My dad's paintings
Memories and Father's Day go together. This year I resurrected quite a few. We're doing a cosmetic make-over of our kitchen and painting some walls yellow. When my mom and dad built their house, they chose yellow ceramic tile for the kitchen. The yellow wasn't a conscious motivation for me until I decided to use a few of my dad's paintings for wall art and memories of my childhood home resurfaced.
When my dad retired, he decided to teach himself how to use acrylic and watercolor paints. He was already self taught in woodworking, playing the piano, organ, as well as the guitar, and carving. He had to leave school after eighth grade to work but was always interested in learning something new. He had a workshop in the basement for as long as I can remember. After he retired, he set up an easel and again began something new--pursuing a love of painting for about fifteen years. Besides the paintings themselves which were mostly reproductions of other artist's work, he created the frames for many of them, too.
After my parents passed on, I moved all of his paintings to our house. I chose Southwest themed paintings to hang in my office, a snow and cabin scene for the kitchen, and a few watercolors for a hallway. Looking at each one brings back a different time period in our lives. Now with the kitchen redo, I wanted to reach into our back closet, pull all the paintings out and choose something different for our kitchen.
It was serendipity that I chose to do this a week before Father's Day. I hadn't been in that cubbyhole closet for a few years. What a memory trove of paintings! Most of them are dated and each brings back a rush of pictures from times I wish I could capture again.
I chose two watercolors for our kitchen, a painting of yellow tabby kitties I'd totally forgotten about, as well as two unframed retro scenes that will go beautifully in a bedroom. My husband is having them framed for me for our summer anniversary.
Father's Day won't begin and end on Father's Day. With my dad's artwork around me, it can last throughout the year.
Happy Father's Day, Daddy.
©2013 Karen Rose Smith
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