Howard Slatkin was admiring the Menshikov Palace when he designed his kitchen, so was I while painting the watercolor study above. For me, painting is a way to contemplate the time and joy of the craftsmens' work successfully executed.  The beautiful and comprehensive Quintessence review of his book may be found here:  www.quintessenceblog.com 

(The second photograph is from Howard Slatkin's pinterest site)