A is for...

Art!!!
It's Astounding that I had so much trouble with the letter A. Most people who've known me for any legth of time would've assumed that A is for Art - and it is.

This painting hangs in my bedroom and has the distinction of being the only piece of my own work that hangs in my house. It's an oil that I did my first year in college. I was a Fine Art major then and found it incredibly flattering that this was chosen to hang in the annual show with the upper class' work. It was even more Amusing because the composition was based on Avoidance. The model had a nasty looking nose ring, bad skin, and was seriously un-Attractive in my opinion so I painted her back instead.

There is plenty of stuff to look at on the walls at my house. Mostly watercolors now that I think about it. Not sure why that is. Here are a few paintings that we bought during our Adventure in Key West. They are by 3 different artists - Martha de Poo, Barbara Powell & Ann Irvine. Looking at them reminds me of the wonderful vacation and makes me smile.

It's wonderful how art can take you away to a different place or time.

This painting is one of a pair made for us by our friend Carl. He did the first one, of hubbo, on the occasion of his 30th birthday and this one was made to commemorate my 30th. They hang in out front hallway. When you look at the painting closely you can see the clever titles on the spines of the books and note that the mouse in my hand actually is of the rodent variety. The portrait of hubbo shows him as "Tickle me Brucey" and reminds us of his over the top reaction to a gift of a Tickle Me Elmo doll that was given to DQ on her first birthday. He may have been wayyyy more impressed with it than she was and pounced on it. Such a great memory.

There are memories in this pair of Japanese prints that my siblings and I bought for my Dad many years ago. I remember finding them on ebay and how excited I was when I was the winning bidder. We took them to be framed and matted and gave them to my dad. He was was really into this stuff so it's a nice reminder. Interestingly, there was a watercolor hanging in his house that I did in high school that I was going to reclaim but my brother requested it. Who am I to deny him fine art?

Paintings aren't the only thing hanging on my walls. We bought this sculptural tree at a craft show and I love it. It's made of different metals. I think it's mostly copper. The coolest thing is that the leaves weren't painted. The artist got the different colors by heating the metal to different degrees. So flippin' cool!