Never has our home been so sparkly clean and organized. Just visualizing the many feet that will cross our threshold and eyes that will look at EVERYTHING urged us into super-human cleaning machines! I even remembered to clean the air ducts and under the frig; you never know where curious eyes might look. Hmmm, the dilemma, how is one to make this family news more interesting to you, my friends who read my little musings and mumblings. Having the home so spanking clean and organized it needed to be "photo-documented." I have chosen a few pictures that represent some type of artistic merit you might enjoy along with sharing our home that we are sad to leave.
What does one do with a zillion paintings, when galleries close and sales evaporate? Where does one hang, display, store canvases, paints, frames...all the accouterments of the PAINTING LIFE? Maybe a few peeks at our home will spark your own ideas for displaying your own precious treasures.
Twenty five years ago I ordered two pine cupboards...they have seen many uses. This one lets me display my favorite small paintings, books and all my Art Journals.
It is fun to make your art area fun and funky, a little bit unusual it just takes a touch of imagination, a little paint and thinking outside of the box. This is the front half of my studio.
We moved a serving counter from the kitchen to the studio. Having installed new carpet we had an extra Asian carpet...well, I had observed in all those glossy, surreal painting magazines that the really "fancy-Nancy" artists have Asian carpets UNDER their easels!!! Hey maybe it will inspire my painting.
Yes, there is a place to actually paint, big girl style...note the remnant carpet not Asian...love the light that streams through the windows. Utility rolling shelves hold supplies and are covered with sheets hung with shower curtain clips. In this area I usually have three easels set up.
Many many moons ago we bought this large cabinet for 25.00. Taking a big breath of air and finding even bigger brushes I decided to paint it. The painting is a bit primitive but oh my, does it hold a lot of art goodies and memories!!!
Last view of my studio...farewell dear studio, you have served me well. And honest to goodness I never once spilled paint on the carpet!!!!!!! Soda pop yes, paint, no!
Take note of the black shelves on the wall. You can buy them at home supply stores. They originally lined the entire wall, making it so easy to display art and not pound nails for hanging paintings. Alas, one day I heard a huge crash, I thought the china cupboard had tipped over....to my great relief it was just a shelf giving way from too many paintings hanging out together!!
This corner cupboard matches the previous shelf in the studio. Open your doors on your furniture and paint some fun motifs, hang pictures, or collage...then display favorite books, sculptures or cute family photos.
This really large china cupboard, greatly reduced in price due to damage, once held our family china and crystal, but now holds my very best, my very favorite art books, seashells, starfish, funky glass and tiny journals. Kind of like an old British "specimen" case!
Years ago my German Grandmother gave my father the bottom of a cupboard for his own use. It had come across the prairies in a wagon. Eventually he gave it to me to decorate. I fell in love with it and he graciously let me "borrow" it indefinitely! The two paintings are copies of Manet's work by my friend Alice Hemming and me, after we had seen an inspiring Manet exhibition. What is more fun than showing/displaying art by your friends or favorite painter?
No I didn't break the doors on our kitchen cupboards, but I did remove them!!! (They are stored away for new owners.) Painted the interior black and displayed my little pottery-tile collection, mostly gifts from wonderful friends and family. The faux curtains are painted canvas that I adhered with double sided carpet tape and if that gives way, a few well placed thumbtacks will keep it neat and tidy!!
Another piece of discarded furniture. The tiny checks are glued on checkered paper, varnished to be more durable. The top is a painted black and white checker motif. When I paint on furniture I use all types of acrylic paint including wall paint. The key is in the primer.
Having no headboards, canvas, wooden plates and wooden boxes are attached to the walls forming a visual if not literal headboard. The boxes were nailed with a single nail, then the lids put back on.
This is an accompanying piece...not sure what happened to the bottom portion of the chest in the photo, oh, well, you can see the point of hanging art with smaller pieces forming a wall collage. This is our Swedish bedroom for guests.
I show these photos to illustrate the point to not be afraid of COLOR! It is amazing what you can put together. This is the only room in our home that has white walls...really too lazy to paint them. However art work really looks spectacular on colored walls. Paint is so inexpensive, it can be your best decorating friend.
If you made it this far, thank you for taking a peek at our colorful home. Hope the new owners aren't beige and white lovers!!
So long, farewell our fun and funky home!!!
Hi, this is Merry, Ashley-Anne's friend from high school. I have always loved your houses, and your style. As weird as this may sound, after you guys moved away, sometimes I would drive past your old house in Wheaton to see your old front door (the people who bought it didn't paint over the spray of flowers you had painted on it). Seeing your pictures and your furniture brought back so many happy, amazing memories for me. Thank you.
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