Carlton Hobbs switches to Dish Soap Bars

In our continued search for ways to reduce our impact on the enironment, Stefanie recalled that during her time in Russia,she obseved people hand-washing their dishes using bars of dish soap, rather than liquid soap from plasic containers. Such had soap bars for dish-washing seem to be genrally unavailable even in health food stores.

However, a quick internet search yielded results: on etsy.com, Garden of Saint Francis, a natural goods vendor, was found to be selling homemade dish soaps composed of lye and coconut or palm kernel oil: http://tinyurl.com/3to7q3n

We have now acquired these and have begun using new bars of dishwashing soap that are proving to be both effective for cleaning and for environmental conservation. Just one bar of dishwashing soap is projected to last about as long as a 25 ounce bottle of dishwashing detergent, totally eliminating the need for any kind of plastic packaging.8 bars of soap can be purchased for $23, less than $3 per bar. Comparatively, even the cheapest online price for Seventh Generation plant-derived dish soap is nearly $4, a savings of a whole dollar. Even better than the price, soap bars save us from using the plastic containers holding the 25 oz dishwashing liquid. The Clean Air Council's data shows that in 2008 only 13.3% of plastic bottles were recycled (Waste and Recycling Facts, Clean Air Council, accessed 9/1/2011: http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html.) In 2005, a UN publication on the environment estimated that more than a staggering 13,000 pieces of plastic are littering every square kilometer of ocean on our planet (Jeftic, L. "Marine Litter." UN Environmental Program, 2005: http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/default.asp.) Imagine how that could be impacted by using 0 plastic containers of dishwashing liquid per year (if you average a new dishwashing liquid package every 3 weeks, that's more than 17 plastic dish liquid containers per year saved from becoming a part of the plastic pollution problem.)

Check out our use of the new soap bars in our dishwashing videos below.

P9011604.AVI Watch on Posterous

Posted via email from carltonhobbs's posterous

London Lodge Decoration

We have recently redecorated our gallery at 16 Bloomfield Terrace in London.

Posted via email from carltonhobbs's posterous

Carlton Hobbs' White Roof

Summer has officially arrived, and we here at Carlton Hobbs are celebrating by painting a heat reflective white roof coating onto the roof of our gallery space at 60 East 93rd Street.

 

Why white? An informative article in the New York Times about the White Roof Movement drew our attention to the benefits of having a "cool" roof. The article details a family's amazement when their home's interior temperature dropped from 115 degrees to 80 degrees farenheit inside after treating their roof with a white covering. If energy bill savings aren't enough of a deterrent, the article goes on to state, then think about global warming: in the interest of slowing its effects, even Nobel Prize Winner and current Energy Secretary Steven Chu made a bid on television to convince audiences to "make it [roofs] white."  An asphalt roof in New York City, it is revealed, can reach a staggering 180 degrees farenheit! At Carlton Hobbs, we hope that by investing in a white, energy efficient rooftop, we can do our part to make our urban environment a little cooler and to do our part to consume less energy. Lots of time and energy went into the selection of covering and painting the layers on our first rooftop, pictured below, and we will spend the next few weeks covering the remaining roof spaces.

 

With something as simple as just repainting a roof, we hope that we can become part of a growing commitment of people to energy conservation and heat reduction in New York City, and the world.

 

Posted via email from carltonhobbs's posterous

Preschool of America's Class Visit to Carlton Hobbs

Today, Carlton Hobbs hosted a group of preschoolers who came to visit our rescued dogs. The children got to meet Tallulah, Carolina, Tillie, and our newly rescued mixed breed, Ellie. They were reminded to treat animals kindly.

 

The class really enjoyed meeting our dogs, and we think the dogs enjoyed having them, too--especially Carolina!

 

Posted via email from carltonhobbs's posterous

Carlton Hobbs' White Roof

Summer has officially arrived, and we here at Carlton Hobbs are celebrating
by painting a heat reflective white roof coating onto the roof of our
gallery space at 60 East 93rd Street.

