In another effort to procrastinate on my “great Canadian novel,” I spent a few days this past week sorting through an excessive number of prints of paintings by Canadian artists, trying to decide which I would frame for the walls. I don’t have enough walls for all of it, nor do I want the house to look like “throw-spaghetti-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks-hour” at the art gallery. I tend to cycle pieces in and out when my eyes start skipping over them instead of looking at them.
The bits and pieces I’ve collected run the gamut as far as style or medium goes. If it gives me joy or peace or a feeling of happiness or makes me think or makes me laugh – it’s my kind of art. There is no joy in hiding any away forever in file folders and acid-free sleeves.
I can’t afford original paintings unless I know the artists well and they give me a discount, or it’s a gift. Yukon artist Jim Robb gave me some prints of his work, which is ubiquitous in Whitehorse.
AND he doodled on the envelopes of the letters that he sent me, like this one, on my office wall:
My daughter gave me one of Sharon Nowlan’s pebble art pieces, a steampunk frog (I like frogs and steampunk makes me giggle); and, for a birthday, my eldest son gave me a print of “Frog” by Haida Gwaii artist Patrick Wesley. It’s bigger than it looks here:
It has a place of honour over my desk, along with a print of artist and author John Ashton’s digital interpretation of an 1800s photo of a Mi’kmaq woman. You can find John on Facebook: Ashton Creative Design – not to be confused with another artist by the same name in the UK.
I have loved Lawren Harris’ paintings since I discovered The Group of Seven in grade four. About 20 years ago I found a framed print of his painting “Pic Island” in a bin at, of all places, Canadian Tire… Canadian Tire!!! Imagine! It hangs on my bedroom wall. I treasure its colours and stark, calm beauty. Here’s a link to an image of my Canadian Tire bargain print:
https://groupofsevenart.com/lawren-harris-pic-island
Coming in our front door, almost straight ahead and a bit to the left, is a print of Nova Scotia artist Joy Laking’s “Monet’s Dining Room.” Appropriately, it hangs in my dining room. Joy is aptly named! I treasure this painting because Monet’s dining room is golden wood, blue and white dishes, and deep red accents – just like mine.
My brother dabbles in painting, and sent me a painting of water lilies. It hangs next to a cheerful image of a barn by a friend who took up painting a few years ago, just for fun. She turns out gloriously happy paintings of anything that takes her fancy. She might be famous some day, but that’s not important. She paints what she likes, and I like what she paints. Here they are, not hanging particularly straight, but I can’t reach them easily.
To indulge my interest in art, I spend a bit of extra money on one art calendar every year. When the year ends, I replace it with a new art calendar – usually, but not always, by a different artist. This year is the second time for an Adam Young calendar.
See http://ayoungstudios.com in Newfoundland & Labrador.
Artists also sometimes have small prints or greeting cards made of their pieces. Now you know how I am able to display downsized prints by Adam Young, Reilly Fitzgerald, Robbie Craig, Darlene Dixon, Holly Carr, Maud Lewis and so many more! I have even clipped out illustrations from magazine pages – flimsy, but okay when mounted and framed.
One beside my printer, by Peter Ryann and clipped from The Walrus (if I recall correctly), shows a circle of rowboats, each filled to the gunwales with water. The solitary occupant of each boat stands in the bow pouring a bucket of water into the stern of the boat in front of it, all the way ‘round the circle. It was such a gripping image of “what goes around, comes around” that I had to keep it – laminated to a piece of cardstock with the creator’s name on the back.
Of course, I frame my favorite calendar pages and the art cards, and art created by my children and grandchildren – and those of other people. I swap them out from time to time. When they start sinking into their surroundings, it’s time for a change.
I collect other art forms, especially folk art. For instance – a fishing cat from Ten Thousand Villages (https://tenthousandvillages.com); a felted tulip blossom made by my second-eldest granddaughter; my husband’s wood carvings; a pair of glass puffins in memory of a dear friend; and a fabric wall hanging made by Diane Shink at Quilte Montreal and based on a long-ago column I wrote about carrots.
I am surrounded by art – and every piece is my favorite – both for what and whom they represent as well as for what they are.
Consider this a huge “thank you” to all the artists who have brought joy in my life. I am so blessed.
And, yes, I know that writing is an art – but that’s a topic for another day. My story fetish will take even more time and space.
