"Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Sunday, November 2, 2008

Show n Tell Sunday


What a fun topic for this week's Show N Tell! I had a hard time picking a "favorite collection." Not sure I have one. I'm pretty emotionally attached to all my collections...I wouldn't have such a problem if I weren't. ;o) But my religious art collection ranks pretty high & I figure there's gonna be lots of pink posts in today's Show n Tell, so what the heck.

This first photo is @ the top of the stairwell, looking down. I call this my "Stairway to Heaven". I keep all my religious art on the stairway walls. Religious prints tend to have a somber tone & I don't want them setting the mood for the whole house, so I group it all here. Almost all of the collection is on one wall....it's a 2 story wall & it makes quite a display. By the way, my walls aren't really white. They're a pale butter yellow, that using the flash washes out completely.

I made the Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much sign to use as a "curtain rod" in a previous home. It was much longer w/ glass doorknobs @ each end that I hung curtains from, to frame a picture window. When we moved into this house, I cut off both ends, leaving the doorknobs in place to use as peg racks (one is out on my front porch ...I don't know where the other end is) .

The angel was a souvenier from an Ohio craft festival & it was made from 125 year old floorboards, out of an old house.

Sweet tinted picture of the Holy family.

Mother Mary...love the depth these old prints have while still using muted colors.

Saint John, the Baptist as a boy...

Love these prints of the praying children!



"I will bless every house in which an image of my Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored"

A beautifully colored print of Saint Therese.



Saint Anthony... by C Bosseron Chambers. Probably the foremost religious artist of the 20th century. I love his work!.


My favorite guardian angel print!


I hung the art all the way down to the baseboards. They're @ eye level when you are at the bottom of the stairs, so why not!



See! All the way to the baseboards!

This photo is of Saint John the Baptist, (also by C Bosseron Chambers) as a toddler & another beautiful Saint Therese print.


Another guardian angel print.


Love this rococo frame!




Mother Mary again, this time as a young girl. Doesn't it remind you of Drew Barrymore when she was young? This was another by C. Bosseron Chambers. I told you I loved his work!


I don't know if this would classify as religious art but it has the same feel, so I included it. The print is called Cupid Awake, Cupid Asleep & is by M.B. Parkinson. It's hung at the top of the stairs on a wall by itself.


The print on the left is of Mother Mary & Baby Jesus, unknown artist but maybe a C Bosseron Chambers.


The one on the right is Baby Jesus, is another Chambers (it's his most famous work...entitled Light of the World) & is the one that started the collection. I wasn't sure, @ first, what drew me to the print. I bought it years & years ago, it matched nothing I had going on in the house at the time & I kept it in a closet, for a long time. But it led to another one & another one & I got such a warm glow from them that I just kept buying them. And eventually displayed them. Then one day, my aunt came in from out of town & exclaimed, "You got Mam-Maw's picture?!!"


It seems the same print, similarly framed, hung on my grandmother's bedroom wall forever. I may not have a conscious memory of it but I'm sure, sub-consciously, I was attracted to it because it reminded me of my Mam-Maw.




Hope y'all enjoyed your trip up my Stairway to Heaven! Can't wait to see the eye candy on Show n Tell @ JunqueArt. Thanks for stopping by & be sure & thank Cindy for hosting the shin-dig!

15 comments:

Shelby said...

Vinty, what a treasure it must be to walk into your home. I know for certain I would definitely feel a warm welcome.

bj said...

Oh, my goodness....this is a MAGNIFICENT collection. Thank you so much for sharing with us...

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

What a awesome collection, and I love your term "stairway to heaven". How wonderful to walk up your stairway amidst all of that beauty. laurie

Pink Slippers said...

WOW!
Happy Sunday SHOW & TELL
Wendy

Splashes of Pink and Mint said...

I can't take a favourite, I love them all!!! What a beautiful collection (and a very huge one too!)!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely collection with such a sense of peace and tranquility.

Nelly said...

What a wonderful collection and great idea to display it that way. Lovely! I have the one of the awake cupid. One of my favs. Thanks for visiting my blog today.
Nelly

Robyn said...

Thanks for stopping by.
You have such and incredible collection! The angel created from the farm house floor boards in Ohio is wonderful! My kids' god-father would be in awe of your collection!
Have a great week!

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a great collection! I am years behind you. I better start buying some more things... it's gonna take me a while to collect such fabulous artifacts. xoxo, Joanna

Shannon @ Silver Trappings said...

I love your collection. Now I realize that my staircase walls are naked. I need to remedy that! Thanks for stopping by today.

Shannon

Amy Sutter said...

Wow what a unique collection for your home - just beaufiful!
Blessings,
Amy Sutter

Rachel said...

What a beautiful collection to have! My Mother and Grandmother would be drooing at your place.
~Rachel

Little Pink Studio said...

Oooooh! I am in love with this collection!! I have such a thing for religious art as well.
You have some amazing pieces!! I would to find some of those!
Thank you for sharing with us!
~Cerri xo

lvroftiques said...

What an incredibly beautiful stairwell!! I'm in awe! Wow!! Vannas

Anonymous said...

I absolutely LOVE your Stairway to Heaven! What a beautiful collection you have put together! And thank you so much for the Kreativ Blogger award!! I am honored! I'll be doing an awards post very soon - thank you so much!...Donna