Wow! Some amazing art...and I can't believe the prices we've paid for these beauties! Just goes to prove art doesn't have to cost a lot to be special.

My Story People print says:
I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand & the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love. But all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep & there are no words for that.

This is a wonderful thread! I really love seeing everyone's art....

We have some art I truly love, but we've not found the right places for it in our new home (which doesn't have much wall space, since there are a lot of windows and open layouts without many walls ...) but here are some photos of our old house and the art I want to find places for :)

An antique still life I got at auction, along with a collection of 1950's Krenit bowls. I'd also consider some of our furniture to be art, especially the Hans Wegner dining set:

on the perpendicular wall was a huge magenta steel sculpture by a friend of my parents c.1970, called "Amercian Dream" ;) the artist is Robert Amory. We LOVE this piece, loved how it went so well (we thought!) with the 1920's architecture of the house and our Scandinavian furniture...

In the living room, we had a trio of Molas that we bought from the Kuna indians when we were living on our boat in the San Blas islands off of Panama, also a folk art carved deer sculpture that always reminded me of the artist Dahlov Ipcar, who I love... and a Calder-esque mobil from the 1960's... and sometimes various oil paintings from when I was at art school (like the grey onion.)

and in the front hall is a handwoven textile from the 1960's

Oh, this really makes me want to FINISH the new house renovations, already, and get to hanging art!!!

This textured painting found it's place next to a Tommy Zen urn I already had,
I have a few paintings from this artist I particularly love.

Here is a link that might be useful: Maryline Lemaitre

OMG Staceyneil, that dark Danish furniture of yours is amazing!

I am now totally in love with the story people stuff. I hope it isnt crazy expensive.

staceyneil - I LOVE your style. I wish more people shared pictures and progress of modern style decor. I don't think I would be good advice but it would be nice eye candy for the rest of us.:)

Thanks guys! The danish pieces looked so beautiful in our old, 20's house. it's weird but I don't like them as much in our new house, which is from the exact same period as the furniture (1956). I liked the contrast, before, I think! But we're trying to make it all work here. When we get the trim and cabinetry done, I'll post pics :)

Lisa Mocha ... I love your whole display there! Just gorgeous.

Stacey ... I love everything (go figure) but I really love those two chairs by the fireplace!

Very interesting thread. None of my art is hung right now otherwise I'd join in!

Thanks annkathryn! Beautiful stuff.

I was an art major in college and never tire of seeing wonderful art. So, this new thread is a lovely way to spend some time . . . ahhhhh!
I collect art but never buy for investment. Instead, I buy art that makes me happy when I look at it.
This painting of an Indian madonna and child is painted on handmade paper and mounted on a suede mat.
{{!gwi}}
This painting is by the California artist, Irma Leisinger Engel. I believe that it was painted in the Forties.
{{!gwi}}
This watercolor is by the New Mexican artist, Michael McCulloughh. On either side of it are paintings by my bestfriend, also a New Mexican artist, Malinda Menke.
{{!gwi}}
And this breathtaking photograph is by NM wildlife photographer, Phil Sonier.We collect Phil's work, but this one is my favorite:

We have quite a bit of art, all of it meaningful to us, with several Chinese and Japanese scrolls. I also have a collection of bird nests. I really prize this hummingbird's nest a friend gave me a few days ago from a branch that the wind blew off a tree (two little hummingbirds had hatched and flown) -- to me, it's such an example of nature's art, and to me has a very Asian feel.

Susan, I love how you've displayed the nest. The simplicity of it, alone there, has a very lovely Japanese feel to it. You're right, it totally is a beautiful piece of nature's art.

Nicole- I LOVE the piece of photography that your DH created!!! It gorgeous . . . and another beautiful piece of nature's art :~)
Lynn

susanka, I also *love* that nest. The little nest in relation to the branch and the angle at which you're displaying it--just love it. But I said that already...I haven't had coffee yet : )

and staceyneil, you know I'll be waiting for your pics. I can see, though, why you might like the tension between the older house and the mcm furniture -- so very AT : ) -- but remembering the bathroom pics on the baths forum, I have a feeling you'll do right by the new house too : )

I didn't have to do anything to the nest or the branch; it's just as mama hummingbird built it and attached it. A real gift.

I'm so much enjoying the creativity folks here are showing in how they display their art or make their own. Thank you, everyone! Let's keep it going.

kellyeng--
LOVE the Agora poster. I lived in NE Ohio most of my child-hood through HS. Hated the weather...loved the music scene!

