The Art on the Wall

A couple years ago I decided to try my hand at oil painting.  I knew I would love it.  I didn't know if I'd be any good at it, but it was worth a try.  One thing I did know is that I have artistic blood running through my veins so there was a possibility I inherited some of that.

Lets look at some of the paintings in my family.

 

My dad's mother lived in New England in her paintings seem to have a nautical theme.

 

 

This is another of my grandmother's paintings that my dad gave to me last year.  It is so simple yet so detailed.  She was impressionist just like me. Some day I'd like to try to recreate this one.

 

This is a painting done by my Aunt Del, my dad's sister.  She seems to have preferred painting stationary objects like these willows or fruit or vases of flowers.  My dad has several of her paintings hanging in his house.  She's been gone for a while now.  When I was a teenager I got to spend a summer at her house in Rhode Island.  She was such a warm, kind lady and very crafty. I remember she made her own pickles which were delicious.

 

 

Then there's my mom.  She didn't become an artist until later in life just like me.  This aspen painting is one of my favorites of hers.  It's so incredibly warm and inviting.  The colors are amazing.  I'd like to do a painting similar to this one day too. I have several of her paintings hanging around our house.  It keeps her with me.

 

 

Here's the one and only painting that I've ever done without assistance from my teacher.  It's from my "New Mexico" collection and shows a typical New Mexican adobe house at Christmas time with the red chili wreath and luminarios on the wall.  I must admit that I kinda love how it turned out especially the turquoise door.  Some day I'll show it to my teacher and she'll have me change just about everything.  I thought I did pretty good with the shadowing of the luminarios on the house.  Reminds me of my youth in Albuquerque.

Last and certainly not least is a painting done by Jillian many years ago when she was in the Wisconsin 4-H program.  She entered it into the Dane County fair and I think she won a 2nd place ribbon which is more than I've ever done.  It's obviously the Tetons, my favorite place on earth and it has a horse, my favorite critter.  I was so excited to find this in the bottom of a box when I was cleaning out the shed.

So who will be next? 

The real question is...after I've departed this earth will my paintings be hanging on a wall somewhere and will someone occasionally stop to admire them, critique them, or just spend a moment remembering the artist?  It's kind of a cool way to keep the memories alive.  Maybe some day I'll actually give one of my paintings to a loved one rather than hoarding them all for myself.

What brings back special memories to you?