists,” she says, “they all know each other.”

Her first studio visit was to Colin Fraser Gray. Hetold her about Julia Ford, so Nancy sought her out andcontinued her search from there. Artists represented inthe collection include Richard Aber, Tony Askew, KenBortolazzo, Hillary Brace, Jane Callister, VirginiaMcCracken, Rafael Perea de la Cabada, Peggy Ferris,Penelope Gottlieb, Mike Irwin, Hugh Margerum, KeithPuccinelli, and Susan Tibbles, among many others.

Only the most astute observer of the works onthe walls will notice the tiny map pins that identifyeach piece displayed in the 6,400 square feet space.Interior designer Joani Stewart-Georgi, ASID, IIDAof Montana Avenue Interiors in Marina Del Rey wasresponsible for the modern furnishings that blendwith the neutral palette of white, beige and gray.Natural materials used throughout include massiveamounts of glass, blonde woods, pale plush fabrics andcool travertine marble floors. Paint surfaces were cre-ated to Nancy Gifford’s specifications. For the crispmuseum effect in the interior, titanium was mixed intothe white paint. For the exterior, at least a dozen trialswere needed to finally obtain a neutral N7 artist gray.Most commercial grays have either too much blue or

Living room furnishings includeQuadra 2 sofa from Poltruna Frau;

swivel chairs from DIVA onRobertson and Saarinen womb

chairs by Knoll Studio from DesignWithin Reach covered in reproduc-tion of the original bouclé fabric in

mushroom shade from 1920s.Artwork, from the left, is by Henry

Rasmussen, Brad Howe (floorsculpture), Kathy Kissik (above),Philip Argent (right), and Rafael

Perea de la Cabada.

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ABOVE RIGHT Ellen P. Bildsten,A.I.A., LEED AP, was the architectof record who designed a perfectsetting for Nancy and Michael

Gifford’s Montecito home/gallerythat showcases serious, colorfuland often amusing and whimsicalworks by Santa Barbara artists. RIGHT An art tableau includes

stripe oil painting “Che” by LeahModigliani and a limited edition of

“The Insomnia Drawings” byLouise Bourgeois.

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ABOVE Even the kitchen,designed by Santa Barbara

Kitchens, features art includingworks by Jeff Koons (one of thefew artists in the Gifford collec-

tion who is not from SantaBarbara), Neal Crosbie, and JuliaFord. The wall relief sculpture by

Inga Guzyte is constructedentirely from used skateboards.Shark stools by BonTempi flank

the sleek, glass counter. ABOVE LEFT Lap pool with a

stripe wall designed by NancyGifford, opens to mountain views.

LEFT Artist and Santa Barbaraarts patron Nancy Gifford in

her home studio.

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green that is enhanced by the sun. Dunn Edwards hasthe formulas listed under “Gifford White” and“Gifford Gray.”

The pool and gardens were designed by Nancy, butshe is quick to give credit to head gardener AugustinVega and his brother David Vega for bringing her visionto life. “Augustin is a rose specialist extraordinaire andDavid meticulously measured between each succulent inorder to create a diagonal grid pattern on the terracesuntil the plants mature.” From the roof deck, lookingdown at the entrance gardens, the design could be mis-taken for one of Nancy’s formalist art constructions.

The residence is often used for fundraising eventsfor non-profit organizations, while museum councilsfrom as far away as Laguna Beach, are frequent visitors. “We are not a commercial gallery, but many peoplewho visit fall in love with a particular piece of art,” shesays. “We sell the work right off the wall, then replace

it soon after with another piece by the same artist. It’sabout encouraging people to buy locally and givingthem a place to discover artists previously unknown tothem.” As a result of her activities Nancy Gifford nowsits on the boards of the Contemporary Arts Forum,The Arts Fund, The Advisory Council for WestmontMuseum of Art and is a founding member of theContemporaries of Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

“When we came to Santa Barbara we knew wewanted a contemporary house, but we didn’t know howhard it would be to find one”, she says. “We looked atmore than one hundred houses before settling on thisone. I got the added bonus of having an existing artstudio on the property.” Not only did the Giffords suc-ceed in finding a contemporary house, but one perfectlysuited to showcase their constantly changing collectionthat supports the talented—and now better known—artists of Santa Barbara. CH

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