I have loved seeing everyone's art. Here are some of my own favorites. The first original art I ever bought was art from one of my books.

Artwork by Garin Baker for one of my picture books.

Artwork by Felicia Marshal for another book.

This is an old print I got on Ebay in its old frame. I think it might have been $20 all told. I love it.

Here are some other pieces I've purchased that we love. Animals seem to be a theme.

In the bathroom:

In the kitchen:

In the dining room:

lynninnewmexico...Thank you! I'm always in awe of your pieces!

Black & white of girl in a yoga pose, hung in my workout room..

This is probably my favorite piece...it was a collaboration between myself and The Boy his Junior year in HS:

The bit in the black frame says

Portrait of the Artist as an Angy Young Man
Artist: The Boy's Given Name
Medium: Testosterone applied to wallboard with an Aquanet can

NFS

(You can see I preserved the original paint when I repainted the wall...)

I have a picture of him with his HS diploma next to it...I plan to get a picture of him with his college diploma next to it this Spring. If he every has kids...they will get to see it. AND hear the story. Heh.

Most of y'all have seen my new art work. For those that don't know, 8 years ago we had a fire and lost almost all paintings and prints, including some large pieces that my MIL painted. One of the first things we did after getting settled again, was to set out buying art to replace what we lost.

Here are some of those pieces.

This oil painting reminded me of Italy.

We were able to replace this print of Charleston, SC

One of my MIL's paintings of Rainbow Row. This arrived after the fire via my husbands brother.

Found this unusual large oil painting in Brunswick, GA. It was probably the most expensive piece we bought, but we fell instantly in love with it and have not regretted the buy.

We liked this oil because it mimicked the oil within the oil shown above.

Another instant love! A long and narrow French countryside landscape we found at an antiques shop.

And yet another. This piece is in our upstairs den with other quirky art pieces.

I bid on this print - framed and all - for a song on eBay and picked up local. It's worth a bit more than the $20 I paid.

This 3 dimensional piece came from a deceased BIL along with the motor parts stick figures, and the Rainbow Row watercolor, shown above.

This is slightly OT, I guess, but my friend just send me a photo of the two baby hummers who lived in the nest I posted above as art. I thought you'd enjoy seeing how they looked before they grew up and flew away. The nest measures across 1 3/4" across at the very outside edges and about 1 1/4" deep at the deepest point. I think I'll put this photo in a small frame near the nest.

susanka--I LOVE that idea. Maybe you could get it printed on canvas...exactly life size...how fun would that be? (I'm pretty certain Ritz can do canvas sized to order...)

My mom gave me this seascape:

I found these on ebay:

How sweet! That nest is so tiny.

This is like visiting an art gallery!
There is no way to get the full appreciation unless in person which is impossible so I changed my zoom level on the bottom to 200 so I could fill my screen with the beauty
of oils and other art.
Oh my, talk about taking your breath away!!!!!!!!!
Was trying to think of a word and gorgeous was all I could come up with but it just didn't seem to say what I was feeling until I looked it up in Websters.
gorgeous adj: exquisite, splendid, magnificent,glorious,
superb etc.
That sums up the feelings and thoughts I felt looking at everyones art.
Some were so breathtaking and spoke so loud to me I was thinking how could anyone let it go after doing it????
I wanted so bad to mention the heartstoppers but everyones' was so wonderful I just couldn't .
How blessed we are to be surrounded by such visual beauty.

Here are some of mine. George Braque Lithographs.

This one is by Bram Van Velde

staceyneil---if you get tired of that vintage scandi furniture...email me. I LOVE that stuff. I found the table on ebay (I think it was made by a craftsperson in CA) and the chairs (with icky fabric which I replaced) in a resale shop.

You can see the curve in the table legs better in this photo:

I love this thread and seeing all your gorgeous art work.

The Cottage

We have a few dozen of my Father-in-laws oils and two of my
Fathers oil paintings.
Here is one that I love and have it across from our sofa in the den. I call it 'the cottage' it was painted in the early 40's, The frame is an antique, he painted this oil specifically for this frame...Along side this painting we have two smaller oils that he painted for me in the 1980's.

Such beautiful things! My collection is slowly growing and seems to have a large number of birds. I use transferware as art along with prints and paintings.
I got this print from shopgoodwill a few weeks ago. It's huge and the frame is a little too much but I'll get around to toning it down one day.

