If walls could talk

An old school picture form and handwritten letters dating back to 1927. 

In the French film Amélie, the discovery of a little toy hidden in the wall of an old apartment leads to life-changing events for a young woman and those around her.  I have yet to find a beloved toy in the walls of my home, but I have experienced the delight of discovering other personal items, including handwritten letters, old magazines, and even a vintage camera.

Opening up a wall in an old home is like an archeology dig.  After a few major remodels, I have found that it's not uncommon to find little treasures or lost items tucked away in the walls.  It's not a question anymore of if there's something behind a wall, but what?

Letters and publications seem to be a common find in walls.  Here are a couple of old Life Magazines we found in decommissioned ducts of our 1948 home in Eugene, Oregon.  Inside one of the magazines, there is a feature on Russian-born American artist Max Weber (1881 - 1961). 

The article was written by Winthrop Sargeant (what a great name).  Here's an excerpt from the introductory paragraph.

To the average person the somber landscapes, primitive portraits and slablike nudes that Max Weber paints look deceptively heavy, coarse and unskilled.  But to fellow artists, Weber's work places him as the greatest artist in America and one of the few really great ones in the world. . . Weber's brooding canvases have been shown and bought by virtually every important museum in the country.  They have won the most important prizes the art world has to offer.  Collectors buy them avidly at prices that sometimes reach early five figures.   

Our greatest find to date is a Kodak Folding Brownie camera (manufactured sometime between 1916 - 1926) in its original case.  We were replacing a kitchen cabinet, and there it was behind the cabinet wall!

   
One day I would love to run some film through it.  The camera is upside-down in the picture, but the cable is what you use to snap the picture.  The viewfinder is the squarish component next to the cable.

We have also had some bizarre finds in our home.  In our first bathroom remodel, my husband and I found an enormous lot of used razor blades in the wall behind our sink. We learned that it was commonplace for men to dispose of their razor blades in little slits found on the inside of older medicine cabinets.  A fun little fact but not a fun little find.  And, in a kitchen remodel a few years ago, an electrician was reaching inside of a wall to retrieve a wire when he found a small tin vial with white powdery substance.  (This was not a keeper.)

What are some treasures you have discovered in your home?

Josef Frank's unfailing wallpaper designs

[image sources: Apartment Therapy, Just Scandinavian]

Some things just don't go out of style, like the beautiful and bold wallpaper patterns by architect/artist Josef Frank (1885 - 1967).  The design on the bottom right is one of my favorites.  I just love all the details and the dark background.  It would look gorgeous on a dining room wall, don't you think?

Two new prints, "Sprig" and "Lake's Edge"

I rarely work from a sketch when starting a new piece.  Most of the time,  my work is a stream of consciousness.  I first lay down a wash for the background and start building up the details from there.  

The colors that I choose for the background tend to dictate the direction of my work.  In my new mixed media work, Sprig, the blues, violets, and grays reminded me of the Oregon landscape after a period of rain.  

I also had a small pile on my art desk of cut-up drawings from the pocketbook gallery.  I wanted to incorporate some of these pieces in my new work.  I'm not a pack rat by any means, but sometimes it is hard for me to throw away even the smallest of pieces left over from a drawing.  Some of the scraps I see as little morsels of creative thought and execution.  So I keep them in a little bowl to reuse in new compositions. 

Lake's Edge is another work I completed this week.  It's much more graphic and bolder in color than Sprig.  Both prints can now be found in my Etsy shop.

Memories of France captured in paintings

Water Lilies, Claude Monet, 1914.

I miss France.  We spent a few weeks of our summer in '98 traveling all over the country. I still have so many vivid memories from the trip.  Yesterday, I was looking through my pictures of France when I had a revelation of sorts.  Could it be that France is such a memorable place because of famous works of art that I had been exposed to? Strolling through Giverny, for example, it wasn't hard for me to see where Monet got his inspiration.  The pond and Japanese bridge were just like how he had painted them.  (The photos on the right are the pictures I took on my trip.) 

Café Terrace At Night, Vincent Van Gogh, 1888.

Vincent Van Gogh's paintings came alive in Arles.  When we were passing a vast sunflower field outside of town, we had to pull over and take some pictures up close.  I soon found myself standing amid these enormous flowers, and it was as if time stood still.  I could imagine Van Gogh, with his easel and palette, painting such a glorious scene. 

Above is Van Gogh's famous painting, Café Terrace At Night.  We were there only during the day, but you can see that even the tree still looks the same 110 years later!

