Vocal Voices

I mean picture-wise?

I have a small bit of wall that I have had three pictures on since I moved here in 2008 and I am frankly sick of them! But everything these days seems to be wicker hearts or things with words all over them....LOVE IS and that sort of thing - not really my taste although very fashionable I believe.

I've looked at The Range (online), Dunelm and Ikea but nothing is grabbing me....what sort of pictures do you like hanging on your walls?

We've got Mick's art in the living room - a small charcoal sketch of Pepper, a graphite portrait of a tiger, and behind the big sofa a huuuge canvas of a waterfall at Becky Falls on Dartmoor.

On the landing I have two small matching acrylics (not Mick's) of tulips, one either side of the window, lovely autumnal colours, and in our bedroom we have some poppies made out of black wrought iron, above the bed.

In Mick's study he has an Off The Leash original cartoon, signed by the cartoonist Richard Fawcett, that I won in an auction, and the pastel he did from a photo of me and my parents, on our wedding day

In the kitchen I have a sign that says Home Sweet Home, made from wood and thick string, that hangs on the wall above the table, a whiteboard for my shopping list and any other "must do's" another that says "kitchen goddess" and a little plaque in red and white that has a Union Flag on it, that says "One would love a cup of tea" that I have propped up behind a miniature red teapot

We haven't got a lot of pictures out, to be honest - we culled a lot on moving down here. Most of it's still stored away in the garage, because we hope to be redecorating soon (probably around 2021, the way things are going ), and then we'll probably go out any choose something with local connections.

We have (stored away) a Pascale Bigot (a French artist and teacher living in the West Midlands) who we met at a viewing, and so liked her pastel work we bought an original (it's a stylised scene of a French farmhouse); a couple of paintings by friends of Mrs O's parents, a jungle scene by Dr Alec Dalziel, and a Wiltshire landscape by a Mrs Riven, both now sadly deceased; and a set of 6 prints of cartoon sheep by Terry Whitworth, a prolific Dorset artist. We bought those from his studio in Broadwindsor at least 30 years ago, from memory!

The only items on exhibit at the moment are in the living room - we have an original painting of a withered tree in the Lake District by R Haywood Coyle, another landscape artist with a studio in the West Midlands which we visited, and two small prints of Dorset scenes (Gold Hill and The Cobb at Lyme Regis).

I think it's fair to say both Mrs O and I would choose landscapes over abstract art - just our personal preference.

In the living room we have a water colour of Dudley our Newfoundland, that I bought Tim for his 50th. A large photo of Luke and this https://avrilpaton.co.uk/prints/windows-in-the-west which I love If you click on the photo, it enlarges it and you can see how detailed it is, you can see in all the rooms.

In the dining room we have these https://www.terrykirkwood.co.uk/shop/ol-blue-eyes/ and https://www.terrykirkwood.co.uk/shop/aint-misbehavin/ which I bought with vouchers I had for my 40th birthday

In the hall I have a print on canvas of my great grandparents

In the downstairs cloak room I have two prints on canvas of Mevagissey lighthouse, that were taken by Matthew Facey who is a photographer from Mevagissey and in the kitchen I have a beautiful print on canvas of the lighthouse at dawn that was given to me by Matthew

In our bedroom I have a print of a village across a field that my mum was given as a retirement present and a watercolour of out local repertory theatre that my dad bought me for my 40th as both his parents worked there, his mum as a wardrobe mistress and his dad as a stage carpenter and my dad acted there

Sitting end of the living room we have a large limited edition print of Hengistbury Head, by a local artist, which was the view from our front door at Bb's flat.
I bought it with my ten year award from work, and never tire of looking at it, you see different shades in the sea according to the light.

On the wall by the bay window is my little pen and ink of flower tubs in Greece.
Dining end is a limited edition print of a pair of kingfishers on a branch.
By the front door is a little watercolour of Lymington river by a local artist that I bought at a car boot sale.

Top of the stairs is a print of a Tuscan villa, from a charity shop, and an original watercolour of a little wiggly street in Fowey that I bought many years ago from the artist.
Oh and in the bathroom a framed postcard of New York that eldest sent us.
And in the kitchen the original photo of the Greek flower tubs.

We have a theme
Lots of New York canvasses, including a huge 2 metres by 1.5 meters one in the downstairs living room.

Tom has some photos that he's taken on his wall and Joe has a couple of framed signed football shirts (Antony Martial and Eric Cantona - that one is mine but he claimed it and we reframed it to match the other frame). Last time we were in Ikea he wanted to look at the pictures as he wanted one for his room and he chose one of the Brooklyn Bridge.

I have loads of either old prints or old photos of the Isle of Man some from the late1800s, a few of fleetwod where Kath was born (the actual house) and it's immediate area.

I also have about 8 clocks round the house ( like to be aware of the time always, not sure why but I hate to be late ever and usually arrive somewhere early) and a few holiday type oils of seaside views and a few of Barbados.caribbean.

I also in the lounge have a long run of units on the longest wall(24 feet) full of ornaments and memories some antique and collectable, some just because we like them.

The kids have all sad "get shut of it all" we will only skip it all if you die, we don't want any of it lol

I have over 300 items of "wade" porcelain some whimseys and some larger pieces I collected thinking when I die the kids might get a few bob off them, same with my collection of ivory animals/ figures etc but they are not acceptable these days, and to a degree I accept that.
I collected them not for the ivory but for the craftsmanship in the carving of them, all of mine came from auction or a great aunt whose husband was abroad a lot in the early 1900s and none that I own was produced after the second world war, when it was the beginnings of the bans on the sale of ivory. I am thinking of putting all mine back into auction as I also don't agree with the senseless killing of the wildlife for many reasons, not just elephants but all the endangered species.

Sorry I rambled a bit there off subject but most of our house has "clutter" of one kind or another the pictures save on redecorating cos you can't see the wallpaper much hehehe

Manxie xx

Just a thought Gal but you've posted some beautiful pics on Facebook when you've been away. Have you thought about having one or two of those put onto canvas?

Oh yes, good idea Jo! I still haven't got round to putting one of those lovely professional photos of B and I onto canvas yet I keep meaning to.....

We have very few pictures in our living room, our picture gallery being in our bedroom,
where we have a big collection of pictures on one wall, mostly paintings and cross-stitch
picture we have created ourselves.