Picked up at antique mart, a gift from my mom! It's an advertisement for a casino.

My favorite painting, an original oil picked up for a song at the same antique mall. Couldn't find anything on the artist, though.

Just won on ebay, my favorite transferware pattern and it will hang on a wall unless I use it for a dinner.

It's hard to pick what to show because each one holds something special for me.

I also have lots of art, but this one is my all time favorite. Many reasons, it was given to me as a thank you gift, so that means a lot. It is done by a friend who is an artist and she new I loved her Flamenco Dancers. So the subject matter and the stories you can see, the colors and composition, all appeal to me.

Here it is:

I completely love this thread : )

Yvette, would you mind sharing more about the abstracts you have in a grouping? And would it be possible to see closeups? Are they acrylic?

And susanka, you *must* put that picture near the branch! That's too much. How often in life does that even happen?!

yvette, I'm glad you enjoyed the photo. There are so many wonderful portraits and paintings in this thread.

My friend was very lucky to catch these two with one of them looking right at the camera. It was the only time she took a picture, didn't want to disturb them. I plan to wait until after Christmas and then have it put on canvas, as mjsee suggested. I'll probably have it frameless sitting on the piano to keep it simple. It will be small, as it is on this thread just a tiny bit bigger than lifesize.

I'm a little late to this party, partly because I have been spending too much time on the Story People website! ;)

I don't have much "art" in my house at all, but I really like this painting I bought at Goodwill over 10 years ago.

Wow, consider me inspired!

I've been thinking my living room needs some mid-century elements of some kind, and after seeing terriks' painting, the light bulb went off and I realized something like that would be perfect.

Thanks to all for the responses. So many lovely pieces and great stories!

I feel that i am visiting an art gallery and find different ideas to care a piece of art.

Here is a link that might be useful: free classifieds for jobs

Here is Bernardo again, I bought him for twenty bucks at an antique shop.

{{gwi:1507263}}

But, I don't think art just has to be pictures. It can be quilts or antique mirrors or antique plates and platters or antique painted trays or old typewriters. It all makes a statement. Here is a quilt I have hanging in my dining room. I almost didn't display it because it wasn't antique, but who cares?

{{!gwi}}

I want a bulls eye mirror to hang in my living room. I know they usually hang in halls adjacent to the dining room, but who cares? I love them!

My3dogs and jerseygirl I love your prints. I have some of frogs and fish from the 1830's.

{{!gwi}}

Jane, I love your bed ... and Bernardo! Sweet dreams. ;)

This was made by a friend with an art hobby and it hangs in the hallway where my two tween boys walk every day. To me, it encapsulates how every day is hard and that we all need (and I want them to have) 'good luck today'

a href="http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u225/whenicit/?action=view&current=P1030651.jpg"; target="_blank">

Thanks Natal!

whenicit---I remember those days.

mjsee, your post caused me to do not only a double, but a triple take! LMAO! That's hilarious, and truly shows you have a keen sense of humor! Does The Boy find it equally funny? ;-D

Since I'm still enjoying this discussion, decided to share a few more...

Bought this one when DH and I went to Bermuda for our 15th anniversary (went there for our honeymoon too):

We have a few from this artist, Mary Bourke. Love her work. (Similar style to the above artist! What does it mean that I like people without faces??)

These next two are from an Esty artist. Bought the chair painting and loved it so much, had to go back and get the ducklings. They look better IRL.

DH picked this one from a local gallery, and at the time I was sort of "eh" about it, but over time it's become a favorite of mine. I believe the artist is Sharon Carson.

And really, one of my all-time favorites. DS took these pics on a family trip to Aruba. The pics are DD, DS#2, and me.

auntjen--The Boy DOES find it equally funny. He did at the time, as well.

whenicit---I like the stuff you've posted. Care to share the name of the artist who painted the ducklings and chair? I'd like to see more of his/her work...

Or link to his/her Etsy site?

I'm not whenicit, but I assume you're talking about my duckling and chair paintings! The artist's name is P. Cotterill. I really want her "Platform 3" painting and one of the cows, too, but I should stop spending money!

Here is a link that might be useful: artist

Love seeing everyone's art work, and where and how they have it displayed.

My grandparents were artists, on my mother's side ... and i'm now the caretaker of the 100+ pieces of work that are left.

Here is a picture of my young grandfather doing a portrait.

