3 posts tagged “art”

My mom sent a big box of stuff for my birthday.  Some of it was monkey's stuff that we left at her house this summer.  She also sent a 10 cd set of oldies music for me.  I love that stuff.  And she included two gifts that my grandparents made.  Both of my grandparents have always been amateur artists.  I have always appreciated that they just make art without seeming to censor themselves or stop themselves from making art because they had no real formal training.  My grandfather likes to work with his saw and makes things out of wood.  A couple of years ago when I was visiting I told him that I really liked a clock he made.  My mom sent it.  I love it.

Pop clock

The other piece I had only heard about but had never seen.  My mom said that Gram had painted a giraffe (she was obsessed with them) and that she planned to give it to our monkey.  So when I was opening this box on my birthday I saw a little bit of brown through the bubble wrap and couldn't unwrap the picture quickly enough.  Monkey likes giraffes and always points them out.  This one from Gram now hangs in his room.  I feel very lucky to have it.

Gram Giraffe

I never buy art.  I always fantasize that I will but never do.  I did.  Somehow, I found an artist, matte Stephens, who paints wonderful pics and immediately fell in love with his stuff.  So I indulged and bought some prints of his paintings.  The prints are affordable, albeit an indulgence.  But really, art shouldn't be an indulgence, should it?  I SHOULD spend my money on art and find ways to support artists.  That is money well spent! 

Here are the two prints I ordered.  They should be here next week.  I'm thinking that they might go in monkey's room, but maybe we'll want them somewhere else.  I just love his birds! 

Kind of a random thought this morning...When I was in 8th grade I took a school trip to Washington DC.  It was fun but also filled with all of the usual 8th grade drama about boys and girls.  Anyway, we went to the National Gallery and I just loved it so much.  It must have been one of the first big, real, comprehensive art galleries I had ever been in because I still have a spot in my heart for it.  I cannot explain why my fav painting that I saw in the gallery on that trip was Daniel in the Lion's Den by Rubens.  I also cannot explain why I have been thinking about that painting lately.  In person it is a HUGE painting.  And I really loved being able to walk up to it and see the detail and actual brush strokes.  Anyway, since then I've now been to many more art galleries and seen a lot more art (and even art that I actually like much more than Daniel).  Nonetheless, this one still sticks with me.  The drama.