Artwork in the Attic

More attic cleaning.  Yesterday Kristi brought down some of my artwork that I didn't even know was up there.  This is a pen and ink drawing I did of the Acadian House located in the Longfellow Evangeline State Park in Lafayette, Louisiana.  We lived in LA for 5 years after we got married.  The glass was off the frame and apparently some silverfish has been dining on the paper I did the drawing on.  I'm thinking of having this reframed to preserve it, eaten paper and all.  OR, I could photoshop the eaten paper out of it and print up a new copy to frame.  Which would you do?  I have wonderful memories of my time in the south and seeing this fabulous old home.

This small painting was also brought down, can you believe I don't even remember painting this?  It's small, 5x7".  I'm going to frame it, too.  This is just one of the painting I did using ink from an octopus.  Yes, you heard that right.  My friend in Alaska had her husband harvest the ink from an octopus that he caught in his fishing net and they sent the ink to me.  I did many, many paintings using this wonderful sepia ink.  I must say, it has a unique aroma, rather like an oceanic musk.  This is a farm I took a photo of when on the way to visit my mom when she lived on a farm in the Oregon countryside near Scio.

This photo below is the first octopus ink painting I did, it's of Dayle pulling all 3 kids on a sled down our driveway in a snowstorm.  This was our first house in Corbett, it was up a hill and the kids had a great childhood there with freedom to run through our woods and ponies, goats, chickens, ducks and cats and dogs.  I was invited to "painting night" by our neighbor, Weltha Wilson who was nearly 100 years.  So, I took my little bottle of octopus ink, a few brushes and some watercolor paper and the photo I'd taken.. and after 2 hours of painting I brought this home.  I treasure this so much.  The barn you see across the road was Weltha's - her family raised daffodils there.  The dog you see down the road is our liver spotted Dalmation, Baba.

The painting below is of my grandparent's farmhouse where my dad was born in the countryside of Watonga, Oklahoma.  I did the painting realistically, it had been left uninhabited after grandma and grandpa "moved to town".  Grandpa went out there every day after that to putter around the farm.  I "rescued" their 5 legged oak farm table and kitchen queen cabinet from the old farmhouse and had them restored - they are my dearest treasures.

This is the barn that was behind the farmhouse.  I also painted this after it suffered from years of neglect after grandpa passed away.  Now it's gone.  I'm happy to have this image as a reminder of the grand old farm that my family loved for so many years.  My aunt Mary Ann just passed away, the last of my Dad's generation.

This is another barn I took a photo of on the way to visit my mom when she lived in the their farm in Scio, OR.  I then painted it.

This is a print of an octopus ink painting I did for the friend from Alaska who sent me the ink.  I told her to send me a photo of whatever she wanted painted and she sent this - it's a man in Alaska who hauled some of their belongings to their homestead on his horse-drawn wagon.  This is near Homer, Alaska. 

I hope you've enjoyed my art show.  I've showed my octopus ink paintings of Mt. Hood, the Yaquina Bay Bridge and Lighthouse before.  I wish I had a wall big enough to hang them all together.   

What do you make that you have displayed in your home?  Please share.  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)