Monday, February 2, 2015

A VERY EXPENSIVE WORK OF ART...








The art of making
 lavender honey


January 31 was 
"Inspire Your Heart With Art" day.

I must warn that this post is quite long
 but I am hoping you will find it interesting
 and
 it will make you think of how art inspires your life 
and possibly you would enjoy putting a post out of your own.

Art, in any form, is very important in my life.

 There are the paintings on my walls,
 the hand-made articles that dot shelves,
 and the flowers that bloom in my garden.

  To me, everything that can be seen by the eye, and felt in the heart,
 is a form of art.




"The End of the Trail"
James Earle Fraser


While I most likely will never own a Picasso or a Van Gough,
 or even see one for that matter,
 what I consider the inspiration of art in my life is 
just as beautiful and fulfilling to me
 as an avid collector would feel 
owning one of the old masters.



"Love's Young Dream"
M. Goodman, 1904


This antique print hangs in the sitting room of the Cottage
 and was a gift to me from an elderly lady, whom I spent much time with years ago,
 and is a very special part of my collection.




"Little White Church in Soquel"
Mary Parsons


This water-color was done by a former neighbor
 who was thankful for a load of gravel that we added to her garden. 
 It is the little white church 
where my grandparents were married
 in the early 1900's.




"The Wayside Inn"
c. 1683
Sudbury, Massachusetts
P. Buckley Moss

An offset lithograph, signed and numbered, by the artist, P. Buckley Moss.
  I purchased this print in the late 1980's from a magazine add. 
 It was issued for $65 in the early 1980's.
  I paid $80 for it
 and the estimated current value is $650.





Artist, (center) P. Buckley Moss, her husband and Margaret Brown, gallery owner


Ms. Moss came to my friend, Margaret's, local art gallery 
and we were lucky enough to meet her.

Patricia Moss was born in 1933 in New York.
  In grade school she was perceived as a poor student 
probably due to dyslexia. 
 One of her teachers, however, determined that the little girl who was
 "Not Proficient in Anything"
 was artistically gifted. 
 In 1964, she and her family moved to Waynesboro in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. 
 There she came to know, and incorporated into her art, the "plain" people of the Amish and the Mennonite. 
 She is still producing art
 and is active in her foundations
 that benefit the learning challenged.

After buying this initial piece, I continued collecting quite a few pieces of her art,
 but since I ran out of wall space,
 I have sold all but this one piece.






Here is an example of one needlewoman's handiwork. 
 The colors are so vibrant and it is beautifully done. 
 It always makes me smile to see it. 
 I think it was intended to be a pillow cover,
 but I have framed it and it hangs in the Captain's library...





...and another's work with ribbons.





This is a needlepoint piece I worked a few years ago. 
 I saw a picture in a needlework catalog and loved the country Victorian feel of it.
  At this time it hangs in our entry.





Another counted cross stitch 
that I worked 
and it adorns a wall in the guest room.





You have seen these paper mache pieces
 that I made throughout previous posts...






...some ceramics I made back in the day...





...and a few of the sweatshirts I painted..
Don't laugh,
 people really wore these back in the 80's!
 I sold a lot of them!


There are a number of people who produce works of art
 that we will never be aware of
 but who have ideas that could
 inspire and amaze
 the world.




This was a very special gift from grandson, Jake, to me on my birthday. 
He painted it as a sophomore in high school in his art class.









My father was an extraordinary man.
 He was a talented woodworker
 and could sit down with pencil and paper
 and make wonderful images,
 and he was all self-taught.

 Above is an Easter book that he drew in the first grade
 and a self-portrait he drew of himself,
 by looking in the mirror,
 at the age of 19.





My husband, whom you know as the Captain,
 is a machinist by trade
 and an artist in that field. 
 Before retiring he was foreman of the machine shop 
for a large electronic firm in the Bay Area
 and working in increments of 1/10 of one inch
 he was influential in producing important machined parts 
that were used in many medical devices, defense situations
 and sent out in space 
on the many endeavors that
 the United States was involved in.

One of the gentlemen that worked for the Captain was a very talented person in his own right. 
 He was an excellent woodworker as well as a talented furniture designer, 
all of which was helpful in his chosen field of being a machinist.

The Captain would order machinery to be used in the machine shop. 
 They all were expensive items that were needed in the building and running of the shop. 
 At one time, 
a milling machine was delivered 
and it came in on a large pallet of oak wood.
  It took six men to unload this machine.  This was a very large piece of machinery 
with a very large price tag.

 The gentleman who worked for my husband took this pallet,
 and using his special skills,
 turned it into something that I cherish to this day 
and have as part of the decor in the Cottage parlor.





The Captain,
 circa 1970-80,
 standing along side our very special gift, the plant stand.

This was a vision, changed from an ugly utilatarian piece
 into a beautiful work of art.





We laugh 
and, lovingly, 
call it our
$275,000 
fern stand!





Are any of you familiar with the work of Patience Brewster? 
 She has a one-artist company 
offering one of a kind ornaments and gifts.
  I have seen her work,
 which is beautiful and whimsical, 
and am inspired to own some of her pieces.
  You can see examples on her website:  http://www.patiencebrewster.com/ornaments.html

You might want to start another collection!  Her art is unique 
and very endearing.






This post was created for you today
 to honor all the artists
 that have enlightened our lives through their talents. 
 We are thankful for the beauty 
that they have
 inspired.


...Judy...





Sharing today at:





***I have not been compensated in any way for the facts presented in this post. 
 They are just my humble opinions.

6 comments:

  1. Judy! This was such a terrific post...I have always liked p. Buckley Moss, and it was great to learn about her. How lucky for you to have met her. I fondly remember the sweatshirts of the 80's & 90's, although dated now, I sure did like them then. I had several with matching earrings, lol! Your dad was quite a talented man, as well...the self portrait is truly a gem. Thanks so much for sharing, it was a great read! Jane

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  2. I love this post and all the beautiful pictures, and other works of art. A lot of things I remember also, especially the sweat shirts. That brings back lots of memories of things that I made also.
    I was born not to far from Waynesboro, VA. and her pictures are in almost all of my relatives home.
    Thanks so much for sharing this post with us.
    Mary

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  3. Wow Judy, You do have a lot of art in your cottage! I enjoyed and like every piece that you showed but I think my favorite is the Easter book page that your father did, that is SO sweet! He did a great job on his self portrait too! Now you have my mind thinking about the art I have around here.
    Happy February to you!
    Gina

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  4. I missed this post until today and am glad I scrolled down your post about the big 'storm' coming. :) I really enjoyed seeing all your beautiful art pieces. Each one is so unique and special to you. The plant stand is a pricey one for sure. Hehe. Happy trails to you in your RV! Take lots of photos.
    Pam

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  5. A fabulous post - first let me say - I love the header, I've been meaning to say that for a while now. I love all the versions of art in your home and surrounding you. I find that everyone has artistic talent - some in producing wonderful items, some is the fabulous way they can speak and articulate a fabulous thought (I'd love to be able to speak that way). Others decorate rooms or sew useful and special items - it is a glory to be surrounded by so many lovely talented people.

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  6. I love your paper mache figures. They are so cute. You have some wonderful artwork. I do remember the tee shirts back in the 80s. My daughter and I had matching Noah's ark jumpers.

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Your comments are so special to me...Judy