So ... art? ...

Art.

I have had art on my mind this week. My daughter would like to pursue her dream career in which art is the main focus, in order to do so I have been trying to help her work towards being in a position to build a portfolio and obtain an apprenticeship for when she leaves school. This is the start of a very long journey for her and I want to ensure she has excellent foundations on which to start building her dream upon. Part of this entails having one to one lessons with a fantastic and talented artist who will teach her the fundamental basic skills of art. The first lesson was this week and they studied perspective.  With so much talk of art flowing through our house of late I have started to really notice the art we have dotted around our home. I have gradually added pictures to our wall as and when I've come across them or have been drawn but it has never struck me how much art is a big part our of home until now. I have just wandered around a few rooms and taken a few snaps to show you what I mean ...

My sons study of a chair, drawn when he was 6 years old.

A drawing I did for my Grandma when I was 4 years old.

 

This is my daughters style of drawing people when she was 7 years old. She would only draw very angular shapes and features which annoyed her teachers but demonstrated she had her own individual style at an early age.

 

A drawing I did of our lovely dog Maisey. I am never happy with my drawings so hardly ever put pencil to paper, that's one of the downfalls of being a perfectionist.

 

My brother-in-laws artistic photography.

 

A snippet of the art scattered around my daughters wall.

 

A drawing I did for my daughter as a birthday present for her 8th birthday. I wanted to demonstrate to her that drawing something that is special and of meaning to the recipient is one of the most thoughtful and meaningful presents anyone can give and part of you remains within that piece of art for ever. Little did I know this one, single drawing now symbolises her chosen path in life.

 

Happily, other peoples original art also adorns our home

 

 

and finally I have taken these pics of drawings scattered under books and hair products in my daughters bedroom ~ practise drawings as she calls them and ones she draws whilst on car journeys. She wouldn't thank me for showing these as they are not her fav's but the drawings she classes as her better ones and the ones she takes her time over are in her new portfolio.

 

 

 

So as you can see, this is just a small insight into how art plays a large part in our lives I just hadn't really noticed until now.

 

Art exhibitions are always a fav too, I love to spend the day with my fab friend Tina trawling the Tate Modern and V&A, etc. We have been to countless art exhibitions over the years and my personal favs have been Tracey Emin's and Francis Bacon's as the most memorable. Their life is expressed in their art like no other I have seen.

 

A piece of art I would love to own? Anything (no matter how big or small) by Sam Branton. I keep dreaming that one day I'll own and cherish a lil something by him.

 

So ... art! I'm thinking of having lessons myself now as watching my daughter learn is making me wanna pick up a pencil!!

 

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Whilst shopping in our local market town this week we set a family challenge:

Girls to find the prettiest thing for sale in the 99p shop

Boys to find the ugliest thing for sale in the 99p shop.

 

The 99p shop all of a sudden became fun.

For the prettiest my daughter and I chose these two and I have to say I was rather tempted with the glittery star spokey dokeys. There was a moment when I did actually wonder if I could get away with putting them on my bike? Anyways, they were overlooked for Hello Kitty plasters instead!

 

For the ugliest my husband and son chose a Brucie mask and pickled gherkins!!!

 

Oh what fun was had in the 99p shop :D

 

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For the love of Tulips <3

 

I was lucky enough to purchase 5 stems of homegrown fringed Tulips recently. They are such unique flowers and I never tire of their ever changing beauty.

 

I took some photos for them and was really pleased with how they came out ...

 

 

 

 

 The orange ones are my fav.

 

 

Here are some on display in the farm shop where I purchased mine from ...

 

 

 

B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.

 

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I have fallen head over heels in love with this amazing wallpaper

 

 

 

Wallpaper by Barneby Gates called "The Dogs"

 

It comes in two colourways, charcoal and pale grey ... well, it would just have to be hounds in grey for me!

 

With my love of Greyhounds (bordering on a slight obsession with the amount I have re-homed over the years) mixed with my love of furnishings is a match made in heaven. Oh how I would love just one roll to adorn a bit of my home ~ big sigh. Dream on!

 

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With all of the strong winds we've had the end of this week I came across a sight that made me feel really sad on Friday. It was the most beautiful, perfect, snugly teeny tiny nest laid in the road along a lane in our village.

 I was immediately filled with sadness, this work of art lovingly and expertly created with a view to housing an impending family had been ripped out and lay broken on a road.  Before a car came along and ground it into the tarmac I scooped it up and looked to see where it could have possibly come from. A needle in a hedgestack! I decided to bring it home ~ this still racks me with guilt.

It is such a beautiful lil thing and the attention to detail making a snugly feather lined interior melts my heart. I feel so, so sorry for the lovely owners of this tiny bundle of perfection and I really hope some good has come of them being made homeless. There have not been any eggs inside and hopefully they will re-build another gorgeous home but in a more secure location in which to raise their lil family.

(the wilting petals from my posh tulips have not gone to waste and surround this lil home)

 

x x

 

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After being battered with such stormy weather we were rewarded with such a stunning skyline ...

 

 

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This weekend saw a sale at our fav auction house. My friend and I were very restrained and came away with one purchase each. I have to say I am slightly envious of my friends purchase ~ a pair of framed 1700's ornithological hand coloured engravings. Subtle, muted colours with that 'genuine, authentic aged to perfection look'. My purchase wasn't too shabby though, a black and gilded framed mirror circa 1800's. The frame is original but the mirror inside is modern, with a price defo not to be sniffed at ~ £23.80 ~ who is worried, not me!

 

 

It needs a clean but I'll have to go steady on the harsh cleaners as it's quite fragile in places (I'll have to curb the OCD tendencies)!!

 

And, once clean, this is where it will eventually live ...

 

 

This mirror above was bought from Marks and Spencer's for a tidy sum of money, this was before the I had ever stepped into an Auction sale room and had no clue what bargain'tastic delights await inside.

 

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 Anyways that's it for this week folks, until next Sunday ~ bye y'all.

xx