The Story of Flaming June......

Flaming June by Lord Frederic Leighton

When I was in graduate school I came across a print of Flaming June in a sale bin in an art museum gift shop. I was struck by the color and the composition of the piece and the $10 price tag was perfect for my budget. I had my first real job in an Architecture firm, that I worked during the day, and went to graduate school at night. During this time I had my first "real" apartment, in a building with a pool and a work out room, very different from the old houses converted to student apartments I lived in during my undergrad years. This was the first time I was able to start collecting my own new furniture and accessories and start to develop my own independent style. I had always loved the color seafoam green and added it as an accent around my apartment; I collected a set of mismatched wooden chairs from various estate sales and used furniture shops and painted them all seafoam green; While browsing these shops I discovered McCoy Pottery pieces in various shades of aquas and seafoam and started building the collection I have to this day. When I brought the print home, I was struck with how well the soft orange/apricot of her dress went with all my light greens!! The painting has a back ground of various green tones and the addition of the orange gives it a fresh, lively look.
I took my $10 print to a local framestore, I chose a beautiful guilded frame for the print, no mat. Being young, niave and a new home decor consumer, I didn't think to ask what it would cost. I went back to pick up my print a week later and the clerk said "that will be $400, please". I was agast!! How could the frame for my $10 print cost $400? On my limited budget and my graduate school expenses, I could not justify $400 for a frame. I told the clerk my prediciment, she told me that someone was admiring the print and they could sell the framed piece to her; I agreed, was given $10 for my print and walked away. A couple of years later, after graduating from school and getting married, I was driving by the same frame shop, I spotted Flaming June in the front window, in the frame I had selected!! Her price tag was $300, nobody had purchased her, she hung on the wall in the shop for a few years and was now on sale. I was planning on purchasing her with my next paycheck. A few days later, I came home to find Flaming June in my living room!!! My husband saw her in the window, knew the story of my missed purchase, and bought it for me. He said, "the print was meant to be yours!" Flaming June sits on the mantle in our living room to this day.
Flaming June brought to my attention a color combination I still love to this day, seafoam green and orange. It is both calming and electric; the soft hue of the light green with that pop of orange is very refreshing and refined. Thank you Flaming June!!! Thank you JT!!


Seafoam green and orange beautifully combined
in this room from Canadian House and Home.

A few vases from my McCoy collection with orange roses.