Art Space

Don't you just love a good salon hang? Lately I've been obsessed about beautifully hung artworks, and I've tried to bring more art into the boatshed. This has been helped by the fact that I've been able to buy several oil paintings secondhand, both framed and unframed, for between two and five dollars each. This is the corner of the boatshed I call the library, and it's coming along nicely. I need to fill up the spaces on the wall with smaller pieces:

This corner of the kitchen has artworks united by the theme of water, from the large one of Trial Bay Gaol, to the smallest, of Lord Howe Island. The two white-framed ones are of  Jervis Bay, which is only five minutes drive away from here, while New Zealand is represented as well:

In another part of the kitchen, I've hung other objects such as metal pastry cases, a blackboard and fryer basket to complement the paintings:

Above the bed, a still life, art deco mirrors and two landscapes frame the window and almost turn it into an artwork too:

Having this inexpensive art around me elevates my soul. I've just started a Visual Arts course (the reason why my blog posts have dwindled), and they help me each day to remember that I am choosing the artist's way.

Design Dilemma Solved

This week I decided to face a dilemma I've been putting off for a few years. This oil painting belonged to my husband's mother, and he has been wanting me to hang it for ages. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't really see a place for it on any wall I conjured up in my imagination:

He also confessed that some time ago he had trodden on and broken this lovely art deco mirror of his grandmother's, and wondered whether it was possible to hang it somewhere in this condition:

Fortunately my books and tear sheets came in handy because I realised that no matter what the individual disadvantages of the picture and mirror, it is possible to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. So we unearthed a few more artworks that had belonged to his mother and grandmother and, voila!, here it is - a wall of artworks diverse in style and medium but united by the theme of water:

I think they look much better than they would have individually, especially as they are in the house which belonged to his grandmother. We also picked some strelitzias and put them in one of her old vases:

Then I rehung the mirror which had originally been on the other wall. It looks so much better in its new location:

At last I can justify all the money I've spent on those books and magazines!

Recycled Art

Two of my New Year's resolutions are currently shaping the look of the boatshed. The first is that due to lack of storage I need to start using things. The second is to try and limit the number of objects in the boatshed which are newer than forty years old. Both of these resolutions have been supported by the two market stalls I have had. While searching my storage space for usable things, I came across these pieces of art which I found at the op shop a few years ago but didn't put up on the wall at the time. I consider this art deco mirror an art work because of its lovely scallop shell shape:

The frame of this oil painting was quite hideous and detracted from it, so I took it off:

This bird is print is a real favourite of mine. I love the frame and the bright colours:

This print of two sisters is my absolute favourite. It looks very old and the frame is beautiful:

The days when I could pick up so many treasures at the op shop are long gone. I think I found the bottom three in the one day. I still pay a visit every so often just in case.

Amazing New Stuff

Something quite amazing happened today. I walked into an op shop that I haven't been to for a while and found some very cool stuff. In fact I'd given up going because all I kept finding was hideous nineties bric-a-brac that was horrible the first time around. But there was this art deco mirror in the shape of a scallop shell for $15:

And this quilt for $6:

And I fell in love with this quilt for $4 which I'm sure is from the 40s. And the wheely thing - is it called a tray mobile? - I'm sure it's art deco as well. The dilemma for me was that, while I was happy to buy the quilts and the mirror, I drew the line at $40 for the tray-on-wheels. Then I got to the cash register and found out that everything was half price today. You fellow bloggers who frequent thrift shops/op shops/rummage sales etc will understand that I just had to run back through the store and grab the wheelie-tray. I apologetically told the sales lady that, while $40 was unthinkable, $20 was very doable indeed. How sweet is it?:

Here is a closeup of the fabric I fell in love with:

So I walked out of the shop with these four items for the grand total of $32. You gotta love that!