{{!gwi}}

These are 2 of his still lifes, in my kitchen
{{!gwi}}

A pastel in my dining room, he made his own pastels and when I was a kid I was in awe of all the colors in his box of pastels.
{{!gwi}}

Here is a pastel portrait of me, he did this when I was 6.

{{!gwi}}

My messy office wall with paintings ...
{{!gwi}}

My grandmother was also an artist, though my grandfather didn't think she was very good. I think she was wonderful in her own way ... nobody knew she was an artist, they only knew about him. I've been introducing people to her work.

{{!gwi}}

She was an amazing gardener and an award winnig quilter also.
{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

I have their paintings all over the house.

Here they are as a very young couple ...
{{!gwi}}

msjee- your "art" reminds me of something similar from my teen years. I had not planned on remarking on it, but I read a post just above and it made me think I should say something.
I was angry with my parents and they took a picture of me as I glared at the camera. They put it in the family album and were/are (?) quite amused by it. I always thought it was cruel and mean spirited that they took that picture and it was always a reminder of how upset I was with them. Your son may find it funny, but he also may not and you may not realize that. The reason I put the "?" next to the word "are" is I have not spoken to them for over 5 years. The picture was obviously not the slightest the cause of the rift, but even thinking about it annoys me, 30 years later. They often found humor at my expense and if I expressed that it hurt my feelings, then I was being too sensitive.
To this day, I have anxiety about singing publicly because they and my older brother would razz me about it. I remember being quite proud that I was a runner up for the lead in a school production in 6th grade, but when I said I did not get the part, they all said it was because it sounded like someone was getting hurt when I practiced in the bsmt. Very funny. I used to love to sing and wanted to become a singer, but after the 3 of them used it as a punchline, it was hard for me to ever sing in front of anyone again.
What may seem funny to the adults may cut deep to a kid, even one who is older. Your son may act like it is funny but it could also get under his skin. Is it really something you want as a family story to pass down? Is that how you want to remember your son? If something were to happen to him, I think you may look at the wall differently and wonder if you should have continued the gag quite so long. Hopefully, your family is nothing like mine was and this is something humorous to all, but if there is a chance it bothers him, even a little, do you really want to do that?

Pamghatten,
What a wonderful legacy! Beautiful.

dianalo...

His sense of humor and mine jibe very well...and he consistently refers to that framed piece of art as "one of our finest collaborations." I know my "kid"...he does stand-up and improv and appreciates the humor. He also knows he didn't have time to fix the hole before the cast party for the production he was in. (I made my kids fix the holes they created.) I seriously planned to make him fix the hole...post cast party...but then we (as in he and I) decided to keep it. He makes a point of showing it to friends and such whenever he brings someone new to the house. AND he tells the full story.

He has our full support...in whatever path he chooses. And he knows it. He willingly hangs out with us, chooses to come on family vacations,and he is of an age (22) where he doesn't have to anymore. So I'm fairly certain he isn't hiding his true feelings.

I'm sorry our family jest brought up bad memories for you.

melanie

Merry Christmas everyone!

I have this 'art' in my living room...not really art per se, but still my love of the beach and East Coast roots. (quite a bit different than my bright artwork already posted:))

I have had a great time following this thread and seeing all of the different styles of art.

Sue20, What a beautiful bit of art you found on Etsy! I'm glad to see that the site works well for purchasing. I haven't tried it yet.

sashasmommy, I am really digging the ravens! How cool is that!

newhomebuilder, The pieces you chose look perfect in your lovely home.

Thanks to all who have posted their art. It's great to be able to look through.

I finally got some of my photographed.

This first one was painted by my mother. I love the happy sunflowers.
{{!gwi}}

I love the moodiness of this next painting, also by my mother, which I call "The Blue Lady"
{{!gwi}}

This oil was done by Naylor, an artist from Colorado, who I asked to paint a picture capturing the fall color of the aspens. These fall colors are some of my favorite.
{{!gwi}}

I did this charcoal from a painting. I love the quiet depth that this composition captures.
{{!gwi}}

These are 2 of the 5 geckos my mother & I painted on DD's Hawthorne Yellow walls. We had a great time free handing and painting acrylics directly on the wall. What fun!
{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

This is a pencil I did based on a newspaper photograph. I love the sincerity of the mother's prayer and the son who emulating her. Unfortunately, it has some of the metal clasp marks from the cheap frame that have stained it.
{{!gwi}}

This is a painting I did based on a photo. I need to change the frame to black, and choose different matting.
{{!gwi}}