Auction Stories

I saw a few pretty little original pieces of art at the auction

 this week and I was fortunate enough to get to bring

three of them home with me!

This one is a water color and I just love the

sweetness of that little cottage, picket fence and the

muted colors!  After the auction, a guy came up to

me and told me that his great grandmother painted it.

Helen Bell Ralph (1866-1938) was a Daughter of The

American Revolution.  He said that her paintings

were almost exclusively done in the 1800's and

that I should be able to find a signature on the back,

usually in pencil.  He said that he had a dozen of

her paintings and this one that I got was the last one

hanging in her home and it ended up in the auction.

Makes me think it was one of her favorites since

she kept it for herself!

It's always fun to know something about these pieces!

I can't wait to open it up, find that signature, clean up

the glass and hang it in our home.  So fun!

I'll be taking a little blogging break until next week!

We're off on a great adventure 

for the holiday weekend!

Hope you all have a good Memorial Day weekend!

Don't forget to remember all those that gave

their lives to give us our free country.

God bless the USA!

♥

Hope

I brought this piece of artwork home from the auction yesterday

and need help learning more about it.

It was sold on a table full of Maxfield Parrish prints.

The woman is holding a blooming tree branch.

She appears to be getting something off the ceiling behind

the curtain at the window.  There are bars on the window.

  And her left ankle is chained to the wall.

Is it an illustration to a story?  

Any help would be appreciated!

******

UPDATE!

After searching the picture in better light I found 

the artists signature.  Burne-Jones.

And here's what Wiki says about the painting ~

Hope is a late oil painting by the Pre-Raphaelite artist 

Edward Burne-Jones.  It was painted on commission for

Mrs. George Marston Whitin of Whitinville, Massachusetts in 1896.

Mrs. Whitin originally requested a painting of a dancing figure, but

Burne-Jones, devastated by the recent death of his long-time friend

and partner William Morris, struggled with the work and wrote to ask

if a painting of Hope would be an acceptable alternative.  The result was

an allegory in the Renaissance fashion, with the bound personification

of Hope reaching skyward despite her bars.

The painting is based on an 1871 watercolor by Burne-Jones.

The watercolor is likely painted over the original cartoon for one of

a set of stained glass designs of the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope,

and Charity created by Burne-Jones for Morris, Marshall, Faulknor

and Company.  A three-light window based on Burne-Jones' designs

was commissioned for the nave of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.

The stained glass designs were also used for a set of windows at 

St. Margaret's Church, Hopton-On-Sea. 

The oil pinting of Hope was donated to the Museum of Fine Arts, 

Boston by Mrs. Whitin's daughters in her memory.

And there you have it!

♥

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head Necklace

Made this necklace this morning!

It's in the shop!

Love the little sun on the back...because he's never far away!

Now we can all sing along with B. J. Thomas the rest of the day! :)

♫ ♫ ♫

♥

Fingers Crossed

Alex, waiting to leave for school Thursday morning.

He crosses his fingers when he's anxious.

I hadn't seen him do this since the day they

had to get blood drawn. Melts this mom's heart. 

 Not sure what the problem was, but I was driving them to school that morning,

which is not our normal routine of The Mister dropping them off

on his way to work.  And we were ready a few minutes early.

It might have just been that little change in plans, and having

to wait to leave, that left him worrying.

But we went on to school and he had a good day. :)

♥

These cards are now in the shop, sold individually!

A Little Bird Painting

I had so much fun giving that sign a makeover yesterday
than I decided to try a little more painting!
I had brought home some stained pieces of wood
from an auction that were just about the right size.
They were beveled and I sanded the inside part so the
paint would stick better.  Then I put a coat of white paint
and then a coat of black mixed with white.

When that was dry I started sketching in pencil.

First, I painted the shadows and leaves.

Then the nest and some bees!

berries...

and then the birds.

It's so 'me', isn't it?  ha.

I'm not sure about the stained 'frame' though.

Should I paint it, too?

I'm thinking black paint.  Or should I leave it as it is?

Once I decide, it's going in the shop!

♥

update...

Oh, so much better.  Thanks for your help! 

In the shop today!

A Little Welcome Sign

So I found this little welcome sign. Nice and sturdy with hangers on the back.

But...ugly....well, in my opinion. :) 

 I couldn't figure out the black dalmatian spots and the eye placement on the bird was all wrong.

I got out my paints and redid the front.

Now, I think that bird is much better! :)

A pine bough, pine cones and a free handed message...

I left the chippy paint on the edges and the hangers on the back.

A before and after story!

If you're interested, I put it in the shop today!

A fun little afternoon project.

What did you do today?

♥

Little Painted Chair

My afternoon painting is in the shop tonight!

♥

My First Greeting Cards!

Autumn themed.  Sold in sets.  How very fun!

Have a look here, if you are interested!

♥

At The Auction

I worked an auction yesterday!  

Lots of fun and interesting stuff from an estate including an extensive art collection, tons of furniture and

a 2000 Mercedes E320.  Even though it was in an un-airconditioned barn

at the local fairgrounds, with a heat index of 100 degrees, we all managed  to survive.  Although, we did look

much less fresh at the end of the day than when we started. ha.

