Lost and Found.......

While I was working in the art gallery, in order to remodel the area, I found some art work that I had been looking for in the past.  I remember waking in the middle of the night, a couple of years ago, wondering where the painting was. I remember now that we had lost our wholesaler that sold us glass and the new company was not too friendly to us.  We bought glass in a case of 10 sheets and the new company couldn't fit us into their company plan anymore.  During that time in the framing business, we had to take glass off of our own  framed work because we had a rush order to finish a frame job. The art would be stowed away in a file.  It worked well that I did find the painting as I missed seeing it  and was concerned it was lost or we had sold it. I think it would make a great print if I could get a better photo of it.

The painting of the birch tress was started on site at the bottom of the very large hill near Split Rock Lighthouse along Lake Superior.  The path follows the shoreline and we were sitting at a picnic table next to the path.  Artists add things when they paint  and the background trees were not there but were actually along the parking lot in the same area.  It was painted in oil pastel and I do remember that I had a lot of fun doing it. I think I need to now add a soaring seagull in the photo to make it into a wildlife painting.

Another oil pastel painting, probably done that same summer, was painted way north of the above setting. When sitting on the shoreline of Superior at the Grand Portage Park, the log cabin of a recreated fort can be seen poking up out of the trees. Those birch were actually there.  The lean on the painting is not me but the hanging of the painting crooked when taking the photo.  I didn't really notice it until now while I am typing. I don't think this painting has ever been framed but it was among the three large works that I found.

This too is an older work of mine.  Large flower paintings were popular and I wanted to try my skills and doing one. It too had been framed and we stole the glass from it and reused it on a paying customer's framing job. If I were to reframe it, I would cut about four inches off of it at the top,as the flower is too far to the bottom. This was done in watercolor and is done on what most people would think large paper.



As we remodel the art room and gallery, we are getting rid of anything related to the past framing business.  We spent three days tearing apart the work counters and a storage unit for mat board.  All of it sits on the porch right now but we have opened up some big spaces in the room. I think the full room is 16 feet by 24 feet.  The art tables will stay in at the far end of the room but the rest is going to  be turned into a family room setting. Eventually when everything is reworked, a carpet will go down.

We spent the morning packing up the Christmas things from the living room.  Ornaments, fireplace decorations and two trees are now all in boxes. It is good to get it all done.  I have a wreathe still hanging but that won't take long to make it disappear.  The decorations in the dining room will be taken care of in another few days. We bought new containers and reworked old boxes to get everything labeled clearly.  We have always labelled but sometimes things didn't get put back into the correct box.

Bitterly cold is the code word for today. I will go to the banks uptown and get the mail this afternoon but nothing more will be tried in this cold weather. It is good to just stay home.  I think waffles and eggs are in order for our eventing meal and that will taste good.  Everyone please stay safe these next few days.  Thanks for stopping by today.