Why white? An informative article in the New York Times about the White Roof
Movement drew our attention to the benefits of having a "cool" roof. The
article details a family's amazement when their home's interior temperature
dropped from 115 degrees to 80 degrees farenheit inside after treating their
roof with a white covering. If energy bill savings aren't enough of a
deterrent, the article goes on to state, then think about global warming: in
the interest of slowing its effects, even Nobel Prize Winner and current
Energy Secretary Steven Chu made a bid on television to convince audiences
to "make it [roofs] white."  An asphalt roof in New York City, it is
revealed, can reach a staggering 180 degrees farenheit! At Carlton Hobbs, we
hope that by investing in a white, energy efficient rooftop, we can do our
part to make our urban environment a little cooler and to do our part to
consume less energy. Lots of time and energy went into the selection of
covering and painting the layers on our first rooftop, pictured below, and
we will spend the next few weeks covering the remaining roof spaces.

With something as simple as just repainting a roof, we hope that we can
become part of a growing commitment of people to energy conservation and
heat reduction in New York City, and the world.

white roof.jpeg 70K   View   Download

Posted via email from carltonhobbs's posterous

Serving up a Tile Painting, Rare

The production of painted tiles in Valencia has continued in one form or another since the Middle Ages.  The first known Valencian factory devoted solely to tilemaking opened in 1568.  Full polychrome designs introduced by Castille artisans had revolutionized the Spanish tilemaking industry and inspired new subject matter and more elaborate compositions.  Increased demand led several Valencian craftsmen to open tile factories, which at first were small, cramped workshops with a single kiln and a limited yield.  However, by the middle of the eighteenth-century, at the height of the Spanish Rococo period, the city’s tile factories had become the foremost in Spain, and were receiving commissions ranging from kitchen panels in the homes of the wealthy nobility to interior decorations in the Royal Palace in Madrid.

By the mid-1700s, the most important tile factory in Valencia was that of Vicente Navarro, located on Calle de la Corona.  Navarro is named in a mural in the convent of Santo Domingo de Orihuela in the town of Vernos that depicts the history of the tile industry in the 1700s.  In one scene, which shows bundles of merchandise marked with their makers’ names, one bundle reads: “Luís Domingo drew it… Vicente Navarro made it”.  Luís Domingo was one of the painters of the Academia, and his name being here linked with Navarro’s indicates that Navarro may have had collaborated with some of the most highly respected Baroque artists.

One of the best-preserved examples of Navarro’s style of Rococo kitchen tile paintings can be found in the Casa del Marqués de Benicarló, in Benicarló, Spain.  The exterior walls of the house, built in 1776 for the rich merchant Joaquín Miquel, were once covered with Rococo frescoes; and elaborately designed tile paintings were installed throughout the building.  The richest tile paintings were saved for the more private areas of the house, and the grand kitchen became home to the most impressive of all.

You can read more about this tile picture on our blog:

http://www.carltonhobbs.net/art/serving-up-a-tile-painting-rare/2010/02/17/

TilePicturefinal.mov Watch on Posterous

Posted via email from carltonhobbs's posterous

A Forest of Ships: An Evening with Cybele Gontar

On the evening of Thursday, March 24, Cybele Gontar gave a lecture in our second floor gallery explaining the origins of Creole and Acadian furniture in Louisiana. Beginning with a history of the migration of settlers from the French provinces of Canada, France, and the West Indies, she traced the evolution of stylistic markers associated with these regional furniture traditions. Pointing to specific themes and embellishments, she noted the influence of engravings on the decorative traditions in cabinetry in the Creole/Acadian style, as can be seen in this side-by-side comparison of a silver engraver's portrayal of a heron and an inlaid Louisiana armoire detail of a heron among the reeds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ms. Gontar also commented on various articles of furniture, such as armoires and campeche chairs, whose origins stem from the fusion of these styles and the styles of Anglo-American settlers. Of particular importance from the late 18th century forward were furniture importation and the population migration from the West Indies.  Resulting from unstable social conditions, especially in Jamaica, many settlers with a French/Creole background migrated to New Orleans during the 17th and 18th centuries. Among these settlers was Jean Rousseau, a capable ébéniste (cabinetmaker) and a defining figure of New Orleans cabintery and of the Creole/Acadian tradition.

Ms. Gontar's lecture was informative and engaging. Afterward, a book signing was held for the new publication 'Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture 1735-1835. Hors d'oeurves evoking the flavor of New Orleans were passed as people enjoyed perusing the books and discussing the evening's lecture.

Posted via email from carltonhobbs's posterous