Vintage Finds!

Last weekend I found 2 old vintage paint-by-numbers in a junk box in the barn at my mom/dad's. Apparently, the paintings once hung in the hallway by the basement door of my grandparent's house.

Last year, the house was torn down and items dispersed.  Nobody claimed these paintings. The paintings had a pleasing palette and needed a little attention, so I offered to rescue them from the dusty/dirty barn.  

Before taking them to the frame shop yesterday, I popped the first picture out of its ratty tatty frame to clean it up a bit. And there, beneath the picturesque country cabin landscapes was another paint-by-number!--an old time city landscape complete with horse and buggies!  I popped the frame off the second country painting and another city painting was inside!!





My heart pounded!  Wow! What an astonishing find...these vintage city paint-by-numbers!  The colors were vivid.  Couldn't take my eyes off them.  I took all of them to get framed yesterday and told the framing lady my story.  She said she hears stories like that all the time!

Now, I have so many questions.  Who made these paintings?  Someone in the family?  Were they garage sale items? Why were the country paintings covering the city paintings?  Did my grandma know about this?  Hopefully, my aunties and uncles will have some answers, and if not, oh well...it sure was fun discovering them.  Like a little message from beyond...especially with our strong city/country connections.

But wait there's more!!!!

During the same trip to my parents, my mom showed me these pastel portraits made of my dads parents and my mom's mom.  Mom had them commissioned in 30 years ago. She didn't remember much about the pictures except that the artist was from our hometown and they sat for the artist for about an hour.  Mom said grandma Mamie was beginning to suffer from Alzheimers and "that explains her pained look." Mom wants the portraits framed now after all these years.  

I didn't remember the portraits being made and neither do my siblings. The portraits were never on our walls growing up. Hanging fine art on the walls was not a big deal in my family.  So these new-found unusual pieces of a farm couple and a city grandmother only adds to our family story and history.

Now when I look at these pictures, it makes me think about the art expressions in my own family. Wondering what questions my kids will ask someday...