I wonder how long it took, or how many days or nights were spent on the art creations in the creative corner of my office?
I wasn’t there when my friend made the dear gnome that sits on the shelf. I made the hummingbird that hangs from the ceiling, and that took about 4 hours, including the lessons she shared with me on how to make it. I can just see her smiling as she created the one for me. I remember her smiling at my creation – first attempts are fun to watch in action.
I wasn’t there when the artist from Jamaica made the painting on the wall. It was a surprise farewell gift from a staff person at the resort we stayed at the first time we took our daughters there.
That was the trip I pretended I could dance like the youngins’ were doing, it must’ve impressed the staff member enough with my technique, or he was smitten with my daughters – he gave it to us the day we left. When I look at the painting, I smile. Every time I think of that trip, I smile too.
I wasn’t there when the person who owned the camera on the shelf took photos. I don’t even know how old the camera is, but it reminds me to appreciate the history of photography, as well as how much technology has changed over the years. And to always be ready to click a photo. My camera sits out and ready for action on the table nearby.
I wasn’t there when the authors of the books penned their thoughts to paper. I adore using books as decorations, especially ones I enjoyed reading.
Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced. – Leo Tolstoy
I wasn’t there when my daughter used the wooden art mannequin as she learned to draw in art class. It worked long enough for her to want to donate it or sell it at a thrift sale. Once she graduated from school, she said she didn’t need it. I, of course, rescued it. Not sure why I just couldn’t part with it? But I do like how I made it into a little ‘art’ of my own by posing it like the painting next to it on the wall. I can see all the lesson’s paid off, I still wonder where she gets her talent from…
I wasn’t there when she cut the strips, laid the pattern, sewed together each delicate piece, one by one, by hand.
My grandmother made the quilt that hangs on the wall for my mother’s little dolly, she also made a queen size one that matches it, I have it stored away. I wonder how long it took her, and if she bought the fabric, or if it was old clothing she cut into strips and reused? I’ll never know the answers to those questions, she died before I could ask, and I never asked my mom before she passed away either. The mystery of the piece fascinates me, and those unanswered questions remind me that art is a creation from the heart of the artist making it.
And there are always untold stories as artist’s ideas become works of art.
Post Inspiration – Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Art and #JusJoJan
PS – What kind of art do you enjoy? Do you decorate with hand-me-downs, or collectibles too?
Beautiful artwork and post. Well written. So true, ‘art is the creation …’
Thank you, Indira!
Loved the way you wrote it.
Thank you – I loved your post as well – the images you shared have stuck with me as I continue on with my day!
Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words.
That is a fascinating quilt. I love your daughter’s depiction of dementia. Cool corner!
Thank you, Janet, I appreciate hearing your thoughts – from a fellow artist, I’m positive my daughter, Sarah, will appreciate the compliment as well!
I love this stream of thought. I haven’t ever thought about the time it took to create any of our art either. I will say, having created a queen sized quilt that is still unbound on the edges (some day…), quilting is very time consuming when done by hand. Of course, in winter, it’s a warm activity and what else did I have to do? ha!
Thank you, Laurel – I appreciate your feedback. I have a quilt like that too…I keep pulling it out, admiring it, folding it back up, and adding it back to the to-do list. I want to keep it all handstitched, but the work involved…yowzers…like you said though, there’s this long winter ahead, and nothing else to do (hahaha hahaha!). 🙂
Lovely family photo and artwork! ❤️
Thank you, John – we were so young, it was 10 years ago already! Crap…I had to count the years, and now I’m freaking out how quickly that time flew!!!
I think my favorite kind of art would be best described as “posters.” I enjoy the posters Toulouse-Lautrec did (my favorites are a series of posters he did of Aristide Bruant, who owned a cabaret called Ambassadeurs) and the movie posters of Saul Bass. I’m also a fan of logos and advertising artwork: there’s an Italian restaurant near us that’s decorated in framed prints of ads from the ’30’s (mostly liquor and record ads) and another that’s decorated with travel posters from United Airlines. Sounds weird, doesn’t it?
We don’t do a whole lot of decorating here. Mary’s knitted items are works of art, but they’re made to be worn, not to be hung on the wall. Her uncle dabbled in oil painting, and we have a few of the reproductions he did, but that’s about it.
