We can all use a little encouragement in the morning to begin our day on a cheery note. I'm hoping my newest anthropomorphic print will do the trick. This combines two of my favorite subjects: anthropomorphism and vintage kitchen! It is now available in The Curious Kitchen shop on Etsy and I'll soon be adding small prints of the individual characters . Next week I'll be running a contest to win an 8 x 10 print simply by sharing the link on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest so check back for details.
Time and Again
Anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I do not need another clock in my apartment. I honestly was not out looking for one but stumbled upon this adorable Teapot clock from the 1940's on Etsy (courtesy of a lovely shop called The Love Butler). Not only was it in the shape of a teapot which I also collect (see photos on an earlier post called Apartment Therapy House Tour) but it is a windup and so it TICKS! I hadn't realized how much my kitchen needed that reliable, comforting sound until now...
This aqua General Electric once belonged to my Parents and so it has a special place in my kitchen. The Santa mugs look so good with it I haven't been able to put them away with the other Christmas things.
This one also a General Electric and belonged to my Parents. The dial is truly a work of art. You can see a painting I did of it in my Etsy shop Curious Portraits.
This one I actually found on the street, I can't believe someone threw it out!
I've had this lovely copper wall clock for so long that I don't remember where I bought it. Probably at a flea market before the time of Ebay. That darned "11" is still tumbling.
I've been collecting these Westclox Baby and Big Bens for years now. The square one is actually a Telechron and the small one with the golden face is an old travel clock with a sliding cover that closes over the face.
This Moonbeam clock is a real prize. I had been looking for one for years with just the right face and hands as they do vary. It is translucent and glows when the alarm is going off. You can see a painting I did featuring this and some of the Westclox in my Etsy shop Curious Portraits.
Here is another Westlox and a beautiful old leather bound clock that was left to me by a friend.
This one is made by Reveille of which I know nothing. I just loved the Deco look.
This ship clock was a crazy purchase but my Grandfather had one just like it when we were growing up and I thought the chances of me ever finding another were slim. There is a little night light inside so that all the portholes glow. Just charming.
This pewter clock isn't vintage at all but I saw it in Pottery Barn years ago and loved it. It has become my every day alarm clock as it has a very quiet tick and a very calm alarm.
This beauty belonged to my Father and is my treasure. He used to repair clocks so I guess I know where my love of them originates. It has a deep, mellow tick and a beautiful chime on the half hour and gong on the hour.
Last but not least is this adorable one that isn't a clock at all but an old bank that I found in an antique market in Lambertville, NJ.
Upcoming Exhibition
I have been very busy preparing for an exhibition opening Saturday December 3 at the Wyatt Art Studios in Rochester New Hampshire. It is my first exhibition with them and I am very excited about it. It will be in their new back room which is small so I decided to show small works. I started with the 3 vintage-y still lives I already had which are nice and cheery and created 6 additional small paintings to accompany them which are all painted from my collection of vintage salt and pepper shakers and Christmas ornaments. Unfortunately I won't be able to go up there for the opening but I'll be there in spirit!
Some Still Lives
I am taking a little break from the Mr. Peanut paintings and working on something new. I have lots of vintage knickknacks around my apartment that I've collected over the years and I thought it would be nice to have some of them in a series of paintings. One of my favorite collections is my wind up alarm clocks from the 40's & 50's. I began with my first Westclox Big Ben that I bought on Ebay because it was just like the one my Parents had in the bedroom of our house in Wildwood, NJ where we spent our summers. I just love falling asleep to the rhythmic, tinny ticking of that clock that brings me straight back to a very happy time in my childhood. After that I added a gorgeous cream and tan Baby Ben and a beautiful Moonbeam which doesn't tick but glows when the alarm goes off. These are the subject of the first painting that I just finished.
I also have several General Electric clock radios from the 50's and 60's that I love, 2 of which belonged to my Parents as well. These are the subject of 2 more paintings (sketches below) both shown with a little scottie dog pull toy I found in a flea market. I even threw in a few of the vintage desk accessories that I have; a beautiful old inkwell with a dip pen that was in a cabinet in our basement, a little silver desk calendar that you flip every day to show the date and another of my alarm clocks. I decided to put all these on a vintage red tablecloth against the pistachio green wall of my kitchen. I think they look very cheery and I can't wait to turn these sketches into paintings!