Lake at Annecy, Paul Cezanne, 1890 - 1892.

My favorite city on our trip was Annecy, in the French Alps region.  The mountain air is crisp, and the lake is so clear. In many ways, it reminds me of Oregon (minus the gigantic castles on the water!).

When I think of mountainous landscapes in France, I think of Post-Impressionist artist Paul Cezanne. I love the serene setting that Cezanne captured in his painting Lake at Annecy.  Perfect!

The Jetty at Cassis, Opus 198, Paul Signac, 1889.

The most memorable moment of our trip was in Cassis, a small town on the Mediterranean.  My husband and I had the most amazing dining experience at a family-run Greek restaurant at the point of the pier.  The food was outrageously good, the hospitality was unforgettable, and the view was breathless.  

I rediscovered Paul Signac's painting of The Jetty at Cassis just yesterday.  (I find it startlingly similar to the photo I took on the beach!)  Signac's pointillist style is so fitting for such a beautiful coastal scene.

The Pont Neuf, Paris, Pierre-Auguste Renior, 1872.

Walking through the streets of Paris was an amazing experience.  I took this photo of the city atop of Notre Dame.  It seems like the cityscape hasn't changed much since Renior's 1872 rendering- minus one major attraction.  The Eiffel Tower wasn't built until 1889.

The beautiful surroundings and rich cultural history of France has been an inspiration to artists for many centuries.  One day, I'll be back- maybe even for an extended stay.  Until then, I'll continue to relive my wonderful time in France through photographs and paintings.

Comparing art: Gérard Dubois and René Magritte

Works by René Magritte (left) and Gérard Dubois (right)

The illustrative works of Montréal-based artist Gérard Dubois are featured in major publications, such as The New Yorker, Time Magazine, Le Monde, and Rolling Stone.  While browsing DuBois' collection of works on his website, I was reminded of the works of Surrealist artist- René Magritte (whose works are shown here on the left).

It's hard to believe that there is a 70-year span between the two artists (Magritte dying the year before DuBois was born). These particular works of art share so many similar qualities regarding composition, imagery, and color choice.  The objects depicted in their works seem to come from the same time period, yet there is a timelessness about their art.  Maybe this explains the common use of Magritte's art in media even today.

My Week

our neighbor gave us a bag of pears from her yard

so I made pie

took pictures of a high school senior at her family's vineyard

finished the pocketbook gallery (31 pages) just in time to give it away

it's headed to Spain! 

new piece, Breezy Night

Show and Tell: vessels

I have a weakness for small, hand formed bowls and vases.   The pieces below are the latest additions to my collection.

On the left is Rainy Day at the Sea Side from Nesting Emily.  It just arrived in the mail today, and I absolutely love it!  The other two pieces came from a local boutique called Una.   The shop is known for their stunning clothes, but they also have a stockpile of vintage and found ceramic goodies- all priced very reasonably.  These two beauties were a total of $16. 

[Shown in the first image are ceramic pieces from Pigeon Toe and Leah Nobilette, both from Portland.]

Inspired by macrame

In recent months, I've been itching to take up weaving.  I don't have a loom (as of yet), so I've been thinking of alternative ways to intertwine yarn.  One idea that came to mind was using knots.  I have never been a huge fan of macrame, but I was quickly won over when I saw the works of Australian artist Sarah Parkes.  Her macrame creations are a far cry from kitschy. 

In addition to lighting and plant hangings, Parkes also has a macrame jewelry collection.  I love the rosette necklace on the right.

Yesterday, I decided to try my luck at macrame.  And what started as a spontaneous idea became a several hour ordeal!  Here's a look at what I made.

The only experience I've had knotting yarn was when I made friendship bracelets as a teenager.  I found that dressing a bottle was a little trickier than dressing a wrist! I wanted the macrame design on the bottle to be organic, so I didn't follow a pattern.  And, instead of cord, I used flax yarn (which is more like twine).  The texture of the yarn definitely gives a different effect than cord -more like a crocheted look. 

Glass and rope scream beach to me, so hopefully you caught on to the sea theme.  I titled the piece Seafarer, in honor of the explorer in all of us.  I imagine the newly adorned vessel to hold sand from a faraway place or notes of affection.

I added this piece to a new section in my Etsy shop called Exclusives.  This will be home to unique, one-of-a kind creations (like my embroidery works, painted rocks, etc.). 

Oh, and don't forget the mega giveaway ends tomorrow!  I've enjoyed reading all of the comments so far.  Your thoughtful feedback and encouraging words always fuel my creative energy.  Thank you!