Less Naked

Vaulted ceilings suck. I’m just going to go ahead and throw that out there.

After going through what artwork we have left, I decided on the three Van Gogh prints for the living room. At one point we had ten but the other seven were either unsalvageable or not worth saving. Living in a house infested with constant mold problems will do that, so when we moved I opted to only take the good ones with us. Besides, the ones we took were also framed.

Anyway, trying to decide on placement was a challenge. We have our sofa currently against the tallest wall in the house and every morning I blog I see it, this vast open space begging for a splash of color and interest. So instead of try to clog and clutter the area, I thought that by simply placing the artwork where I would normally place it had the ceiling been lower, it would draw the eye downward. Of course, maybe I’m just not used to it yet because now the space looks even emptier since putting the print up! Okay, maybe emptier isn’t the word, but perhaps accentuates the size of the wall more by putting yet another thing on it to emphasize its massiveness.

So herein lies the dilemma; I can either leave the artwork where it is or I can come up with another plan that will cover a larger portion of the wall. My original thought was to make an art quilt and use it as a wall hanging, but I don’t know how I’d feel about that since I think of quilts as usable and functional pieces. Even the baby quilts I’ve made for family and friends were intended to be used as blankets until they outgrew them and then could be hung from the walls, although some people only used them as wall art and that’s sad.

Quilts are in many ways story tellers themselves with all the memories and scars of life, and without the element of using them for a purpose, they never gain a soul and personality. Not that I’m saying that inanimate objects necessarily have these attributes, but, unlike a print, you can cuddle and play with a quilt. Yes, this increases the chances of stains and tears, but that only adds to the character of it.

Alas, it appears as though I may need some time to think about it. Maybe what I need to do is actually start quilting and stop talking about it. What I need is for the kids to be here to keep me focused. It’s funny, but I always thought that having kids would be a hindrance to my creativity, and since we haven’t had them in a while my creative side has severely diminished. Yes, they are exhausting, but worth every minute we get to have them in our lives.

Well, it appears I’ve gone on enough tangents for one post. I’d have taken a picture, but honestly, it is just sad to see the lonely print of Van Gogh’s Irises above the couch. Maybe it will just take time to get used to it all.