I did bring a small box of items home that were left for the trash.

I can always use nicely shaped baskets for my business.  I collect

vintage glass Christmas ornaments and canning jars. 

The ornaments are in a little yellow-ware planter.  And I liked the three

little milk glass plates with the fleur de lis cutout edges.

But my favorite was an 11x14 still life that was complete with glass

and frame.  It had just come apart and needed to be cleaned and reassembled.

So today I gave it all a good polishing and put it back together.

A search online told me that it's a reproduction of the

Robert Chailloux's painting, 

Still Life With Strawberries And A Brown Jug.

Too bad it's not the original oil on wood, which is worth $7000. 

But for free, I think I'll enjoy this little piece just fine! 

♥

Corner for Theme Thursday

Jessie Wilcox Smith's painting of Little Jack Horner  1863-1935

Little Jack Horner

Sat in the corner,

Eating a Christmas pie;

He put in his thumb,

And pulled out a plum,

And said 'What a good boy am I!'

 

Traditional English Nursery Rhyme, 1725

 

 

This is a Theme Thursday post!

  To see what others chose for 'corner' click HERE!

Theme Thursday = Lunch

Lunch on the Boat

click to enlarge

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923 )

Bastida is known for his landscapes, portraits, and

talent for capturing the sunlight in his paintings.

*****

I've only been home for one week and missing the

sound of the Gulf waves and white sand...even

those yummy cooler sandwiches under a beach

umbrella. So I'm taking myself back to that

a bit with this gorgeous painting.

The colors, the theme, and the location

was perfect in my mind.

Don't you hear the gulls and the feel

the warm breezes? ahh.

• Leisurely laying under
• Umbrella's shade and
• Nibbling a seafood sandwich. I
• Close my eyes and drift far away
• Having dreams of pure fancy.

To visit my friends at Theme Thursday, click HERE!

The Weekend

Flowers in the Window Sill, Carl Larsson

****

Happy Weedend, blog friends!

I plan on managing the five men, with a few extra

college guys hanging around I suppose.

Don't forget to relax, putter, and unwind a little!

I think my houseplants could use a little TLC, and

after yesterday's post...maybe some bread baking!

Tiffany Window

In the 1980's our church built a new, larger sanctuary... abandoning the old one to basically sit empty until a couple of years ago. The room, which holds about 150 people, has been renovated and now is a beautiful, vintage room for weddings, funerals and receptions. This smaller sanctuary is full of stained glass windows, one of which is a true Tiffany, complete with number and registration. It was commissioned by Whitelaw Reid in memory of his father in 1895. The window was completed and shipped from the Tiffany Studios in New York City to Cedarville, Ohio in 1902.

Being 106 years old when the sanctuary was renovated,

you can imagine that it needed some work itself!

The professionals were called in, Beau Verre-Riordan

Stained Glass Studios from Middletown, Ohio.

This studio was established in 1838 and they actually

had done the original installation back in 1902.

It took 10 months to refurbish the 18 foot window.

All the lead had to be replaced, using a unique

Tiffany lead, thick enough to hold the heavy glass.

I stopped in and watched on several occassions

as each piece was painstakingly removed,

returned to their studio for work and then

returned and put into place by soldering the lead.

This large medalion piece has 2000 glass pieces in it.

Each are cut, chemically processed and layered

to reflect light. In the sun the pieces sparkle! It was

very difficult to capture with my little camera, but you

can see some of the shimmering in the angel's wings.

When the 6 men were there to reinstall this medalion

piece, they were so nervous in it's lifting (heavy!)

and concerned not to drop it, that they asked that

nobody be there with them to watch.

I don't blame them one bit!

There is a sister window

on the opposite side of the room...same size and shape

with gold and brown colors, but not a Tiffany.

The restoration took 10 months and $35,000 but

it makes the room and was certainly worth it!

The line you see on the right side is an electrical cable outside the window. :)

Theme Thursday = Telephone

The Telephone Call

Harrison Fisher, 1903

• Audio
• Loud and Clear
• Earpiece
• teXting
• Antennae
• Number
• Digital Technology
• Electrical
• Ringtone

• Give me a hollar
• Rotary dial
• AT&T
• Hook
• Adapter
• Minutes

• Bars
• Essential
• Landline
• Long distance

Artichokes

Girl With Artichokes

Diego Rivera

Quite honestly, this could be me when considering

cooking an artichoke! She looks perplexed, doesn't she?

I see them in the grocery but hesitate to buy them.

I've never cooked them or eaten them whole!

In fact, the only way I've ever had

them is in the TGI Friday's spinach and

artichoke dip or marinated in a salad!

Do you make them at home?

What's your favorite way to eat them?

I'd love some ideas!

Vor Dem Spiegel (in front of the mirror)

Pastel on paper

Degas, 1889

Happy Weekend!

Brita With Candles and Apples

Carl Larrson

****

(now those are some slippers!)