Thursday 23 May 2013

Pictures of pictures

WARNING!

This post contains pictures of quite an appalling quality which might make you think your eyes are fading fast

There are many reasons for this
a) the light for picture taking at the moment is terrible
b) I tried to photograph them in situ - disregarding the amount/quality of light in that situ
c) Reflective glass
d) I'm quite an impatient soul and couldn't do with waiting any longer

Mr K and I celebrated twenty years of marriage this week (WHAT! How did THAT happen?) Seventeen of those years have been spent in this house. When we first moved the majority of our belongings had been scraped together from hither and thither (love that phrase although not quite sure what it means) and over the years they have been shifted around, repurposed and revamped as necessary. They've served us well and to be honest even if we moved to a brand spanking new house now I think the majority of pieces would stay with us - like a favourite pair of old slippers or a sloppy jumper (remember this metaphor please - it will serve you well!) Whether this is a good thing or not I don't know but it is what it is and it's what makes our house a home. Sometimes though it's good to look at things through fresh eyes. The other day I was wandering through the house collecting washing and noticed the sun was shining in on one of our paintings. I stopped and realised it had been a long time since I'd actually looked at it. Then it hit me - our walls were full of old slippers and sloppy jumpers (aha - do you see?) Furthermore each of those pictures had a memory attached.


In the 'last century' Mr K acquired several paintings from fellow painters at his degree show


It's a fish skeleton - on it's side!

And made a couple of decorative pieces himself

Love the vibrant blue in this one

Over the years we have received some wonderful original pieces from friends ...

Darn that reflective glass

...and family
Mountains by mum!

Cornwall by Big Sis age 9 ...

and a memory of a Flaming Lips concert we went to together  (the lyrics to this song are beautiful - take a listen here)

Posters 
Klimt - featuring our kitchen lamp



Photographs

Little Sis on a particularly windy day - age 7

Nana K as a girl

And some general 'odd bits'


Love these - well done Ms Sheffield!

Currently showing in our bedroom fireplace!

And this
An original pen drawing but nobody quite knows what of - any ideas?
(N.B. it might be upside down - hard to tell!)

We found this print at an auction and - as it bears an uncanny resemblance to Little Sis - brought it home and re-framed it!

There are other pieces - artwork from the girls, exhibition posters, 1950's prints, old matchcards etc. They all have memories, stories to tell. They are part of the heart of our home - my old slippers - and I love them dearly.

Now go and rub your eyes!
Jane 
x

16 comments :

  1. Love all your artwork, so fun and each piece is different from the next.
    Hugs to you,
    Meredith

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  2. I love your online exhibition! Love the Klimt, I remembered we both have that one...and the other paintings are gorgeous and eclectic and interesting, which is what I think art should be! Chrissie x

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  3. I loved this post. Your narration is funny and entertaining and all of your artwork interesting.

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  4. Oh my gosh - "Cornwall" by Big Sis is amazing. Love it! And the floral painting in the fireplace too. Our home is much the same - very eclectic, a mish mash of whatever tickles my fancy from year to year, decade to decade. Mel x

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  5. How lovely to have such talented artists in your inner circle of peeps. Forget the pic quality, it was just great to see all your lovely artwork and you've inspired me to take a wander around our home now and take a closer look again at the walls I see every day!
    Have a lovely weekend and thanks for the gallery tour,
    Xx

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  6. What a lovely post, it's amazing how we stop noticing things we are surrounded with on a daily basis. Nice to stop and take the time to enjoy them ... and what talented friends and family you have. Sarah x

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  7. Wow that certainly enlightened(!) my eyesight!! Such a fantastic collection of beautiful art done and given by people close to you. You have some talented people around you my dear and I'm still a bit shocked about big sis doing that Cornwall pic aged 9, wow!! Happy 20th anniversary, hope you shared a wonderful day together. Xo

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  8. Lovely gallery tour ... I especially love the flowers, little rabbit and the very impressive Cornwall ... you are an arty bunch :) ... Bee xx

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  9. Mwhahaha! Your warning and kitchen lamp on Klimt made me laugh! I have also found that I seldom look at those on the walls. So I change them once a while. What a good idea to 'stock-take' them as you have done here! You have got such a nice collection of wall hangings! Lots of memories of family, friends and the events!

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  10. So true so true....going to have a walk around now looking at those walls with my eyes wide open and have just removed my sloppy old cardi because i dont wear jumpers....Bestest Daisy j x

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  11. Well, I've enjoyed looking at all your old slippers and sloppy jumpers, what a cornucopia of styles and themes and all the more special because they have memories attached to them. Like you we have many paitings and prints on our walls and all have memories associated with them, some given by friends, some bought from places we've visited. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary:)

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  12. You have some real treasures here Jane. I understand your impatience when you have SO many paintings to photograph, but I'm sure in real life the paintings are twice as remarkable! I too feel that a home comes together gradually over the years (20!! ... and Congratulations there!), and cannot be bought all at once in a store. I have loads of good memories when I look at my treasures too :) Happy Weekend to you! Wendy :)

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  13. Thank you for sharing your art treasures, Jane. REally enjoyed it. Have you been listening to RAdio 6 - they've been playing a lot of the Flaming Lips recently? xx

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  14. What a great mix of pictures! The embroidery is so pretty....I wish I had the patience to learn to do something like that! The rose one you've got in the fireplace is lovely xx

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  15. Great artwork! I love the fish bones, I was staring at this for ages with my head to one side! I think I'll take a look at my walls tomorrow to see what I have actually got on them...I can't remember!! xx

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