Brandford-Horry

Get out and walk in Charleston and you won't be able to move one inch without stepping into history, our history of the United States, not always so united. Imagine this: in 1833 the largest railroad in the world was based in Charleston and ran from Charleston to Hamburg, (no not Germany). Now here's where I come in: that railroad, the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company was run by Elias Horry, the name sake of the Branford-Horry House and in the Branford-Horry House I painted Elias Horry's name on the wall while nobody was looking.

Click on this image to enlarge.
It makes for interesting reading!

So here I am walking in Charleston on Meeting Street and I knock on the door of one of those beautiful old homes and what do you know, they let me in! Truth be told the charming and friendly present day owner's of the Branford-Horry House were expecting me. I wanted to see the graffiti on the bathroom wall. Ok, it's not graffiti it's my painting but owning to my usual technique of working off site I had never see the installation. I completed this project in 2002.

The Little Necessary Room under the stairs.

What's so wild is that I sort of grew up with the Branford-Horry House because we had a copy of The Golden Treasury of Early Houses and I use to obsess over the images in that book. Never did I image one day I'd be standing in one of those houses let alone have my painting on the walls of one. I know, it may seem like I'm making an awful lot over a little powder room tucked under a staircase but then again this is probably the most appreciated room by all the illustrious guests who visit this house made for entertaining. Yes, I think it may be the smallest mural in the smallest room I've ever painted but there's more. The owners have built a most beautiful county home out on Wadmalaw Island where I have painted my largest mural yet. Please stay tuned for that.

By the way if you didn't catch it in my last post Google Books has some choice pages from a recent publication called: Charleston Architecture and Interiors By Susan Sully where you can see some really nice photographs of The Branford Horry House.

Be seeing you!