As, per the norm, John, I’m impressed with your tastes in art, just like the music you enjoy! Thank you for sharing your thoughts 🙂
I really enjoyed this post. The stories behind art, such as what you have displayed, are fascinating. The quilt especially. I have a quilt my great grandmother made by hand and I don’t know the story behind it and wish I did. Much of the art we have hanging on our walls consists of photographs (no shocker there LOL). Plus some art prints – featuring mostly ocean/beach scenes.
Aw, thank you, glad you enjoyed the post. Quilt making is so fascinating to me, like you said, especially the vintage quilts that were completely handsewn. I adore photos, and beach/ocean scenes – I’m sure I’d love seeing your decorating!
Well that’s an idea for a future post 🙂
This is the 2nd prompt this week about art on the wall. While reading the posts, it becomes clear that the beauty of art not only resides with the creator of it and the end product, but with the memories surrounding it. Beautiful rendering by your daughter for Alzheimers.
So fun that you found two prompts for Art. I agree with you, that’s an excellent way to describe art. I’m happy to read of your appreciation for her chalk drawing, thank you!
What a great collection. Love that every piece has a story. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Janet!
I like the quote and think artists have a wonderful gift to share.
Thank you, Deborah, yes they do!
That’s a lovely corner. I like that it’s full of memories, made, experienced and shared. I’m glad you kept the wooden art mannequin.
Thank you, Dan, I appreciate your encouragement!
Very nice artwork Shelley. My great grandmother used to make quilts, and they were beautiful, all hand stiched and in unusual patterns. She also made satin feather tick comforters years ago. I remember my mom’s Baby Brownie camera and that one reminds me of it … she had it for years and passed it down to me and I used it until I got the pocket camera years and years ago.
Thank you, Linda – I love how you share memories of the past with me, I’m always intrigued by what you share. I wonder if that was my mom’s camera, or my grandmother’s? I do have a picture of her holding a camera, now I just have to remember where it is so I can compare!
Thanks Shelley – I’m glad you enjoy those stories and I’m glad that my mom shared all those stories with me growing up … she sat me down and we looked at the photo album and she told me little stories about all of people in there. My mom’s Baby Brownie camera took great B&W pictures and most of my baby pictures, including the one I just used the other day in the playpen, a/k/a jail, was one taken by it – those pictures were always very small after developed.
That is awesome, I wish I would’ve taken more time to hear the stories of the photos. I inherited them, but don’t know much about them.
So I make stuff up based upon what I vaguely remember, LOL! Hmm….very small photos…that makes me want to go back and look at the old photos to see if I have any small photos that she would’ve taken. How small is very small?
The photos are in an album now but I’ll look and find an image of how I scanned the photos – some early family photos my mom had pasted or used photo corners into albums sometimes had a half-dozen or more on a page. I’d say they were not much bigger than those wallet-sized photos that we exchanged at graduation time. I’ll find a page of images and send them to you at the e-mail address that shows up in your comments if that is okay with you?
Yes, please do, thank you!!!
OK, will do Shelley … I will get it for you tonight. I had an emergency for my boss this morning – we had to get it done today as Robb is headed to California on business until Sunday, so I was not here until now – plus I am behind in Reader as well. I’ll send you several samples of the pages – the pics will be similarly sized to my “baby in the playpen” picture. My father had a 35mm camera and every picture he every took of me, including when I was young, he either cut my head off, or some part of my body, or the human subjects were almost out of the picture! You don’t have to have taken a photography course, or even rely on the “centering dots” to know how to take a picture – SMH. I never realized that so much as when I spent the entire Thanksgiving weekend of 2017 scanning in thousands of images … scrapbooks and albums from the beginning of time. It was quite a project and will take a massive amount of time to make all individual images. But in the meantime, I can cull pics out to use in my blog so I’m happy. I made a flash drive of the images and put it in the safety deposit box, have all the pics in my old computer and also stored on Shutterfly. I don’t want to go through that scanning ordeal again.
Thank you, Linda – love the history of your photos! You’re efforts at keeping those memories protected are impressive, to say the least!!
Thanks Shelley – I’m glad you enjoy them. I’m glad we both are in touch with the vintage years of our ancestors and maybe us as well (hmmm … define “vintage” as it applies to us).